Lennie & Finny

Finny, from A Separate Peace, and Lennie, from Of Mice and Men, was basically the center of their novels. Everything that went on revolved around them. From the very beginning,

each of their incidents was a major part of the novels. Everything that happened to them, including the death of Lennie's mouse, and Finny's announcement of his and Gene's friendship, then to each of their deaths, they had a large impact on the themes of the books.

Finny and Lennie shared a few similarities. Both of them had best friends, people that were there until the end for them. Lennie had George. George was there to take care of him and keep him out of trouble. Lennie needed to be guided along his way and have someone to look out for him. That's exactly what George did for him. Finny's best friend was Gene. Although they saw each other through tough times, both would have done anything for each other. Gene inspired Finny to excel in sports, and Finny did the same for him. Gene also encouraged Finny to work harder at school, but didn't achieve much there. Their friendship was undying.

In these books' Lennie and Finny ends up dying in a tragic way. Lennie is shot because he is harmful to everything and everyone around him. Lennie's disability is the reason for this.

This is something he can't help. George, Of Mice and Men, didn't want Lennie to die, but realized that he was a threat to people and animals around him. He did the thing he knew he had to do. Finny dies partially due to Gene, the other main character from A Separate Peace. Near the beginning of the story Finny falls from a tree, causing him to break his leg. Later in the novel he breaks his leg again and dies during surgery. Both were freak accidents, not something the other main characters would have planned on.

Just like they had similarities, Finny and Lennie also had differences. Finny was the big man on campus. He was the best at every sport, handsome, and someone that everyone wanted to be friends with. Lennie is a large man with a learning disability. He is very slow and needs someone there for him all the time to take care of him. That is what George is to him. He has problems understanding his strengths and accidentally uses them too much. This in the end causes his death.

Finny and Lennie were extremely different when it came to their appearance. Lennie's extra large size and handicap were intimidating to others. These factors made him appear unfriendly and unapproachable. Finny was the opposite. He was a friendly guy. There wasn't anything alarming about his appearance or manner. This was why he was so popular and had many friends.

Between Finny and Lennie's similarities and differences they proved to be main characters in both stories. The novels were based around many events that happened to them and the things they did. Finny and Lennie greatly affected the other people in their novels. Without these characters, there wouldn't have been a story.