Napoleon Dynamite Friendship

One of the most memorable friendships of the early 2000s is portrayed in the movie Napoleon Dynamite. When the two main characters Napoleon and Pedro meet, they become fast friends. Napoleon and Pedro stay loyal to each other throughout the entire movie, despite what others might think. This is similar to how John Steinbeck portrays friendship in his novella Of Mice and Men. The friendship between the main characters of the novella, George and Lennie, is unexpected. They choose to stand by each other regardless of society’s expectations. Through this, Steinbeck communicates the theme that a loyal friend can be a haven in a heartless world. One of the ways Steinbeck shows the importance of friendship is through interactions between characters. In the

George chooses to stick with Lennie, despite his mental disabilities. They are loyal to each other, even though they are different: “Even in the open one stayed behind the other” (2). Their desire to spend time together in fellowship indicates the theme of true friendship. Later on in the novella, George and Lennie are introduced to Slim, the jerkline skinner on the ranch. Because his job requires him to move around, Slim, like most migrant farmers, is lonely. He observes George and Lennie’s unusual friendship and questions it saying, “You guys travel around together?” (34). George and Lennie’s loyalty to each other protects them from the loneliness of their work, revealing one important benefit of true friendship. Near the end of the novella, Lennie is in the barn with