Kathryn Goretzka
Sibbach
AP English III
12 December, 2014
What Truly Matters
Loyalty and friendship play key roles in the lives of those who acknowledge its worth. Living life with whom a person loves greatly increases happiness and trust between those in the relationship. But this unity may come at a cost; true friendship requires sacrifice. Friendship and loyalty in the novella, Of Mice and Men, by expression through John Steinbeck’s interpretation, brings greater understanding to their importance of each.
Loyalty, protecting and standing by someone who a person respects or loves, as Lennie and George illustrate. Loyalty does involve a treacherous endeavor sometimes but worth every cent. George shows loyalty towards Lennie because he knows that he could not survive on his own. It does not mean pity, it means care and somewhat of a parental instinct. “No-look! I was jus’ foolin’, Lennie. ‘Cause I want you to stay with me” (Steinbeck 13). Their constant companionship expresses what makes their relationship significant to the theme of loyalty. The loyalty that George and Lennie share abide as an example of how devotion to one another keeps them strong and what makes their relationship relevant to the story.
Friendship closely defines an intimate relationship as between two or more individuals who care strongly for each other’s wellbeing. In Of Mice and Men, many instances occur in which the men unite in their humanity to support each other in different ways. “They want to
Steinbeck is revealing that companionship can serve in many different purposes. Of Mice and Men is an important text because the themes of companionship, power, discrimination, loneliness, and dreams play a role in people’s lives at some point in time. An example of one of the themes that relates to a real world scenario is everyone has or had a dream and dreams is hope and a reason why people are still living and carrying on. In conclusion, companionship is two people sticking together through the stormy days and sunny days, making hard decisions that are in everyone’s best interest, and protecting each
Friends are needed in a person’s life for emotional stability whom without would lead to a life of loneliness and solitude. In the novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the characters Crooks, Candy and Curly’s wife exhibit a form of loneliness. They are driven to George and Lennie’s friendship because they lack support and that emotional stability in their own lives."A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't matter no difference who the guy is, longs he with you. I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an he gets sick" (Steinbeck, 13). Throughout his novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows that victims of isolation crave to fulfill a companionship to fill in that void of loneliness.
In both Lord of the Flies by William Golding and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck evident components of friendship are persuaded throughout the storyline, particularly in Lennie and George’s friendship in Of Mice and Men and Ralph and Piggy’s friendship in Lord of the Flies. In both books the authors focus on the natural dependence human beings have on each other. Of particular importance is the bond the characters share being outsiders, the dependence they have on one another, the respect they share, the theme of survival, the sacrifice that comes with love and the contrast in their personalities.
A good friendship is needed to survive through tough times. Lennie respects George because George gives him comfort. George cares for Lennie so much that he considers him to be part of his family: “George said, he’s my cousin. I told his old lady id take care of him. He got kicked in the head by a horse when he was a kid” (Steinbeck 22). Aside from comfort and advice, Lennie also needs George because when he gets in trouble, George always manages to find a way to help him get out of it. When Lennie had got in trouble in Weed, George stays by his side and gives him advice that helps remain safe and calm. George has many opportunities to leave Lennie and change his lifestyle, but he needs Lennie just as much in order to help him through his own hardships. Lennie looks
The theme of friendship can be explored within this novel by the fact that this book takes place in a period where most people were desperate. According to John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, it states that this novel is the “backward-looking novel in the teeth of the Great Depression” (pg xv). Of Mice and Men is an origin story of how hopeless and laboring California was. If this era of time was this hopeless, many would have relied on others to keep themselves safe, starting to create a bond with each other.
Friendship is the strongest relationship two people can have. John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men,” for example, is about two men who go around California looking for jobs during the Great Depression. The camaraderie between the two main characters, George and Lennie, stands out particularly. Their friendship is similar to that of a parent and a child. George being the parent and taking care of Lennie by keeping him out of trouble; and Lennie being the child, ignorant of the world around him and simple-minded. In the case of John Steinbeck’s classic novella, the friendship of the two men produces risks for both; however, the emotional and physical benefits far outweigh the risks.
What do you think Steinbeck says about the theme of friendship in Of Mice and Men?
The true meaning of friendship can make a person think or do things for someone they never thought they would do. In the story, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows many good qualities in men who have so little such as their dreams, caring for each other, and their sacrifices. George and Lennie’s relationship shows us the true meaning of friendship.
As Thomas Aquinas states, “There is nothing on this earth more prized than true friendship.” Friends cheer each other up when they are sad and support them when they are happy. In John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men, two migrant workers, George and Lennie, arrive as newcomers on the ranch. Throughout the story, different problems are thrown their way, and their friendship is tested with each one. George shows how true friendship requires sacrifice because friends sacrifice personal freedom, they protect each other, and they sacrifice emotional energy.
Author Carlos P. Romulo once said “Brotherhood is the very price and condition of man’s survival.” This quote goes along very nicely with the overall idea of Of Mice And Men because the story revolves around brotherhood. Throughout the course of the novel, we see the bonds between characters grow stronger. Characters, like Lennie and George, who have been friends for a long time, continue to have their companionship grow. There are also characters, like Lennie and Crooks, who are both ostracized by the people who live around them, although unintentionally, become friends. In his story “Of Mice And Men”, John Steinbeck uses interactions between characters to create a mood of desperation to reveal how we as humans value brotherhood because no matter how much we deny it, we all need someone to be there for us and to count on.
Of Mice and Men may be the most thrilling, suspenseful story of its era. The theme builds on friendship. How are some of the characters are lonely? Also how Steinbeck portrays friendship in this novel. What I think this book is about is having life long friends and, is it always the way to go even if you have to do something so bad I will end the friendship.
In life, people regularly encounter new friends in various places at different times. However, they are usually unaware of who their real friends are. What is the conceptual meaning of a friend? A person who you talk to occasionally? A person who supports you from the back? What is the correct description of a real friend? In John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men, the story depicts a story of ranch workers during Great Depression in 1939 as they struggle to survive the cruel world undergoing an economic crisis. Throughout the book, the characters, George, Lennie, Slim, and others develop certain levels of friendships and bonds among them, which the author utilizes them to explore the diverse values of friendships. The interactions between
One of the most obvious loyal character relationships is between George and Lennie. Their bond goes above and beyond the typical extent of faithfulness. George is constantly by Lennie’s side throughout the highs and lows of their unusual lifestyle. Not only does he demonstrate loyalty through being faithful, respectful, and trustworthy, but he also makes a sacrifice for the greater good of Lennie, when he takes Lennie’s life. In the seconds leading up to Lennie’s death, Steinbeck writes “And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie's head…He pulled the trigger.” (Steinbeck 52) This is arguably the greatest display of loyalty in the entire book, because George is willing to take his long time
In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, many themes come up often throughout the story, especially the theme about bonds between two people. The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck expresses theme of Friendship through various literary elements. Friendship is people that care for and respect each other. It is the link that makes people stick together through the struggles of life. This essay will prove that friendship is important in life.
"Of Mice and Men" is a book about two men and their struggle to achieve their dream of owning a small ranch through their companionship. The two men are completely different, one being a retarded fellow (Lennie), and the other, a typical ranch hand(George) who travels with him. On the path to achieving their dream, they run into obstacles, but stick together, stressing the importance of true friendship. Steinbeck wrote this book to tell us how important it is to have a friend to share your life with.