Of Mice and Men: Lennie and George
Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is the story of two simple farm hands, Lennie Small, who incidentally, really isn't very small, and his better half, George Milton, on their quest to have "a place of their own," with plenty of furry bunnies, of course. Sound strange? Read on to get clued in. The book opens along the banks of the Salinas River a few miles south of
Soledad, California. Everything is calm and beautiful, and nature is alive.
The trees are green and fresh, lizards are skittering along, rabbits sit on the sand. There are no people in the scene. Suddenly, the calm is broken. Trouble is in the air. Animals begin to scatter. Two men have arrived on the scene, and the environment seems troubled by their presence. For a moment the scene becomes "lifeless." Then in walk George and Lennie.
Lennie, a large, retarded, big man who has the mind of a little child, and who loves to pet soft, pretty things, and George, a little man, who has assumed the responsibility of taking care of his simpleminded friend Lennie, are walking on their way to apply for a harvesting job on a nearby farm. The two had been traveling together for quite some time now, which was very rare, because most farm workers rarely have companions, but George and Lennie have been together ever since Lennie's Aunt had passed away, and Lennie began to follow George around everywhere.
Instead of hurrying to the farm that night, they stop by a stream to camp in the open, and they'll arrive at work the next morning. Why? Well,
Lennie isn't very bright. George didn't want him to blow the job opportunity.
The logic between waiting until morning until going to work was, that way, all the other farm hands would be out working, thus they'd have a better chance of getting the job, since Lennie wouldn't have to confront to many people, which can easily make him "confused."
During that evening, George had to take a dead mouse away from Lennie, who had been hoarding it because he liked to pet it. George tried to teach simpleminded Lennie that you don't pet dead things, but Lennie had a hard time remembering. George is aware that Lennie has difficulty remembering things, so he has to remind him every time that they went for a job not to say anything, and to let him do the talking. He also stresses the importance that Lennie returns to the particular place and hide in the stream or bushes if gets in any trouble,
Of Mice and Men - George and Lennie seem to have a very close friendship
John Steinbeck wrote the play Of Mice and Men in 1937 (Steinbeck). It is a play about two ranch workers who do not have the best of luck. The two workers were named George and Lennie. George was a more small bodied man. His partner Lennie was a giant among average sized people. They are on the road going place to place working numerous jobs. Lennie has a learning disability. The two work hand and hand. George is there to keep Lennie out of trouble. Lennie in a way helps keep George together. Sometimes it gets difficult for the two but they always get through everything together. They both work hand and hand. George is the brains and Lennie is the muscle. Lennie is a very powerful man so he can do a lot of things normal men cannot do. George is Lennie’s only family or friend he’s all Lennie has in this world. In a way Lennie is all George has also. The two keep one another going throughout their long journey. They work together escape trouble together and keep each other pushing forward. In the end the only thing they have is each other. This story shows that no matter how different two people are they still can relate to each other. It also shows that no matter how independent one thinks he/she is someone can always help them with something (Steinbeck).
“Of Mice and Men”, by John Steinbeck is a novel about the hardships of life and the importance of having other people around. The story is of two men trying to survive with one another in a world full of loneliness; their relationship is quite rare and strange. Lennie, a large bear, has a mental disability which causes him to be in a childlike state. George, a much smaller and more competent man takes care of both of them. Although they work for others on ranches, their dream is to get by on their own and live off the land. However, Lennie’s state causes conflict as they travel from job to job. Steinbeck uses clever ways in his novel to develop his theme and characters as the story progresses; both of these elements also help create a large
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...
Arguably the most famous tale of all time (perhaps due to its constant presence in schools and media references), Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is the tale of George and Lennie, both of which are traveling hired hands attempting to one day live the American Dream. Set in the 1930’s, George’s side of the Dream is constantly hindered by the clumsy and peculiar Lennie, who is the reason they have to be traveling hired hands. [insert thesis statement]
Combine harvesters also allowed for large farmers to take up the practice of broadcasting, which took work away from those who helped with the pre-season planting. The lack of work led to a decrease in the need for laborers. Since there was less demand for laborers, the price of wages went down. This greatly affected those who did not have enough land to provide year round subsistence for their families. This group of poor who farmed less than 3 relong, in other words those considered below the poverty level, had to struggle to survive. Some peasants had to move temporarily or permanently to larger cities to find work to provide for their families.
The novella, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck takes place in Salinas Valley, California. The story starts off with the two main characters, George and Lennie travelling through the woods : on their way to the ranch where they will work. The author of the book, John Steinbeck, builds characters and demonstrates the unique dynamics between George and Lennie by their type of relationship, the ways in which they influence each other, and the role responsibility plays in their relationship.
In Of Mice And Men, the two main characters, George and Lennie, try to achieve their dream of owning their own farm. In the book it tells how George and Lennie’s friendship started and why George decides to stay to take care of Lennie. Steinbeck showed the theme of weakness that George and Lennie had without each other.
In one study, those who had the most friends over a nine-year period cut their risk of death by more than 60% (anapsid.org). Throughout life everyone needs a confidant that will help support and care for them more ways than one. For instance, like Lennie he has George as a big brother that helps guide him in his footsteps, a father figure that explains right from wrong through rules and discipline, and a best friend that goes the extra mile by doing the absolute most of what’s needed. Lennie and George share a complicated relationship, but through it all they always had each other’s back like true friends.
In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck creates the character George, who is a very hard working and responsible. George is a laborer that goes all over the state looking for jobs during the great depression (Attel). George is a very responsible person because he has to take care of Lennie because of Lennie’s mental condition. Lennie travels all around with George to get a job because they have a dream to own their own farm with a bunch of animals. George has to take care of Lennie and has to try to keep him out of trouble (Sparknote Editors).
What is love? Love can be a romantic relationship. Love can be caring deeply for someone. How far will someone go for love? In John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, George's final act of killing Lennie is a selfless act of love. George and Lennie are two peas in a pod. They built trust and they built a bond. They would do anything for each other. However, was their relationship fake?
Growing up, George had a wild childhood. His parents owned a tavern, which they lived above, and they were rarely around to give George the guidance a small child needs. George felt little love from his parents. He came from a poor family and sometimes didn't even know where his next meal was coming from.
There are a variety of relationship of people can have with other people. In John Steinbeck's novels, relationships between characters can be difficult, but are always important. The central relationship in Of Mice and Men is between Lennie and George.
... Steinbeck mentions numerous times how often Lennie forgets that little animals must be treated gently. For example, in the scene in the barn, Lennie accidentally kills a puppy while playing with it because he simply could not remember to treat it gently. The question arises as to how Lennie can forget everything else but still remember to return to the place that George pointed out.