Aristotle defined tragedy as a play about a basically good person, important to society, who suffers a fall brought about by something in his or...

According to the Greeks, the tragic hero's hamartia, or tragic flaw, does not always have to be something negative. It can be a seemingly positive trait, but in excess, it can lead the hero to his fall. Such is the case with George  and Lennie in Of Mice and Men.

George Milton, the protagonist of the novella, is the reluctant caregiver of Lennie Smalls, a large but childlike man. He knew Lennie's aunt before she...

According to the Greeks, the tragic hero's hamartia, or tragic flaw, does not always have to be something negative. It can be a seemingly positive trait, but in excess, it can lead the hero to his fall. Such is the case with George  and Lennie in Of Mice and Men.

George Milton, the protagonist of the novella, is the reluctant caregiver of Lennie Smalls, a large but childlike man. He knew Lennie's aunt before she died and promised Clara that he would watch over him after she passed. Throughout the novel, George expresses his frustrations towards Lennie and repeats, "I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn't have you on my tail" (7).

However, despite his frustrations, George is very compassionate towards Lennie and quickly realizes that Lennie is not at fault for constantly costing him every job he gets. He is so compassionate that he often acquiesces to Lennie's will, He allows him to have a puppy and plans to let him tend the rabbits once they have a farm of their own. It is this compassion that is George's hamartia, for if he were like the other ranchers, he could travel alone and not bother himself with Lennie's shenanigans. However, he believes Lennie incapable of caring for himself and tells him, "I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, sombody'd shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself" (13). George's inability to desert Lennie and let him roam the ranches on his own leads to Lennie's tragic death and George's inevitable guilt which will more than likely haunt him for the rest of his life.

Likewise, Lennie possesses an admirable trait that, because of its excessiveness, is his hamartia. Innocence has a positive connotation, but in the case of a grown man, a migrant farm worker, it can be dangerous. Lennie's innocence gives him a predilection for soft things. Sometimes these things are rodents, and sometimes they are mere fabrics. Normally, when Lennie gets ahold of a mouse or puppy, the creature faces death under Lennie's huge "paws." In the past, when the gentle giant has gotten hold of a soft piece of fabric, it is attached to a woman's dress, which understandably frightens the lady. This is what happens to Curley's wife, and because of his innocence, Lennie is equally frightened, cannot let go of her, and inadvertently kills her, snapping her neck with his massive hands. This ultimately leads to his death, his fall.

Lennie's death was the fall of both characters. Before George shoots Lennie, he responds to his large friend's request to "get that place now" with, "Sure, right now. I gotta. We gotta" (106). These words represent both characters' hamartias. Lennie, too innocent to understand the seriousness of the situation, believes the farm is still attainable, while George, too compassionate to let Lennie die a horrible, torturous death in Curley's hands, kills his friend mercifully.