Animal and human nature in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men The relationship between animal nature and human nature in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is an important theme in the whole work. Lennie and Candy are related to animals through their different individual characteristics, such as physical appearance, mental capacity or emotional maturity. Other characters, such as Curley and Carlson, demonstrate their animalistic nature in their interactions with others. Despite the obvious connection between the human and animal natures of the play's characters, some characters attempt to rise above their bestial nature by dreaming and seeking companionship. Lennie is perhaps the most obvious example of an animalistic character. The very first description of Lennie is as "a huge, shapeless-faced man, with large clear eyes, with broad, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, as a bear drags his paws" (Steinbeck 2). This initial description of Lennie immediately links him to a large animal, and for the rest of the novel, whenever his name is mentioned, the reader instinctively imagines a large, bear-like man. Lennie is also compared to a dog, just a few pages later, when he is compared to a "terrier who doesn't want to bring the ball to his master" (Steinbeck 9). This connection is further emphasized when, at the end of the novel, Lennie is shot with the same gun and in the same way that Candy's dog was killed earlier in the novel. Lennie is also connected to animals in his mental capacity and preferences. His "naivety as well as his attraction to animals, especially rabbits and puppies, would seem to establish him as animalistic" (Johnson 16). Candy is identified... in the center of the card... .living together as a family. Candy and Crooks volunteer to join George and Lennie in their dream, in the hope that they can contribute to the group's well-being and act as a unit, a family. George already shows this kind of selflessness throughout the book in caring for Lennie, and similarly, Lennie cares for George. These characters escape their primal, animalistic tendencies to fend for themselves and choose to help each other. Of Mice and Men presents many interesting connections between the animal nature and the human nature of its characters. While most characters display characteristics that would qualify them as bestial, only a few display the drive to rise above this base level of existence and distinguish themselves from their animal nature. Works Cited: Steinbeck, John. Of mice and men. New York: Penguin Books, 1937.