Love and Violence in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck In Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, characters display definite violence directed towards those they love. "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" refers to what appear to be the destructive tendencies of the men in this book. Although Lennie's ruinous behavior originates from his childhood fascination with soft things, George and Candy appear to have almost productive reasons for causing harm. The different ways to hurt those they love emerge throughout the book, both with harsh words and violence. Love can hurt for different reasons and in different ways as in correlation with the poem, but that love is not always disastrous. Lennie's incredible need often causes him to be "a man [who] kills the thing he loves." Recurringly, the reader is reminded of the ways in which Lennie inadvertently kills animals and scares people. For example, at the pool George and Lennie reveal in their conversation the reason for their trip. Lennie got in trouble in the last town for petting a woman's dress "like it was a mouse." This obvious innocence foreshadows the inevitable end of Lennie's carelessness. Trouble follows the two men as Lennie fails to realize what he is doing wrong. George can only call him "a crazy son of a bitch" and pretend he doesn't want the responsibility of that childish man. However, the powerful simpleton never intends to harm his victims nor does he understand the complications that arise for George from the things he does. His reckless way of living represents those who continue to hurt their loves because they cannot think beyond their own needs. When Candy gets her dog killed, it's intentional. Partly, it allows this... middle of paper... not to show up earlier in the plot, he's the only one "courageous" enough to "do the deed" personally. The poem lists several ways that people hurt those they love. With Lennie, this is completely unintentional. He never intends to harm anyone, but with the capricious way he treats everything he wants to love, it's inevitable. Curlie's wife simply ignores the needs of others to satisfy her own, and this is intentional selfishness. In the case of Candy and George, however, the damage is intentional, but not malicious. The "bitter" words that hurt Lennie are mostly used to help him because he cannot take care of himself. George, although he never admits that he loves his friend, recognizes that he sometimes has to be harsh to do good for Lennie. Sometimes hurting someone is necessary because of the love of the relationship, not in spite of it.