『생쥐와 인간』에 나타난 토끼의 여성성과 레니의 강박증에 대한 시의적 해석

Interpretation Reflecting the Times of Rabbits' Femininity and Lennie's Obsession in Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck that realistically expresses the American laborers' lives of the 20th century still inspires many people even after 80 years by its story that the best friend George comes to shoot Lennie, a weak-minded person. The precedent research, as to this aspect, has discussed mainly the obscure facts of paradox such as friendship and loneliness, dream and reality, virtue and vice, pleasure and morality, but does not refer to Lennie's obsession with rabbits driving the harmony to catastrophe. This paper observes the identity of the rabbits in Of Mice and Men and the reason for and the complexion of Lennie's sexual desire to indulge in the body of the creature. First, I illuminate whether and how rabbits imply femininity through analyzing the text, and insist that Lennie's preoccupation with rabbits is a fetishism aspect made by his sexual appetite repressed by his intellectual disability and George's regulation. Lastly, I add some social significance to the fact that Lennie dies without meeting a rabbit.