The Power of Companionship as Demonstrated through Of Mice and Men Being burdened by close friends or family can be especially bothersome or problematic, as there is a need to constantly attend to them. The responsibility of satisfying each other’s needs before one’s own or repairing their mistakes is often shared between both parties, as well as the negative consequences that may follow. At times, it may even seem simpler to just abandon hope and desert them; however, the fear of loneliness generally prevents this from occurring. John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men consists of a diverse group of people living and working on a ranch. Although they come from many walks of life, they all share one similar trait. Many of the characters’ …show more content…
For instance, Lennie frustrates George greatly by attempting to harbor a dead mouse in his pocket. George scolds him when he states, “‘God, you’re a lot of trouble’, said George. ‘I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail” (Steinbeck 7). In other words, George has contemplated a life without the burdensome Lennie before. Clearly, he has dismissed these thoughts, as they are still traveling and living together. This validates the fact that even the most disastrous missteps of his are being condoned, as the only alternative is a much-feared life of solitude. Additionally, after George’s harsh words hurt Lennie, he recognizes the need for reconciliation and makes an attempt to apologize by claiming, “No–look! I was jus’ foolin’, Lennie. ‘Cause I want you to stay with me” (Steinbeck 13). Here, George is obviously trying to hastily assuage Lennie’s dissatisfaction in order to prevent him from leaving. Had he not been so afraid of living unaccompanied, George would surely have let him leave to inhabit a cave, as that is what Lennie had previously suggested. Therefore, George’s desire for accompaniment serves as a motivation for taking responsibility for
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.
"15 Things You Might Not Know About Of Mice and Men." Mental Floss. N.p., 27 Feb. 2017. Web. 04 Apr.
People are put on this earth to find something or someone to go through everyday life with. In the book, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, it shows that companions are in everyone's lives. The book explains how the story of small smart man named George and his dumb friend Lennie; they have acted as companions for a long time and hope to achieve the American dream. During their quest they meet many people and Lennie gets into trouble multiple times. Everytime this happens George has to make a tough decision about what to do for his friend even though it feels like a pain. Through the characters Lennie, George and Candy, John Steinbeck says companionship makes people happier.
As the Great Depression creates a sense of isolation and loneliness, two men seem to have it all figured out as they find their way through the vast land of California. During this time, men are forced into isolation and loneliness as they travel to find work, but George and Lennie represent the need for companionship as they have their whole lives planned together. In his writing, John Steinbeck uses character mannerisms, symbolism, and social injustice to show loneliness and the need for companionship in the novel, Of Mice and Men.
I think the book Of Mice and Men was a good tale of companionship. All throughout the story the main characters of Lennie and George were always next to each other and helped balance each others personality. Throughout the text the character George was the bossy more knowledgeable one and Lennie was the on the more mentally disabled side of the spectrum. Lennie was kind and he loved soft thing but the catch with Lennie was that he was a wide hipped individual (meaning he was a large individual in stature). He didn't know his own strength/power and that led him into major trouble with the ranch owners boss. because he ended killing his wife because she let him touch her soft hair and he rubbed to hard and broke her neck and
“The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for”---Bob Marley. Everyone will hurt you, but the ones that try to work through it are your true friends. They will stick with you through thick and thin because nothing is worth giving up the special bond that two or more people share. George and Lennie, the protagonist in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, have been through so much together.
Steinbeck portrays the need for companionship during the story through Lennie and George’s characters. They have been acquainted with each other since they were adolescents. George communicates to Slim that when Aunt Clara died, he took over responsibility and they’ve been together ever since. This tells us how George and Lennie grew to become so attached to one another and how they encountered. These characters always seem to exonerate and realize the importance for one another. Lennie repeats “But not us! An’ why because…because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.” (Steinbeck 14). This quote shows that this happens frequently, considering Lennie memorized it, but still they don’t leave each other.
Friendship shows what life was like to reach a dream. They would be there to help them out which ever issue they had, or enjoy spending time with them. Having a friend does affect someone's life, which gives them hope to aim to their success. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck, introduces George, who had a companion that accompanies and supports him through life. The author demonstrates about George not willing to lose his companion, Lennie.
Of Mice and Men has many different interesting themes, depending on what people believe it is. Some feel like companionship is an important theme. There are many different reasons why people believe the theme is companionship. Without companionship, life isn’t worth living. John Steinbeck shows that the characters, in Of Mice and Men, act and feel different without their friends and companions.
In the novel of Mice and Men, author John Steinbeck describes a story where two ranch workers, George and Lennie, move from place to place looking for work on ranches in California during the Great Depression. Lennie is a mentally disabled giant who is unaware of his own strength. George is a brother like figure to Lennie always looking out for him. These men have a dream to own their own farm, and have freedom from the harsh life on the ranches. Other people living on the ranch have similar dreams, but have failed. These failed dreams have made the ranch workers mean, bitter, and powerless. Steinbeck develops a story that touches on the aspect of human relationships, and the impact they have on society. Steinbeck illustrates how in order for people to feel powerful they use their strength to oppress others,
In the novella, Of Mice and Men, in addition to the film, Steinbeck led readers to create several different themes about the novella. However, the main theme is friendship. The entire book displays how each character is affected by the friendships they make. At the beginning of the book, Steinbeck makes it seem as if George and Lennie have an unbreakable bond considering that it is very rare to find two men traveling together. When in reality, their friendship led to a bad situation. If George wouldn’t have ever met Lennie, it would have never resulted in George having a hard time shooting his best friend. The friendships made in Of Mice and Men weren’t always good ones, and this is an example of that. Curley’s wife tried to make friends with
What is it like to be truly alone? Perhaps, it’s getting stuck in an unhappy marriage. During the Great Depression, many people were treated unequal, which lead to many people being alone. Many people of color could not live with white people, people with disabilities weren’t respected and women were seen as objects, they weren’t treated equally during that time period. In the book, “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck teaches on an important topic to readers about how greatly the time period affects the way people viewed others. This affected many people because they were left alone and isolated.
Of mice and men is a great novel that express many characteristics between characters one of which is friendship. Friendship in the novel is a big expression between characters and eventually “friendship” is what bring character together and stick by one another. The biggest expression of friends is between Lennie and George. The Great Depression was one of the major issues in 1930 but it wasn't so bad if you had someone with you to go through it with. George and Lennie’s big goal in life was the American dream, and they went through everything together to achieve this goal. The differences between Lennie and George was a major difference yet they had the strongest friendship throughout the book. George and Lennie’s
Having a friend in life is the key to maintaining happiness. In the novella called Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, migrant workers live on a ranch in South California in the 1930's. Most of the workers are suffering from loneliness except for the 2 main characters who have a long lasting friendship, Lennie Small and George Milton. The migrant workers on the ranch learn the importance of having a friend to spend time with and talk to. William Blake once said,“The bird, a nest; the spider, a web; man, friendship.”
Imagine going through life without having any friends. The story Of Mice and Men, by