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Compare and contrast the characters of Lennie and George
Compare and contrast the characters of Lennie and George
Characterization of George and Lennie
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In this chapter of the novel, Steinbeck uses a lot of visual elements, strong dialect,
symbolism, tone and theme. Much of these elements are shown right from the beginning of
the chapter when the two men, Lennie and George arrive at the bunk house. Right from the
first sentence, the tone and imagery is already set off by introducing the “walls [being]
whitewashed and the floor unpainted.(p17)” In addition, he also introduces the bunks, also
re-enforcing the tone since the bunks are described as “…burlap sack of straw that was a
mattress.(p18)” At this point, George is realizing that not only does he have challenges by
dealing with George, but he also has to live in this environment where things are not
comfortable, but also may be infested with lice.
In this chapter, Steinbeck has referred Lennie to small, and George to Milton when the
boss asked them their names. This is a clever way Steinbeck has used to further develop and re-
enforce the personalities of Lennie and George. It also could be a form of foreshadowing for
later on, when t...
was something about George and Lennie's friendship that really made me think. Seeing how they
The way that Steinbeck combines detailed descriptions of
The physical symbiosis of George and Lennie is beneficial to Lennie but detrimental to George. Although George used to hurt Lennie, Lennie now needs George to bail him out of trouble. Lennie also profits because he needs a person to tell him what to do. “He can’t think of nothing to do himself, but he sure can take orders” (39). Lennie is “a hell of a good worker”(22) and able to “put up a four-hundred pound bale” (22) but is likely to get himself in trouble without George’s protective influence. George likes Lennie but would be better off without him because “you (Lennie) can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get” (11). Lennie hinders George while George helps Lennie.
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).
Furthermore, George is always trying to make Lennie happy in anyway possible. For example, George told Lennie that he’ll be
Firsty, we can see that George represents the harshness of 1930s American society. This is shown mainly towards the end of the novella, when he is forced to end Lennie's life after Lennie killed Curley's
Although he makes an effort to reconnect with his son after the accident, there is no time for sentiment or worry. He drowns his sorrows and suppresses his feelings subconsciously through drilling and profiting off of oil. The oil business becomes his safe-haven where he can escape the reality of his son’s sickness and their broken relationship. In example, when he forces H.W. to sleep when he clearly wants to spend time with his father and then continues to work, he is suppressing his sadness by working. This leads to a gradual decline of attention and time he puts into rebuilding this relationship. He realizes that ignoring his son can only hurt the relationship and he chooses to do so anyway. Daniel continues to build his empire of material wealth which sabotages his social relationship with H.W. Daniel focuses on his career rather than the vital interaction that he needs with his son. He uses his line of work as a way to block out the effect of his severed relationship with his child because he knows that their is no time to spend with people when it could be spent with oil and its possible
The plot of the novel begins with George and Lennie getting off the bus from Weed, and making the rest of their journey by foot to get to the ranch where they will begin work the following day.
Small’s naive personality has affected his relationship with George so much that he ended up making a very painful
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 to Weed (Steinbeck 22). The boss, at the new farm, thinks that George only wants to take Lennie's money. But George tells him that he only wants to take care of Lennie.
“Friendship isn’t about whom you have known the longest… It’s about who came, and never left your side” (unknown). In the story Of Mice and Men, it is clear that the friendship between George and Lennie is strong. The author, John Steinbeck, shows the friendship of George and Lennie in several ways. He shows how George and Lennie care for one another, support one another in striving for their dream, and last but not least, by telling how they both make sacrifices and are responsible for one another. George and Lennie’s relationship is the true meaning of friendship.
The connection between George and Lennie illustrates the adversity during their course towards achieving the American dream. Things Lennie did, either on accident or purpose, foreshadowed what was going to happen in the book and the way people acted impacted this. Like millions of other people, George and Lennie were affected during the great depression heavily, and dreamt of owning land of their own. They worked from place to place making barely any money, and didn’t have a real home. To add to this, Lennie got in trouble a lot and in the end George had to make the crucial decision to shoot Lennie so he wouldn’t have to deal with any more difficulty. George knew he had to do what was best for Lennie and himself.
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.
Secondly, George experienced a depressive episode during his employment at the junior college once he found out that his assistant coach was leaving the track teams to pursue other opportunities. Throughout this episode, George exhibited symptoms of depression such as exhaustion, sleep issues, rumination, hopelessness, and guilt. He questioned his presence in the world and resorted to considering suicide as an option, which indicated the severity of his condition. Thirdly, George demonstrated manic symptoms during an important week for his track teams. He neglected his sleeping needs, talked egoistically and profusely about his reputable track teams to anyone around him, and engaged in risky behaviors, such as bringing a sword to a track meet. The climax of this episode occurred in an interview when George revealed that he would use the fundraiser money intended for the track sector of the college to go on a trip with of the female athletes to a meet in another state, which led to the department-wide search for George, a range of arguments, and delusions, where George claimed that he was given the
Firstly, to understand George as a character it’s important to look at his appearance: both how he presents himself to the world and how that reflects his nature. When we meet George, the stage directions tell us that he is “typically good-looking, he has the best ‘looks’ of the family, [and he is] tall and elegant of figure” (255). He is wearing attractive clothing that we soon find out he inherited from his late cousin Sebastian, altered to fit him perfectly by “a little Jew tailor on Brittannia Street” (261), and he carries with him a tennis racket in a zippered cover.