Bernard In Tim O Brien's Of Mice And Men

This is Bernard’s first appearance in the novel. He is in conversation with Henry Foster and the Assistant Predestinator. Most men do not value women as people or for their character but rather consider them as objects. Bernard believes that women should be valued for their character and he believes that men should not constantly move on from women to women. This first appearance is telling of Bernard’s differences with the rest of the society and how he is constantly finding problems in several aspects of society.
Bernard must exert force, even as an Alpha male, to get things done by lower castes. This is telling of why Bernard is not happy with society and finds himself different from others. Supposedly, while growing up alcohol seeped into his brain and stunted his growth, resulting in …show more content…
I do not think he yearns for specifically for a mother, but for changes in his life and to experience sadness and pain.
Bernard finds out that John the Savage is the D.H.C’s son. While it may appear solely from this quote that Bernard is truly concerned for society and fears for the future, in context Bernard is happy to have found dirt on the D.H.C. and is excited for the effects this news has on the community. Bernard is looking forward to changes in his life and this will begin them. This is the turning point in the story for Bernard. After this, he becomes very conniving and starts taking things for granted. Although he may be happier, he is going against the thoughts and values he has had for a long time.
In this point of the story, Bernard realizes that he can use John to his advantage to improve his place in society. Rather than yearning for change like before, he is more concerned with impressing others and climbing up the ladder. Bernard starts treating John like an object, rather than a person. Following this event, Bernard refers to John several times as “the