Through Lennie’s physical power he is often incapable of controlling himself resulting in disasters for instance the unintentional killing of animals such as the mouse. Slim’s puppy is a symbol, which embodies the triumph of the strong over the weak. Lennie kills the puppy accidentally by ‘petting it too hard’ equally in the way that he ‘petted the mouse too hard’; however he fails to acknowledge his own strength. Even though no one is stronger than Lennie, he can be portrayed as a harmless animal as he is unconscious of the vicious powers that surround him. The author has used irony to show that no matter what mental state you are, you can still own a certain degree of an alternative form of power. In fact he feels cruel each time he does
