Of Mice and Men is a novella in which
power plays a significant role. One way to talk about power is to see who has it and
how it's used, as the post above does. Another way to look at the theme of power in
this work is to see who doesn't have it, why they don't, and the consequences of being
powerless.
Lennie is powerless in all the ways that
matter. He isn't particularly able to think for himself or make his own decisions
because of hs mental disability. The consequences of that are being dependent on others
for nearly everything and continually being held in check on things he does want to
do.
George is powerless in one sense--because he loves
Lennie and feels responsible for taking care of him, he is powerless to do the things
he'd really like to do.
Candy is powerless now that he's no
longer able to be productive. He was once empowered; since his injury, though, he has
been powerless, just like his dog, to live what he considers to be a productive
life.
Curley's wife is powerless in that she is trapped in
an unhappy, loveless marriage but wants nothing more than to be loved. This unfulfilled
need drives her to be the lonely "bad girl" she ends up
being.
Crooks is powerless because of his color as well as
his physical deformity. Society might be able to overlook one or the other, but
certainly not both. As a consequence, his inside is as deformed as his
outside.
How power is wielded against the powerless, as
well as the consequences of being powerless, is a fascinating concept in this
novella.
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