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Examples of loyalty and sacrifice in of mice and men
Sacrifice in mice and men
Sacrifice in mice and men
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In a time of hardship, sacrifices must be made to reach prosperity. Throughout the thirties, the Great Depression took place and hardship was inevitable. People had to sacrifice great things to protect their families, friends, and themselves. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, a theme of sacrifice is developed through the hardship and conflict of characters including George sacrificing his enjoyment of life for friendship, Curleyś wife's sacrificing her dreams happiness for a wealthy life, and Candy willing to sacrifice all of his money in fear of being let go. From the beginning of the story, we learn that George has sacrificed a lot of his enjoyment of life to care for Lennie. George has given up a normal lifestyle to give …show more content…
While Curleyś wife is talking to the boys in Crookś room she tells them about her dream, ¨I coulda went on with shows, not just one neither. An a guy told me he could put me in pitchers”(78). She never wanted to live on a farm alone with nothing to do. She wanted to be in shows and make money. However, we learn he mother told her she was too young. Later in the story, she was telling Lennie about why she married Curley, “Well, I wasn’t gonna stay no place where I couldn’t get nowhere or make something of myself, an’ where they stole your letters, I ask her if she stole it, too, an’ she says no. So I married Curley. Met him out to the Riverside Dance Palace that same night”(87). She “don’t like Curley”(89). Because “he ain’t a nice fella”(89). Curley's wife sacrificed her happiness to be somewhere where she could make something of herself. Candy, with one arm and his old age, was shown to sacrifice all of his money because he knew soon he would be let go. George and Lennie were talking about their dream of having a farm and Candy heard them. He then made a hopeful offer, “S’pose I went with you guys, that’s three hundred and I got fifty more comin”(59). This was all of the money that Candy had and he was willing to give all of it up. He knew he didn't have much time left
George obviously cared for Lennie or else he would have left him by himself afte...
Lennie's stupidity and carelessness constantly causes him to unintentionally harm people and animals. When he gets into sticky situations, George is there to help him get out of them. Ever since Lennie's Aunt Clara died, George has felt that he has a sense of duty
Consistently throughout the story George and Lennie were there for each other; in fact towards the very beginning Lennie and George discussed how they were better off than most guys because they had each other (14). When George killed Lennie a part of him died too, George knew murdering Lennie would hurt him mentally and emotionally. However he did it because he wanted what was best for his friend no matter the cost. His actions were altruistic and that made his decision the more favorable one. Another instance when George was selfless was when he gave up his dream. Throughout the story George and Lennie dreamed of and worked towards owning their own piece of land together. However, after discovering Curley’s wife dead, George returned to reality and informed Candy that they would, “never do her” (94). After losing his friend George understood the impossibility of achieving the American Dream. Beforehand George knew he would not want to live out his dream without Lennie, so by protecting Lennie and giving up on his own dream he put Lennie above himself. Conversely, someone may believe that George's actions were selfish and that he benefits himself by killing Lennie. After George comes after Lennie, the dim-witted man asks if George was going to yell at him. Reluctantly George told him “If I was alone, I could live so easy,” (103). Although George said
...is a major breakthrough for George's understanding that he is responsible for Lennie and that he must do whatever is best not just for himself but for the both of them. This understanding leads to George ending Lennie’s life not by motivation to prevent him from causing any more mayhem but to keep Lennie out of harm’s way.
In this book George is constantly taking care of Lennie and is always reassuring him that they will have their own land and be able to tend the rabbits. George doesn’t actually believe in this dream which shows how he is willing to say anything to make Lennie happy. Also, George is constantly bringing up how easy his life would be without Lennie, he said "God almighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could get a job a work, an no trouble (12). This quote shows how George is aware that Lennie is holding him back from making more money but how he choices to stay with him because they have a genuine friendship. George takes his parental figure role seriously and would never leave him.
Lennie thinks of George as his only friend, his guardian, someone who he can trust and depend on, someone who had accepted him for who he is despite his childlike tendencies. Every time he did something wrong, his only thoughts would be of George’s disapproval. “I did a real bad thing. I shouldn’t have done that. George’ll be mad at me.
Although she has a husband, she did not like him. She flirts with every worker at the barn, she told them that she was lonely because she wanted some company and Curley was not at home most of the time. In this novel Curley’s wife seems to make trouble for the other guys at the barn because she’s always flirting with them and that make Curley very jealous. When he gets all jealous he gets mad at the other farmers. One day when Curley’s wife stopped by in Crooks’ bunk she found Lennie and she started to flirting with him and Crooks wanted her to leave them alone. Curley’s wife was not afraid of Crooks because he was black and she told him all she had to do was yell rap and he would be dead. Later on in the book Lennie was all alone with his died pup when Curley’s wife thought it was a perfect time to come talk to him since all the other man were playing house shoe. She persuaded Lennie into talk to her, Lennie didn’t want to because George told him not to take her.“George says I ain’t to have nothing to do with you—talk to you or nothing” (Steinbeck 43). This shows the power of having someone who supports
“I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself. No, you stay with me. Your Aunt Clara wouldn’t like you running off by yourself, even if she was dead.” (page 13). After Lennie and George fight over the dead mouse, Lennie tells him that George would be better off if Lennie went to the mountains to live in a cave. George doesn’t let him. He tells him that he wants him to stay because not only did George somewhat promise Lennie’s dead Aunt Clara that he would take care of him, but he also learned how to live and adjust with the fact that Lennie has kind of a childish mind.
Candy shows towards his dog by putting him out of misery. At last Candy said softly and hopelessly “Awright-take im”. A parallel scene which escalates this dilemma when Lennie has accidently killed Curley’s wife and George is forced with a decision with letting Lennie face a violent death or a more peaceful one by his own hand. “The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger”. The technique used is foreshadowing as the shooting of Candy’s dog foreshadows a later dilemma that George must face. Irony is also used when George has to kill Lennie as he sacrifices his own needs and is forced wellbeing to protect his friend.
George and Lennie make an awesome couple of companions, however George is all the more an overseer. It was a greater amount of George's fantasy to claim their own farm and settle. It was George's American dream to possess their life and take to take what they believed was legitimately theirs and that is the sort of attitude that a few individuals had amid the 1930s. A great many people did not comprehend why George dealt with Lennie in light of the fact that he resembled a miserable cause however George constantly wanted to deal with him. Most characters of the novel feel that Lennie is unequal to them, however this was not genuine. Lennie had the same trusts and dreams as most characters in the
George’s struggles with himself become apparent at the beginning of the novel. Steinbeck clearly lets the reader know that George has conflicting feelings about Lennie. He believed, “ ...if he was alone he could live so easy. He could go get a job an ' work, an ' no trouble” (11). George is basically telling Lennie that sometimes, he wishes he could live
In chapter one, George and Lennie are introduced onto the scene and you get to know them a little bit and you get to see how they are related/ their relationship. When I read this first part, I could tell that George was pretty much Lennie’s caretaker and it was his job to find Lennie a job and make sure he ate enough and stayed a live. He kind of resented having to drag Lennie around (pg 11~12: “Well we ain’t got any!” George exploded. “Whatever we ain’t got, you want. If I was alone I could live so easy… But wadda I got? I got you. You can’t keep a job and you loose me every job I get.”), because Lennie’s a bit slow and he messes up a lot. He tries really hard to be good and listen to what George tells him to do, but in the end of every situation, Lennie forgets what George told him beforehand and sometimes it creates a little trouble (pg 45~46: “Well, he seen this girl in this red dress. Dumb like he is, he likes to touch ever’thing he likes. Just wants to feel it. So he reaches out to feel this red dress an’ the girl lets out a squawk, and that gets Lennie all mixed up, and he holds on ‘cause that’s the only thing he can think to do. Well, this girl just squawks and squawks. I was jus’ a little bit off, and I heard all the yellin’, so I comes running, an’ by that time Lennie’s so scared all he can think to do is jus’ hold on. I socked him over the head with a fence picket to make him let go. He was so scairt he couldn’t let go of the dress. And he’s so strong, you know… Well, that girl rabbits in an’ tells the law she’s been raped. The guys in Weed start a party out to lynch Lennie. So we sit in an irrigation ditch under water all the rest of that day.”). But when you look at them, you can tell that George is...
Though George is a social and a smart migrant worker, he is still a very lonely guy who only has Lennie to rely on. George says, ”If i was alone, I could live so easy.” (p11) He says he would get along so well without him because he wouldn’t have to keep Lennie out of trouble all the time and he could keep a job. He also says, “Lennie, I want you to stay with me.” (p13) That states that
George understands that he can’t hide Lennie from the world forever and that the natural order of things is that the strong pick off the weak, and he will eventually have to let Lennie go. This motivates him to seize reality, meaning he had to kill Lennie, which itself was a sign of tremendous growth in himself. Killing Lennie had many effects on George; one of them being that he became one of the men he’d tell Lennie stories about. George believed that he and Lennie were not like the other migrant workers – travelling alone and spending all their earning on a whim. When George would te...
George’s relationship with Lennie has made him selfless; his conversations, with and with out Lennie, are generally revolving around Lennie, although in the case of their dream-ranch George seems to find fulfilment for himself as well. Due to these altruistic tendencies that he shows throughout the novel, a danger is bestowed upon George; he tends to care for Lennie far too much, and too little for himself. In occasional moments, he escapes his sympathy and compassion for Lennie, and realises the burden that he causes. This usually results in George taking his frustration out on Lennie, which can often harm his simple mind, leaving Lennie upset and forced to confess to his own uselessness, and George feeling guilty for what he has caused. We can learn very little about George through his actual conversations, which made it necessary for Steinbeck to focus the novel on him in particular, and let the reader gain an closer insight on him through his actions. Generally, he seems to be caring, intelligent and sensible, but is greatly worn by the constant attention Lennie requires. This illustrates a major theme in Of Mice and Men, the dangers that arise when one becomes involved in a dedicated relationship.