In the literary work Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the reader is introduced to two characters named George Milton and Lennie Small. Steinbeck beautifully describes the chemistry between the unlikely duo and illustrates the unforgettable setting of California during The Great Depression with his descriptive language and realistic dialogue. George and Lennie are determined fieldworkers who travel together--despite their completely opposite personalities and appearances--looking for jobs so they can afford a better future together. As the story carries on, we learn the importance of friendship and loyalty. In the beginning of the novel, the two main characters are incredibly close and are described as different than other workers--they have …show more content…
Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose” (2) . George is a man who prefers to be in control and someone who always wants the best for not only himself, but his traveling partner Lennie. Lennie perceives George as a man who deserves everything and more, just for sticking along with him. “George, should I go away and leave you alone?”(12) asks Lennie to George. He is willing to give George anything that will satisfy him enough to keep him happy. George makes the extreme sacrifice of shooting Lennie, just so Lennie would die happily talking about his dreams of the future, even though he cared very much for Lennie more than he did for anyone else. Steinbeck refers to Lennie Small as George’s opposite, and then continues to write “a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely”(2) . Lennie acts like a child due to his mental disabilities, yet he manages to have over-achieving strength and will always follow any instruction George gives
George and Lennie were lifelong friends and had varying personalities even from the start. Lennie thought about how his Aunt Clara said he should have been more like George. At the time when the story took place, the two men were travelling together, and had been for some time, working and then moving on to search for the next job they could find. They were like many other men in search for work, except it was rare for men to travel together. George felt a need to take care of Lennie because he was somewhat slow. George was an average man of the time. He was a good size, nice, but firm, and he had aspirations to be more than just a nomadic laborer. Lennie, on the other hand, had always been a little different. He was big, goofy, clumsy, but sweet. They were also both good workers. George was concerned with working and getting his money before they got into trouble and had to leave camp. Lennie was the one who normally started the trouble. He was a hard worker and lived to appease George, but he got distracted easily which angered George. George told about how they would own a house and a farm together and work for themselves. Lennie loved to hear the story and think about the possibilities, even though nobody knew if any of it was a possibility. George and Lennie's differences in part led to George's inclination to kill Lennie. Despite their dissimilarity, the two men needed each other probably more than they realized.
Lennie Small, a mentally impaired man, is first introduced to us traveling with George. George, however, is not related to Lennie. Lennie travels with George because no one else understands him like he does. Lennie says, “Because…because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you…” (Steinbeck 14). Lennie believes if George ever left him that he could live in a cave by himself and not bother anyone again (Steinbeck 12). Lennie realizes he would be alone without George, but he never has known anyone else to depend on but George, and from that, they have a bond, a friendship. This shows Lennie’s need for his relationship with George.
George kills Lennie because he did not want to witness Lennie being hurt or killed carelessly, run off by in his own and not being able to take care for himself, and Lennie’s mental disorder will never change how Lennie reacts to certain situations. Many believe taking the life of another without consent is unacceptable but in certain situations like George’s, he has to decide due to Lennie’s mental disorder that was leading him into unpleasant situations. George is an admirable character who choose to protect and do justice to his distressed friend,
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
The emotional symbiosis between George and Lennie helps each man. Lennie’s attachment to George is most strongly visible when Crooks suggests George is not coming back. Lennie is almost moved to hysterics and his fear does not quickly abate. George prefers to feign dislike for Lennie to Lennie’s face: “I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail” (7). When pressed, George reveals his true feelings for Lennie. “I want you to stay with me Lennie” (13). They stay together because “It’s a lot easier to go around with a guy you know” (35). Both men need and value their strong emotional relationship.
Lennie is a tall, strong man that is mentally not all there, as George is a small, strong man that is all there, but takes care of Lennie throughout their journeys. “The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Behind him walked a complete opposite, a huge man, with large pale eyes, and sloping shoulders; he walked heavily dragging his feet a little” (2). George, in their differences, is a better liar than Lennie. When they get to the ranch George tries to keep Lennie from talking and keeps his mouth shut so George can speak to Carlson. George said “He is my…...cousin. I told his old lady I’d take care of him. He got kicked in the head by a horse when he was a kid. He is awright. Just ain’t bright”
John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, begins with the introduction of two characters: George and Lennie. George uses Lennie for companionship despite Lennie’s mental handicap. They travel together during The Great Depression. George dreams about owning land. However he is very impoverished and struggles to keep a job, so his dream is very unrealistic. Steinbeck uses George’s character in order to prove that the impoverished are excluded from the american dream.
George sacrifices his morality and emotional well-being for Lennie by killing him. To further explain, George crying preceding Lennie’s shooting, shown by his mispronunciation of words such as family, signals his wretched state and the beginning of his emotional downfall. This ruination is caused by George not having an actual choice of not killing Lennie, as he is so attached to the disabled character that he can not bring himself to see Lennie go through all the agony Curley would have caused him. In this case, it can be presumed that George does not want to kill Lennie, judging by the former’s past actions. Even during the moment of the murder, George is constantly hesitating from the being so emotional and unwilling to end Lennie’s life. Notwithstanding, George kills Lennie and is left immensely distraught. This quotation shows how traumatized George is after seeing his best friend die right in front of him, especially since he had caused it. The reader can infer that George’s devotion to Lennie will last even after Lennie’s death and that George will never move on. Coupled with this fact, the situation is made even more sorrowful as the reader realizes that George, due to Lennie, once and for all shut his window of opportunity to
George takes care of Lennie and watches out for him. Though he is frustrated at times due to Lennie’s disability, he knows Lennie needs him and he, himself needs Lennie. After becoming irritated by Lennie’s persistence for ketchup, George explodes. “God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an’ work, an’ no trouble.” However, after saying this, and hearing Lennie’s offer to leave, George immediately feels guilty. George knows that Lennie would be incapable of living on his own. George quickly tries to resolve by saying, “No—look! I was jus’ foolin’, Lennie. ‘Cause I want you to stay with me…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.” The truth is that George deeply cares about Lennie and is very protective over him. Due to these reasons George feels as though it is his obligation and responsibility to look after Lennie. Their friendship flourishes due to the love and deep regards that they feel towards each
George was like a brother Lennie never had. Even though Lennie Small is ironically bigger and stronger than George, George was the one who took care and protected Lennie when he couldn't. Their friendship was so pure that they would risk their jobs if it meant they could stay united on their journey. Some people including The Boss, were confused and also shocked when he saw how solid their friendship was. Back then, migrant workers did not have much and considering George had Lennie by his side, he lost several job opportunities. “Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you [...].” (Steinbeck 14). Even though Lennie is mentally slower and always forgets things, he knew for a fact that George would never take off on him. He knew their friendship was that
George is pretty much in charge of Lennie and is the brains of the operation. He thinks very big of himself and thinks he's got the rest of his life planned out. He wants to own a farm someday with Lennie. He really likes to cuss and get drunk on Friday night. He always says to Lennie "If you weren't around I would have a job by now," but he really cares about him. At the end George puts Lennie out of his misery and shoots him. He said "it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life."
At the beginning, the author describes his movement using a metaphor, as Lennie “[drags] his feet… the way a bear drags his paws” (p.2), to show that he is much alike a bear physically. In addition, Steinbeck uses a simile to emphasize Lennie’s animal-like behaviour, as he “[drinks] wit long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse” (p.3). By comparing his physical and behavioural characteristics, this can foreshadow that the author implies that Lennie is seen as more animal than human because of his metal disabilities. George further makes it evident when he infers that “somebody [would] shoot [him] for a coyote if [he] was by [himself]” (p.12). This shows that people are scared of him and his unpredictable, animal-like behaviour because of the lack of understanding about mental health during the early 1900s. Furthermore, this can be the foundation for the theme where the lack of communication and understanding with the mentally disabled can lead to dire and tragic
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...
During the Great Depression it was difficult to maintain a job, let alone support a friend. Despite this, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men characters, George Milton and Lennie Smalls, manage to stick together and support each other through hard times. Steinbeck uses characterization through hard times to develop the importance of friendship. In Steinbeck’s novel, these two unusual friends stick together, even though it means sacrificing their own dream for friendship.
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.