Guilty Until Proven Innocent (Of Mice and Men Analysis Essay)

Despite the law assuring everyone is innocent until proven guilty, many people do not share that idea. Of Mice and Men is a book by John Steinbeck that is a social commentary on our society. Within the book, Steinbeck touches on difficult subjects such as isolation, death, fear, and letting go. In a world where everyone travels alone, one relationship within the book is able to exist temporarily before being destroyed. George takes care of Lennie, a man with mental handicaps. However, Lennie, who never meant to harm anyone, eventually becomes a danger to others and George must kill him. Steinbeck’s commentary on isolation and the idea that everyone believes in “guilty until proven innocent” is stark yet rings clear. The characters all live isolated lives; very few people bother making friends, except for George and Lennie. However, people often accuse George of robbing Lennie. The only other relationship in the book is between Curley, a worker on the farm, and his wife. Curley is distrustful of everyone; including his wife and frequently believes she is cheating on him. Curley’s wife, who is unnamed, is accused of cheating on Curley whenever she speaks to other men in the bunkhouse. These interactions continue to push the cycle of distrust between all characters. People will gravitate towards a “guilty until proven innocent” mentality.

During their initial meeting, the boss accuses George of robbing Lennie. “’I said what stake you got in this guy? You takin’ his pay away from him’” (22)? The boss believes George is robbing Lennie as they travel together during a time period where many people are distrustful of each other. The boss immediately assumes George is taking advantage of Lennie’s mental disability with no actual proof. Even after George explains himself, the boss continues interrogating him, “’Well, I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy. I just like to know what your interest is’” (22). Eventually, George convinces the boss he is not stealing from Lennie, but is given one last warning “’But don’t try to put nothing over, ‘cause you can’t get away with nothing’” (23). Before he even knew George, the boss assumed George was a bad person and was using Lennie for his own gain. During the brief and only interaction with the boss, George begins learning about the environment he and Lennie have found themselves in. 

Curley repeatedly accuses most men in the bunkhouse of sleeping with his wife. He accuses them so often, eventually Slim, one of the leaders, snaps at him, “Slim said, ‘Well, you been askin’ me too often. I’m gettin’ God damn sick of it. If you can’t look after your own God damn wife, what you expect me to do about it? You lay offa me…’” (62). This quickly brings more turmoil into the bunkhouse and eventually starts a fight between Lennie and Curley. Curley is constantly paranoid his wife is cheating on him wherever she goes. Curley threatens most of the men he accuses, “’You keep outta this les’ you wanta step outside’” (62), even going as far as to threaten Lennie, “’Come on, ya big bastard. No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me’” (62). His ideas of treating everyone as guilty of sleeping with his wife ends up with his hand being permanently disabled. The mentality hurts him and the people around him, as it increases tensions between him and the team and causes him serious injuries, “’This punk sure had I comin’ to him. But--Jesus! He ain’t hardly got no han’ left’” (64).

Curley’s wife is accused of cheating every time she speaks to the men in the bunkhouse. When trying to talk about her past with Lennie, he says he is not allowed to talk to her, “Her face grew angry. ‘Wha’s matter with me?’ she cried. ‘Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am, anyways’” (87)? She speaks of how she could have been a star in Hollywood and is only with Curley to escape her mother’s house. Curley’s wife is just lonely, “’I get lonely,’ she said. ‘You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad’” (87). She is kept isolated in a toxic, nearly abusive, environment and is treated with hostility when she attempts to make connections. Despite never having cheated on Curley, the men are harsh towards her when they are in groups together, “’If I catch any one man, and he’s alone, I get along fine with him. But just two of the guys get together an’ you won’t talk. Jus’ nothing but mad’” (77). This is because the men are distrustful of each other, afraid the others will accuse them of cheating with her, “’You’re all scared of each other, that’s what. Ever’ one of you’s scared the rest is goin’ to get something on you’” (77). No matter the situation, the men are afraid they will be considered guilty of cheating if they are with Curley’s wife.

Of Mice and Men explores the idea of “guilty until proven innocent”. Everybody is lonely, dreams die, and everyone is distrustful because everybody else has the worst intentions. However, there is a reason for this. In the novel, the characters holding the “guilty until proven innocent” outlook distance themselves from others. This mindset is based on distrust and inherent fear. Using this, one can claim something and it will be considered the truth until another person has the evidence to refute the claim. It may also be used to claim something can or will happen and cannot be refuted until the action happens or until it is impossible for the action to happen. In a Of Mice and Men, where this viewpoint is considered normal, many continue the cycle of loneliness and distrust, making connections difficult to form. This disposition is still common, leaving the characters in the novel and people in the word similar situations, where distrust and fear run through their minds and infect their hearts. Despite the effects, to protect themselves, people will gravitate towards a “guilty until innocent” mentality.