Of Mice and Men Forum

Uh..? What kind of Intellectual disabilities does Lennie have?

He is retarded.  I'd say he has the mental age of a child of about five years old.  He cannot remember simple things, he slops when he eats, he whines about not getting ketchup with his beans, he is afraid of being hurt despite his huge size, he cannot discern when people are teasing him, he likes soft things (as a child likes a blanket or stuffed animal), he imitates others, and he does not understand the consequences of his actions beyond immediate personal results (like George yelling at him).

I don't know if there is a specific name for his disabilities other than mental retardation.  He just functions at a very low mental and emotional age.

Thank you!!!!! do you think Boo Radley from "To kill a mocking bird " is also mently retarted?

Absolutely not. 

Arthur Radley is just a shy man--something unforgivable in Maycomb.  Scout tells us that most people sit out on their porches in the evenings, but not the Radleys.  Well, that is just their way.  But because it is "different," people gossip about them.  They make up all kinds of ridiculous stories about a boy who made a teenage mistake and was kept out of public for so long that he didn't want to go out again.  Arthur wasn't hurting anyone by staying indoors, but people gossiped anyway.

If Arthur were retarded, he wouldn't have thought to put a blanket around Scout that night of the fire.  He wouldn't have thought to put trinkets in the knothole for the kids.  He wouldn't have thought to sew Jem's pants and leave them on the fence, knowing Jem would come back for them.

Another phrase for "mentally retarded" is "cognitively disabled".  Really, it's kind of taboo to say "retarded" now. 

Lennie isnt 'retarded'. He is just a late bloomer, well hes never going to bloom. He obviously had a terrible up-bringing in which people took advantage of his 'dull' nature.

late bloomer? he is about 40, he is just autistic, i thought that was obvious

dan you dont know what you're on about.
how can someone be a late bloomer and then not bloom at all?
you do not know anything of lennies background or where he came from. he is not being taken advantage of george genuinely is in love with lennie.

dan you dont know what you're on about.
how can someone be a late bloomer and then not bloom at all?
you do not know anything of lennies background or where he came from. he is not being taken advantage of george genuinely is in love with lennie.

I agree with Ellie, Lennie is well loved by his good friend George. Lennie just lacks social skills and is a bit "slow".

NO! Lennie is just special, people should beable to be special without being questioned ! or being called mentaly retarded ! there's nothing wrong with being different !

lennie is a retard, but he means well.

He is not 'in love' with him Ellie! And i think you'll find in the book if you actually read it that Lennie as a child was taken advantage of by the other children and they used to take advantage of him doing whatever they say, merkle.