Of Mice and Men Essay The hit novella, “Of mice and men” by John Steinbeck talks about friendship. It is a story about friendship and how it helps us to survive. The main character of the story George and Lennie shows how they benefit from each other and help each other in the harder times. They are saved from the loneliness of the ranch because, unlike the other workers, George and Lennie have each other. The novel “Of mice and men” shows us how friendship is important and how much two people can support each other. Steinbeck uses the motif “friendship” to help us to explore the theme that “friendship is necessary to human survival”. First, Lennie rely on George for his physical and emotional survival. George always helps Lennie out in many situations, whether it is good or bad he makes sure that Lennie has an easy life despite of disabilities. George always gives an advice to Lennie to keep him out of trouble and he won’t do something to harm himself. On the first chapter, when George and Lennie are traveling together to the ranch, George …show more content…
Lennie help George by giving him love and companionship that he needs. Although, George is always seems angry with Lennie, he carries a deep affection for Lennie. On the first chapter when they were eating together and George tell Lennie that, “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got n family. They don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch an’ woke u a stake then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re poundin’ their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to.” (Steinbeck 15). During this era (The Great depression), it was a lonely stage for everyone in life but George and Lennie have each other they have somebody to talk to. This is why George appreciates Lennie even though he gets annoyed at him most of the time. George is comforted having Lennie as his
What do you think Steinbeck says about the theme of friendship in Of Mice and Men?
Lennie is a large slow and a bit childish due to his mental disability. George is small, rough, bright but short tempered man that travels and cares for lennie. On page 14 George was talking to Lennie about how guys like them are lonely, they have no family or place to go. Unlike themselves they have a future and theycare for eachother. Then lennie says happily “But not us! Ah’ why? Because.. Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you and that's why” this shows that George and lennie have each other's back and they're basically each other's family and if they ever got lost or separated, they had a specific spot to go find each other so they wouldn't have to worry where they would be.
Still, George needs Lennie for emotional and physical support. Lennie gives George hope for the fu-ture. With Lennie George has a dream. Lennie always makes george tel a story. In this story they own a small little farm together. On the farm there are all sorts of animals and they live a happy comfortable life. As the story goes on George realizes that this story may come true. Without Lennie i believe that George would just end up depressed with no hope for the future. ”We gotta get a big stake together. I know a little place we can get cheap , but they ain’t giving it away.” (pg. 55) This shows that George is working towards this goal and that he has hope for
He explains it in the quote, "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. They come to a ranch an' work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they're poundin' their tail on some other ranch. They ain't got nothing to look ahead to." They are different from all the others and George knows the have a special bond. Even though George gets frustrated by Lennie's mental disability, he also feels compassion for him. Lennie gives George the opportunity to lay plans and be in charge, that way they can figure out their problems easier. Without Lennie, George would be just like the other people, but with Lennie, George has a responsibility. In the end he takes responsibility for Lennie's
"Of Mice and Men" is a book about two men and their struggle to achieve their dream of owning a small ranch through their companionship. The two men are completely different, one being a retarded fellow (Lennie), and the other, a typical ranch hand(George) who travels with him. On the path to achieving their dream, they run into obstacles, but stick together, stressing the importance of true friendship. Steinbeck wrote this book to tell us how important it is to have a friend to share your life with.
Good friendships make life easier. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is about two men, George and Lennie, who go on various journeys in order to get a job. Although George would consider Lennie to be his closest friend, he ultimately ends up shooting and killing Lennie. George did this, not out of hatred, but rather out of protection. A good friend will always want what is best for one another. Steinbeck uses his protagonists’ friendship in order to show that true friendship can help make any of life’s hardships less difficult.
In the beginning of the story it explains why the two of them are in the position they are at. Lennie had caused problems with a lady in their old town and the two of them were left running to what their future holds. How was Lennie stuck with such a good friend as George? George help’s Lennie get through almost everything. Lennie constantly is getting lectured by George to stop what’s troubling him.
Lastly, Lennie is relying on George all the time based on how he relates to George in the text. Lennie is always with George because they have a relationship like a mother and a son, Lennie's relations with George prove this. George has been with Lennie for a long time and George feels like Lennie has been holding him back. When George yells at Lennie he says, “When I think of the swell time I could have without you” (Steinbeck 12). This quote proves that Lennie has been with George for a long time, long enough to drive George into a rage of regret and sorrow. The reason they have been
Imagine possessing a mental disability during the Great Depression and having no one to support you. Lennie is exactly like this but, he has George to be of assistance. Lennie who suffers from a mental illness, has George to aid him. Being together since they were young, watching out for each other and striving to reach their goal to own a ranch. Through the difficulties of the Great Depression, George did help Lennie to achieve success by helping him when trouble comes, enjoying life so he can move on, and supporting him while applying for jobs.
George looks out for Lennie much like a parent would, as he tells Lennie what to do and looks out for him. George acts as Lennie's guardian and has to watch everything Lennie does. Their relationship is almost like a parental relationship, where George is the parent and Lennie is the child. George gives all the care he can to Lennie. This is shown a couple of times throughout the novel. It is shown when Lennie stops to drink water out of a pond of dirty water. "Lennie, for God's sake don't drink so much.. you gonna be sick like you was last night”, this quote is said by George and it shows that George is worried about Lennie’s health as he does not want him to feel sick. This indicates that George is willing to take care of Lennie which shows the companionship between them. This clearly shows that Lennie needs George because he is unable to take care of
Helen Keller once said,“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.” This quote reveals one of the benefits of friendship which is companionship. The book Of Mice And Men written by John Steinbeck, is about the friendship between two unlikely men. It embraces traits and values of their friendship and how much they learn from one another. Throughout the novel Of Mice And Men involves the two main characters George and Lennie show traits that are building blocks of friendship.
“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the dark” Helen Keller. Friendship, by my personal definition, is a joint relationship between two beings full of love, care, and companionship. Without friendship our world wouldn’t be built the way it is today. Friendship brings people together, it gives one hope knowing they have someone who is always there to support and guide them. In the book “Of Mice and Men” a very peculiar friendships is portrayed. Two men, both with a passion to live freely, stick to each other's sides as they battle against the world they live in. These two men, by the names of George and Lennie, form a bond that most people cannot understand. A bond that only these two men share, a bond that radiates the struggle yet companionship George and Lennie possess. Although these two men share a peculiar relationship, they prove their undying friendship
There are many valuable things in life, but friendship may be one of the most important things. In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, the author develops the theme “The Human Need for Friendship.” Many of the characters in the novel lack friendship and become awfully lonely. However, the need for friendship encourages the two characters, George and Lennie, to stay with each other throughout their travels to different work areas and help build their future together. George and Lennie travel together because they both love and care for each other and want to have their own place someday.
“Nothing hurts more than being disappointed by the person you thought would never hurt you”. In the novel the main characters, George and Lennie both discover what happens when true friendship is put to the test. They discover if their friendship prevails all obstacles or if it just crashes and burns. In the novel, Of Mice & Men by John Steinbeck the author criticizes the topic of friendship by proving that it is unrewarding, full of lies, and betrayal.
Lennie is mentally disabled and so always ‘does bad things’, because of this, he constantly depends on George to protect him and get him out of trouble. For example, in Weed, Lennie constantly ‘wants to touch