In Steinbeck's novella, "Of Mice and Men," there do not seem to be any heroes; George is closer to the anti-hero than a real hero since he is contrary to the archetypal hero. For, he reluctantly cares for Lennie:
I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn't have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl....You keep me in hot water all the time.
While George complains of the burden of caring for Lennie, he tells others that he promised Lennie's aunt that he would look out for him, understanding that Lennie cannot care for himself. Under these circumstances, George draws the sympathy of the reader.
Likewise, George elicits sympathy again from the reader when he worries about Lennie's fate if he is arrested for killing Curley's wife; George realizes that Lennie will be terrified and lonely if has to live in an asylum or prison. So, in an act that is not typically heroic, George spares Lennie his fate. Slim, the mule driver who has "God-like eyes" tells George,
'You hadda, George. I swear you hadda. Come on with me.'
Not all people will recognize George's act as heroic--in fact, he may be arrested if found out by the law--but some of the men at the ranch house will understand that George has protected Lennie as Slim has done, thus arousing their sympathy. For this reason, George more closely fits the profile of the anti-hero in literature than he does the archetypal hero.
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