People crave interaction with others to give life a meaning. The necessity of companionship can be observed in John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men. It is the story of two migrant workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, and their rough experience on a ranch right outside of Soledad, California. George and Lennie travel together and depend on each other, which is unheard of when it comes to migrant workers during the Great Depression. Everyone they come into contact with on the ranch feels a sense of isolation from the other workers as well as from society. Steinbeck wants to draw attention to the hardships of the migrant workers in hopes to induce reform to the system. Steinbeck uses the isolation and companionship to effectively expose …show more content…
The relationship between George and Lennie and their dream life on the farm are attempts to break the pattern of loneliness. George says that he feels a responsibility for Lennie because “when his Aunt Clara died, Lennie just [came] along with [him] out workin’” and after a while they “kinda got used to each other” (Steinbeck 40). Steinbeck creates the parent child relationship between George and Lennie to contrast the rough, isolated lifestyle of the migrant worker. They still have a rough lifestyle, but they have each other to depend on. George and Lennie always remind each other that they are different than the other ranch hands because “I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why” (Steinbeck 14). They stand out among the other migrant workers because they are not lonely. They have a companionship. Steinbeck inserts this relationship in his novel because it is complicated, yet it is also very simple. George claims that he does not need Lennie because he can go off on his own and be just like all of the other migrant workers of this time period; however, if George went off on his own he would be just like all of the other migrant workers, lonely.They have a friendship because of their long history and neither of them leave one another because they are both scared of being alone. Within this dynamic relationship, Lennie looks up to George as a parent or master. The reader comprehends just how much Lennie looks up to George when Steinbeck says, “Lennie, who had been watching, imitated George exactly” (Steinbeck 4). Lennie imitates George as a way to express his affection. It also reinforces the idea of a parent and child relationship. Steinbeck uses the relationship of George and Lennie to contrast the traditional migrant worker, a single man without a family. The lifestyle of a migrant worker was not fit
A friend is someone you can share dreams with and will give you assistance when you need it. That's what you call a true friendship. In the novel of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, he wrote a lot about the friendship of George and Lennie’s. George and Lennie, who come most proximate to achieving this ideal of brotherhood. The author shows the relationship of George and Lennie. George takes care of Lennie who has a childlike mind. George is constantly giving Lennie instructions, for instance like not to talk when they went to the ranch, and George said not to say anything when they go to the ranch and also telling him not to touch dead animals. George and Lennie are a good example of friendship because George took care of Lennie when his Aunt Clara died, George protects Lennie from people that try to hurt him,and George kills Lennie.
Imagine being discriminated against because of your ethnicity; or being the only woman on a ranch, stuck in a loveless marriage, when all you really want is someone to talk to. What about having to kill that friend, and bury all chances of breaking free from the life of the average migrant worker? How would you feel? These scenarios in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men illustrate the need and desire for companionship in life. There's Crooks, the negro stable buck; Curley's wife, whose marriage to Curley hasn't exactly been lively; and George and Lennie, whose friendship is strong enough to get them to a better life and out of the negetive cycle that the average migrant worker became trapped in during the Great Depression.
In his novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck depicts the essential loneliness of California ranch life in the 1930s. He illustrates how people are driven to find companionship. There were so many moments of loneliness and sadness throughout the novel, including many deaths. Following the deaths, they were very unexpected making the novel more intense and latch onto it more.
The idea of solitude is a strong theme held throughout the entire novel "Of Mice and Men". Without it, many of the key events that occur in the book would not have happened, for example, the death of Curley’s wife, which eventually lead to the unfortunate death of Lennie.
alone just to try make some money. This was a very bad period in the
"Were born alone we live alone die alone. Only through love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that were not alone” Orson Welles. In this novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck focuses on the loneliness of California ranch life in the 1930’s. One of the most important things in the life is to have a friend, without friends people will suffer from loneliness like in this novel, not everyone in the novel has the same connection and special friendship like George and Lennie’s. Of Mice and Men is the story about lonely men who travel from ranch to ranch not really communicating with other ranch hands. Candy, Crooks and Curley’s wife all were lonely and dealt with their loneliness in different ways.
Friends have a strong influence on each other. George, a small, responsible, but sharp-tongued man, is looked up to by Lennie, who is dependent and, with an incomplete mental development, childlike. The two men are part of an uneven friendship, where George is superior. Steinbeck quotes, "Lennie, who had been watching, imitates George exactly" (Steinbeck 3). Yearning for George's acceptance and approval, Lennie mimics George. In the back of his mind, Lennie’s understanding includes that he is different and must prove himself, and in mimicking George, Lennie hopes to be found acceptable. In addition, George’s companionship is what prevents loneliness from consuming Lennie. Lennie cries, “ ‘He won’t,’ ... ‘He won’t do nothing like that. I know George. Me an’ him travels together’ ” (Steinbeck 98). Lennie has confidence in their friendship, and he has every right to, as George has not abandoned him. Despite all the troubles Lennie has brought upon them, George has chosen to remain with him. This is a demonstration of true friendship, for George could have just as easily left Lennie at any point along their perilous journey. For George, his personality has changed as a result of his association with Lennie. At the start of the novel, George expresses his impa...
John Steinbeck created this story to focus on two men, trying to reach their idea of an american dream. Friendship is probably the third most important aspect to life, following water and food. In every persons life comes hard times, and no one wants to endure those hard times alone. There is nothing better than to have that one person by your side through all the up’s and downs. Lennie and George is an example of friendship, they are each other backbones. Although they do not get along all the time, they are still friends when the sun goes down. Lennie and George’s friendship portrays many characteristics the main three are love, respect, and hope.
In conclusion, Steinbeck explores the theme of friendship and loneliness in his novella, Of Mice and Men by using characterisation. George and Lennie are seen as the only friends throughout the book and Crooks as well as Curley’s wife are portrayed as being the loneliest. In the end, it is evident that Steinbeck uses effective means to develop a sense of friendship and loneliness in his novella.
The book is about two men called George and Lennie who go to work at a
Have you ever been lonely? In the book Of Mice and Men there are many characters that experience loneliness. Curley’s wife, Crooks, and Candy are the three main characters who experience loneliness in the book Of Mice and Men. Curley’s wife is the only female on the farm and her husband Curley tries to run her life. Crooks is the only African American on the farm and has to live in a separate area than the other workers. Candy is the oldest worker on the farm and has a pet dog for a best friend.
Have you ever felt lonely inside and you were the only one to know it? Well you’re not the only one. In the book Of Mice and Men, I believe that John Steinbeck is trying to show that everyone has a loneliness inside them that they don’t always show. Some things that might actually make you lonely is losing someone or something you love, kind of like Candy’s situations.
Written in the late 1930's, the novel "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck is a perfect representation of the loneliness and depression which surrounded the citizens of the United States in the Great Depression. In a time period where the weak were eliminated, "Of Mice and Men" tells the story of two friends (George and Lennie) and their tragic pursuit for contentment. Throughout their journey, these two friends encounter several people who reflect the grim reality of the era. Although all of these characters have very different backgrounds, all of them hold in common the burning desire for companionship. Unfortunately, this burning desire is a euphoria that no character obtains.
Steinbeck uses the powerful friendship of George and Lennie and the social structure of the Migrants to depict the limitless stretches one would go for his fellow man once a deep connection has been made. In The Grapes of Wrath, he presents this idea on a large scale, with a large group of people who bond closely through compassion, sympathy and the desire to survive. On the other hand, in Of Mice and Men, he presents one's dedication to his fellow man on a more personal level. Steinbeck brings the nature of humanity to the spotlight and exposes the fierce values it posesses.
What is your definition of a true friend? Well, to me, a true friend is someone who understands you, accepts you for who you are, and is willing to do anything for you. While reading John Steinbeck’s classic, Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie maintain a true friendship despite all the ups and downs they encounter. After Lennie Small, a man as gigantic as a mammoth with a pea-sized brain is caught touching a girl’s dress in the town of Weed, he and his best friend, an average migrant worker, George Milton, travel a strenuous journey to the town of Soledad and start working on a ranch. The young men come to realize that they have a true, brotherly bond and nothing can separate them. Even though the book has its rough spots, Steinbeck portrays the true bond of friendship that even people as close as siblings have. Throughout the story, George