George Milton In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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I am of the assured opinion that in Steinbeck’s acclaimed novel ‘Of Mice and Men’, one of the two protagonists, George Milton, is indeed a victim. There is a plethora of ways in which this is illustrated and I will embellish upon a number of key points. One should sympathise with the heroic, noble and benevolent character depicted in George Milton. He displays a very altruistic personality by fostering Lennie, who is intellectually disabled and most disadvantaged, when the state and his family have heartlessly failed him. Also, he is severely crippled by the most devastating financial and economic crisis the world has ever seen. George takes Lennie’s life in order to save him from a worse fate, paradoxically unburdening himself of the responsibility of Lennie but charging himself with the guilt of a murder.

Firstly, the novel opens a few miles south of Soledad and the reader is swiftly introduced to
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The 1930s was scarred by The Great Depression, it was a very trying time in which to live. Approximately 46% of the working age population was without employment and during this time there was no government provision for those who were unemployed, meaning that men, such as George and Lennie, were compelled to travel across thousands of miles in search of work. A devastating time for many migrant workers, had George undertaken this task alone he would have been hugely challenged; we can but admire how he achieves it with the additional burden of Lennie at his side. Although some might argue that the vast majority of people living through this gruelling period were undoubtedly affected negatively by the economic downturn and this scenario is not singular to George, it must be remembered that George’s position of caring for a vulnerable adult would have set him aside from most