The Role Of Friendship In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

"but I wouldn't eat none, I'd leave it all for you I would not touch none of it." It shows that Lennie would rather give George all the ketchup just to make him happy. "I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody'd shoot you for a coyote if you were by yourself" this shows that George cares for Lennie just as much as Lennie cares for him. "guys like us that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world" George said this on page 15 this proves that if they didn’t have each other they would quite literally be the loneliest guys in the world. If Lennie didn’t have George he would have probably have been arrested or been killed a long time

When George and Lennie get to the farm, the boss interviews the two. The boss is curious why George and Lennie are together, because usually migrant workers would travel alone. George lies and says that they are cousins and that Lennie was kicked in the head by a horse as a child. The boss of the ranch agrees and gives them the job. Later they meet a man named Candy. He is an old rancher that has lost one hand.

As Thomas Aquinas states, “There is nothing on this earth more prized than true friendship.” Friends cheer each other up when they are sad and support them when they are happy. In John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men, two migrant workers, George and Lennie, arrive as newcomers on the ranch. Throughout the story, different problems are thrown their way, and their friendship is tested with each one. George shows how true friendship requires sacrifice because friends sacrifice personal freedom, they protect each other, and they sacrifice emotional energy.

The ultimate dream of George and Lennie was to not have to work for anyone, living independently in their own ranch without having to rely on anyone. Even Candy shares this feeling, thinking he’d be fired due to him not being able to work well: “They’ll can me purty soon. Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunkhouses they’ll put me on the county.” (Steinbeck 76.) George in the end gives Lennie the freedom he deserved, no longer having to deal with the world that treated me horribly or having to disappoint George.

George and Lennie's companionship gives them the ability and hope to strive for their goal. The main characteristic that sets them apart from the other lone ranch workers, is that they have a person who cares about them. George and Lennie even say it themselves when they are eating canned beans for dinner by the river:

In Of Mice and Men, readers are introduced to two ranch hands Lennie and George. George had been put in charge of mentally disabled Lennie, many years ago when his aunt had passed away. George and Lennie always stick together because “Guys like [them], that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don 't belong no place...They ain 't got nothing to

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.

George and Lennie have a strong friendship and throughout the book, it is easy to tell that their friendship gets stronger day after day. While the Great Depression was taking place, Men would travel to find a job; but it was uncommon for Men to stick by each other's side. “I hardly never seen two guys travel together” (67). Slim is stating that normally guys tend to travel alone to look for a job so that they can earn some money to support themselves. This is an excellent example of friendship because although it is uncommon to travel together, George and Lennie still stick by each other's side. Since Lennie often has a hard time to make the right decisions, George always has to remind him to do the right thing. "Lennie- if you jus' happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an' hide in the brush." (54). George has told Lennie that if he does something

Even though they travel from place to place together, they cannot prevent themselves from becoming fed up with each other. George says, "I ain't got no people. I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain't no good. They don't have no fun.

George knows they’ll have struggles to get to their dream. George and Lennie are sitting by the swamp. While Lennie starts to beg George to tell the story. George finally agrees to tell the story. As he starts to tell the story he says it like he has told it many times.“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place.

“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place . . .With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us.” (Steinbeck 13-14)

Although George would be able to make it on his own, George relies on Lennie’s friendship as a companion. George says to Lennie, “Guys like us that work on ranches, we are the loneliest guys in the world.” (p.13). Even though Lennie is a handful for George, they will always have that special bond. Their companionship is demonstrated when

This is during the opening scene of the book when George and Lennie are sitting by a pond while on their way to the ranch. Before this quote George discovered Lennie with a dead mouse. In the heat of the moment George begins berating Lennie about how much easier his life would be if he did not have Lennie around. Afterwards George apologizes and attempts to lift Lennies spirit by reciting a speech of his. George says that ranchers, like him and Lennie, tend to be lonely as they are forced to move around often and cannot form close connections.

The power of their friendship is conveyed in the exchange between Lennie and George, “’Because I got you’ ‘An I got you.’” The repetition and dialogue used in this extract conveys the intensity of their companionship, and the way they finish each others’ sentences demonstrates the strength of their long lasting relationship in that it has prevailed through all they have struggled through. Ultimately, however, the world they live in is too harsh and predatory a place to sustain such a relationship as theirs, tragically separating the two and leaving George as lonely as the other men on the ranch. Lennie’s death is not only representative of the end of their friendship, but also as the end of the hope that someday them may fulfil their dream of living on their own land, and this is shown when George says “I think I knowed from the very beginning. I think I knowed we’d never do her.” The sad and dejected tone used here evokes devestation in the responder and allows them to empathise with Lennie and George as the possibility of one day living away from the pressure of society is crushed. The symbolism used here shows how even though they are chasing their dreams throughout the novella, they were always destined to have their dreams crushed. With the devastating separation of George and Lennie, a rare friendship vanishes, but the

According to the author’s text, George affirms that men working as the ranch-hand have no companions to be with, thus, they seemed to only work for themselves. In consideration of the time period, men yearn for a better life as many try to find occupations during the Depression. The irony is that George and Lennie are the only characters that signify brotherhood, keeping each other company. Therefore, the text incites the theme of men’s friendship with a pleasant voice and a use of anaphora that affects the speaker’s syntax by briefly stating the motives of ranchers.