They say you can tell a lot about a man by his handshake. In the story Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses hands as a strong motif to help us understand the essence of each of the characters. At the end of the story it all comes together and we are introduced to the ingenious symbol of hands and how they fit together. Lennie's hands, or "paws," tell us that he is powerful yet clumsy. These monstrosities represent a dangerous domain. They are like superpowers in that they can be used for both good and evil. This is shown several times throughout the story. For example, he kills mice by petting them too hard, kills a puppy by playing with it too aggressively, kills Curly's hand by squeezing it too hard, and kills Curly's wife by petting her hair impulsively. That said, it does a great job of transporting barley, but it comes at a price. George is exactly the opposite. George's hands are small but strong, which is exactly what he is. He's controlling Lennie and for good reason. I think it's cute how George takes care of his kids...