Of Mice And Men And Bugs Bunny

So i recently finished reading “Of Mice And Men” by John Steinbeck and i couldn’t help but be reminded by Lennie of a certain cartoon character from my youth. That character of course was Gossamer, the giant red-haired monster from a handful of Bugs Bunny cartoons.

The beast’s similarities to Lennie are uncanny. Although Gossamer was created by a mad scientist, he shows the mindless compassion and innocence to furry animals, especially rabbits (just like Lennie), and on several occassions repeats phrases such as “Which way did he go George?” The fact that he calls his scientist master “George” is what initially tipped me off. His continuous efforts to hurt Bugs Bunny seems to me to be an obvious allusion to Steinbeck’s character, but i have found no evidence that Chuck Jones, the cartoon’s creator, had Lennie in mind when he introduced Gossamer. Does anyone else see this, or am i just mislead in some way?