Sin and Goodness

The Rationalist believed that everyone is born without sin or taint.  Because of this, rationalists had the idea that everyone started equal, and no one was born with any strikes against them.  This allowed people to believe that they had the ability to live just as anyone else did as a righteous man.  However, because Rationalists believed they were born free from sin, the sin that they did commit was a big issue and had a great impact on their character.  Because sin had a large negative effect on people, goodness was also magnified and helped boost people’s reflections on their peers.  Having good morals and values will take you far in life, and if a man was well respected among his peers, he was likely to achieve at a high level.  One of the most important aspects of life is the relationship that people build with each other, and it is evident that the better reputation you have, the more success will come your way.

Throughout the book, there is an emphasis placed on the relationships of the characters.  It is evident which characters are in charge- Curley and his wife.  Any time they are around the men, everyone gets very stiff and they have to make sure they don’t say anything to get themselves in trouble.  The men at the ranch are scared of Curley and his wife, because they know that at any moment, they could be thrown out of their jobs.  It is obvious that the relationship between the men and Curley and his wife is imperfect, and there is no respect to be found anywhere.  Because Curley and his wife don’t have the nicest hearts, no one likes them and the men make fun of them behind their backs.  Even though no one respects Curley and his wife, they have to make sure that they are nice to them so that they don’t get kicked out of the ranch.  They all make sure that they don’t do anything that will upset the bosses, and try to stay clear of trouble.  Generally, the person that keeps quiet and does their work will be the one who achieves the most and has the best relationship with their bosses and others.  The men try to help each other out, and the ones that are well-liked find a happiness that is hard to reach in their situations.  Slim builds good relationships with George and Lennie, as well as the other men, and in the end, turns out comforting George after he shoots Lennie.  Because of Slim’s positive personality, he helps George overcome the sin of this in his life.  This is something that a good man would do, and Slim is praised for it.