Often overlooked is one's intellectual self. In the story, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, however, it isn't going unnoticed. Portrayed perfectly as the victim of low intelligence, Lennie is the target for many attacks. It's as if an invisible barrier has been put up, in which he can't be viewed as an equal. This barrier is built by both Lennie's low intelligence and gargantuan size. Lennie is strong in the arm, thick in the head; these two opposing factors do not go well together. It will cause much suffering to both him and others. Lennie's impetuous actions and mental deficiency causes him to lose his life, which in return, destroys the dreams of others and their desires.
             Like many children, Lennie loves to touch soft things, but his love for soft things causes the first of many incidents. "Dumb bastard like he is, he wants to touch ever'thing he likes..." (41). He loves everything that is soft to the touch, but his misunderstanding of things causes great confusion. He thinks it's okay to touch what he likes, but when a girl sees is a huge giant coming at her and grabbing on to her clothing, she screams. At this, Lennie freezes up because he doesn't know what to do due to his mental disability. He thinks the reasonable thing to do is to hold on. This is a great misinterpretation of things as it's exactly the opposite of what to do.
             Lennie's failure to remember what he is told results in the death of Curley's wife. He can't remember that George told him to "keep away from her, 'cause she's a rattrap if I ever seen one" (32). As soon as Lennie finds out how soft Curley's wife's hair is, he instantly falls in love with it. His love of soft things instantly overwhelms the rest of his thoughts. His mental disability causes him to forget everything George taught him: about not going near her, about how she is trouble. Even though h...