Curly and Lennie, two men that traveled together everywhere they went. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck describes friendship, dreams, and personality to describe Lennie and Curly adventures. Steinbeck believed that friendship was important. Lennie knows that George will always have his back, although Lennie cannot really protect George he feels like he can (Steinbeck 14). Even though George says, he does not want Lennie with him, he does not want to leave him by himself (Steinbeck 13). When Lennie and George first get to the ranch, the boss starts to ask them questions. George answers all of them even if they were asking Lennie. He knows that if Lennie talks, he might say what happened in Weed (Steinbeck 22). The boss, at the new farm, thinks that George only wants to take Lennie money. But George tells him that he only wants to take care of Lennie. The boss tells George that he had never seen two men traveling together like him and Lennie (22). George has to tell everyone that Lennie is his cousin to protect him. Even though George knows it is not true he has to tell people that, so they don’t harm Lennie (22). Curly the boss son tries to bother Lennie and George tires to defend Lennie from Curly (26). He tells the swamper that Lennie has not done anything to get Curly to pick on him. Curly hates big guys because he is a small little guy, and he is not big like them (26). George warns Lennie to stay away from Curly because he knows that he will try to cause trouble. This is the only way he can protect him from doing something he will regret (29). The only thing that George tells Lennie to do if anything was to happen is hide where they had planned. This way if Lennie did something bad he could and hid where George told him ... ... middle of paper ... ... him (72). Lennie tries his best to protect George and does not let anyone talk about him also (72). George is not the only person that tries to protect Lennie. When Curly’s wife come into the barn and tries to cause tries to cause trouble, Crooks and Candy stand up for him. They tell her to leave them and also to leave Lennie alone, because they know that Lennie cannot defend himself (80). When George and Candy find out what Lennie has done to Curly’s wife, they do not want to say anything about it. Candy tells George, that Curly will kill Lennie. But George will not let anyone hurt Lennie (95). Lennie trusts in George, and believes everything that he is telling him. When George is ready to kill Lennie, Lennie reminds him that they got each other, even if they are not a family (104). Works Cited Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin Books, 1993.
He tells Candy to wait until he has left the barn to yell as though he had just found the body. He immediately heads for the bunker and tells Candy to “give me a couple of minutes” (95). This allows him to have enough time to get the gun be in his possession and be back in time to follow the men into the barn. He knows he must head straight for Lennie after everyone has seen Curly’s wife’s body, they came from the north so George hopes Lennie has remembered to hide in the brush. When the guys ask George where Lennie could have gone he claim Lennie “would of went south” (97). He knows that if the men search in the south it will give him the opportunity to kill Lennie without any pain. Afraid that George might be up to something Curly tells George to follow them, “George moved slowly after them” (98). He moves at a slower pace than the rest of the men to create distance so he can eventually head north to the brush where Lennie
Lennie has always been told what to do by George. George really helps him through problems that keep happening during the book. Lennie is incapable to live because he does not know his strength and George has to play the role as a living assistant for Lennie. Lennie does not mean to harm but because of his condition he essentially harms people. In the book it explains the
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.
Steinbeck gives a lot of reasons for George to stay with Lennie, but his critics also have some merit in their criticism that the story isn't believable. Steinbeck's critics suggest that Steinbeck is "simply sentimental in this regard." There are some very compelling reasons George would like to stay with Lennie... but being "sentimental," towards Lennie has nothing to do with it.
Due to child like qualities, Lennie is a person which would be easy prey and a vulnerable person. Lennie is a vulnerable person who is quite dumb. His has an obsession for touching soft thing and this will often lead him in to trouble. But poor Lennie is an innocent person who means no harm to anybody. When he and Curley get into a fight Lennie is too shocked to do any thing. He tries to be innocent but, when told to by George grabs Curley’s fist and crushes it. George is Lennie’s best friend and Lennie does every thing he tells him to do as demonstrated in the fight with “But you tol...
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.
Furthermore, George is always trying to make Lennie happy in anyway possible. For example, George told Lennie that he’ll be
Although George has the brains in the group, Lennie, who is mentally handicapped, still causes problems very often. Lennie has the body of an adult but the mind of a child. In page 11, George explains the incident that occurred in Weed to Lennie: “‘...well, how the hell did she know you jus’ wanted to feel her dress? She jerks back and you hold on like it was a mouse.’” Lennie enjoys
These two drastically different characters rely so much on one another that it becomes difficult to function alone in a “normal” society. Their friendship is pushed to the breaking point when Lennie’s actions lead to the death of a another human. George must then decide what is best for Lennie. He proceeds to take Lennie’s life himself rather than condemn him to an uncertain fate if handed over to the authorities or, worse yet, to Curley (Steinbeck 103-116). This recurring theme of friendship lasts throughout the entirety of the book through George and Lennie’s undeniable bond, how they face society's narrow minded view of their relationship, and through their
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
Lennie is more of a child, he always has to rely on George since he has a mental disability. By George sticking with Lennie the whole time shows how great of a friend he is toward Lennie. In the book it is mentioned that Aunt Clara tells George to take care of Lennie after her death, so George promises to take care of him. Despite their differences they still manage to be friends. They have a real strong bond that slim, and other ranch workers see unusual especially the boss because he’s never seen 2 guys travel together and keep a tight relationship. That is only because George sticks with Lennie to get more jobs because he is so big and so workers will be willing to take them in. The boss sees that as George taking advantage of Lennie but George doesn’t because they’re such good friends, Lennie without George makes him a loner, and Lennie keeps George’s life occupied. Although George and Lennie’s relationship was so strong and good George had to kill Lennie since Lennie killed Curley’s wife. George knew that he had no way of saving him so he had to kill him also because Lennie could not get out of his own
Lennie was not very smart and couldn't do much by himself. He had to be told what to do or he wouldn't do anything at all. He fits all the profiles for a retarded person. He doesn't have any self-control. When he starts to panic he gets out of control and even kills Curly's wife because she starts to scream. Lennie loves animals and can't stop talking about them. He always says that when they get their own place that he wants lots of rabbits, his favorite animal. To him George is like his father figure, since Lennie never really had any parents. He is easily amused and panics quickly.
Friendship is a great thing to have throughout your lifetime. In the novella Of Mice and Men friendship is a greatly promoted theme. The two main characters George and Lennie were very close friends who had each other’s backs. George had promised Lennie’s aunt that he would look after Lennie because he wasn’t exactly right in the head, and had the mindset of a young child. Since then George has always taken care of Lennie no matter the circumstances. Candy is also another character in the story with a white, old, and sick dog as his companion that he’s had for a very long time. Friendship can be between any two people no matter their qualities, in life and even in death.
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.
Just as George has a natural aura of power and everyone on the ranch respects him, Lennie has a different kind of power. Everyone fears Lennie because of his size and his incredible strength. But without George, Lennie seems to have no idea what to do with himself, and he just sits around with no one to tell him what to do. The only thought that Lennie seems to have when he is not around George are that George had better be ok. "'George gonna come back.' Lennie reassured himself in a frightened voice." Lennie seems to be afraid even to think without George's consent. He is afriad that George will "give him hell" even when George is not there.