“Someday- we're gonna get the jack together and we're gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an' a cow and some pigs” (Steinbeck 41). George and Lennie travel together, have a dream of having their own house, land to grow their own crops, and then they end up working on a farm. They meet new people such as Candy, Crooks, Slim, Curley, and etc. Then, Lennie had killed Curley’s wife and gets hunted down by Curley and more people. George finds Lennie and shoots him in the head to end all of Lennie’s mistakes, and focuses on himself. In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men George influences others through his dream such as Lennie, Candy, and himself. Throughout the story George and Lennie speak about having their own house, land, and …show more content…
Lennie tells George that he wouldn’t touch the ketchup and leave it all for him which shows that Lennie is caring and unselfish. “Now look-I’ll give him the work tickets, but you ain’t gonna say a word. You jus’ stand there and don’t say nothing. If he finds out what a crazy bastard you are, we won’t get no job, but if he sees ya work before he hears ya talk, we’re set. Ya got that” (Steinbeck 6)? Lennie listens to George, so that they are able to get a job and fulfill their dream. “George says I ain’t to have nothing to do with you-- talk to you or nothing” (Steinbeck 86). “Says I can’t tend no rabbits if I talk to you or anything”(Steinbeck 86).“No, sir. I ain’t gonna talk to you or nothing “(Steinbeck 86). “If George sees me talkin’ to you he’ll give me hell,” Lennie said cautiously. “He tol’ me so” (Steinbeck 87). Lennie listens to George by trying to not talk at all to Curley’s wife and tries to ignore and avoid her, so he doesn’t get in trouble of losing their job and he’s able to tend the rabbits. To conclude, Lennie is influenced because he listens to George by remembering that if he doesn’t do his job or listen to him he won’t be able to tend the rabbits,they could lose their job, and won’t have their own land. George’s dream to have his own land, house, and grow crops with Lennie has influenced Candy. Since the death of his dog, he has been lonely and depressed, he would do almost anything to be a part of their dream. "S'pose I went in with you …show more content…
George half-closed his eyes. "I gotta think about that. We was always gonna do it by ourselves." Candy interrupted him, "I'd make a will an' leave my share to you guys in case I kick off, 'cause I ain't got no relatives nor nothing. You guys got any money? Maybe we could do her right now" (Steinbeck 89). Candy is willing to almost anything to help out and work with George and Lennie to be a part of their dream. “Candy spoke his greatest fear, You an’ me can get that little place, can’t we George” (Steinbeck 94). Candy becomes influenced and inspired the fact that they have their own dream to have their own land and grow their own crops to live on and Candy wants to be a part of George and Lennie’s dream. In conclusion, Candy would do almost anything to be a part of George’s dream by offering money and do any chores on the land. It is clear that Candy doesn’t want to be alone anymore since the death of his dog. George’s dream and actions influences his own self by making him do the right things to be able to live and accomplish his dream. “We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go.” (Steinback 14).
Steinbeck presents Lennie to be responsible and irresponsible when he is not with George. Steinbeck shows how he is responsible when he sticks up for George, “He ain’t never been hurt, ‘cause he’s careful.” This quote also suggests Lennie realising himself how is irresponsible for his actions and how he needs George to guide him. This is because Lennie gets quite anxious and angry at the thought of not having George, “He stood up and walked dangerously towards Crooks.” Steinbeck presents Lennie to be irresponsible for his actions when he lets their secret of their dream, slip, “George says we gonna have alfalfa for the rabbits.” This shows
George and Lennie believe they can achieve their American dream because “‘I [George] got you [Lennie] to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.’” (Steinbeck 14). They feel like they can rely on each other and their friendship and loyalty prevent them from isolating themselves. Their presence on that ranch even changed the people around them because they were accepting of the outcasts. Crooks, Candy, and Curley’s wife all open up to them about the isolation and loneliness they feel. Candy asks George if he can join them on their dream of owning their own property. George says he will consider it but eventually denies the offer when the body of Curley's wife is found, because he realizes the dream of owning a farm with Lennie is dead. As Peter Lisca states in his article, “On Of Mice and Men” from The American Dream, “The dream of the farm originates with Lennie and it is only through Lennie, who also makes the dream impossible, that the dream has any meaning for George.” While it is clear that Lennie needs George, George needs Lennie too. Without Lennie, George loses his sense of purpose and is likely to isolate himself like all the other ranchers. The strong bond between the two of them serve to contrast the economic and social conditions at the
“I want you to stay with me, lennie. Jesus christ somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself. No, you stay with me. Your aunt clara wouldn’t like you running off by yourself even if she is dead” - (Steinbeck 13). This quote shows George looking out for Lennie.
Lastly George was trying to help Lennie live his dream."I remember about the rabbits, George"(steinbeck 4). In this quote it expresses how much Lennie wanted to tend the rabbits. George tells Lennie that if he helped him gather enough money that Lennie could tend the rabbits, this shows that George wants Lennie to be happy and will help him do what he wants to.
I was jus’ foolin’, Lennie. “Cause I want you to stay with me.” (Steinbeck page 13). Well yes Lennie was kind of manipulating George but we do see that right here he shows that he indeed cares about the well being of Lennie.
" Why don't he? " Well, he said if I done any more bad things he ain't gonna let me tend the rabbits." (Steinbeck 87) This quote shows that Lennie was taught to listen to George at all times, but when he doesn't listen, bad events happen. Steinbeck uses the death of the puppies to foreshadow the death of Curley's wife and the death of Lennie's plan to take care of a pup and even tend the rabbits with George.
For Lennie, other than his friendship with George, raising and petting the rabbits is all he really wants in life. He wants to hear George tell him over and over about their future, and the rabbit farm once they “get the jack together” for a “little house, and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and ---” “An’ have rabbits” (14) For George, owning land was freedom and happiness, “S’pose they was a carnival or a circus come to town, or a ball game, or any damn thing.” “We’d just go to her,” “We wouldn’t ask nobody if we could. Jus’ say, ‘We’ll go to her,’ an’ we would.” (61) George never saw the dream becoming reality until Candy offered up his savings “This thing they had never really believed in was coming true”. (60) Crooks, another worker at the ranch, was the voice of a hard reality, “I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads . . . every damn one of ’em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a God damn one of ’em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land.” (74) After the discovery of Curly’s wife’s dead body in the barn,, George realized his dream was over and it was confirmed when Candy had asked him. “Then -- It’s all off?”
Everyone has hopes and dreams, However, for many reasons, some inner and some outer, people choose to either make those dreams become reality or to give up. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, he writes about two guys who share a common goal which is to share a ranch together where they can both live freely and work for themselves instead of having to work for someone else. In order for this dream to come true, they need to work for it. In this essay, I will be talking about George, Lennie and candy. Both George and Lennie allow Candy to become a part of their dream.
For example,” By drawing George into a conversation about work and fellowship, Slim gives George an opportunity to compliment Lennie’s strength. Approving of the rare partnership between his two new workers, Slim, whom Steinbeck has introduced as a benevolent authority, sanctions the union between George and Lennie” (“Importance”). Although George has a compassion for taking care of Lennie out of good will, he often loses his tempter with Lennie causing his feelings to be hurt. Even in the times of anger, George still takes responsibility for his friend. Steinbeck says, “The hell with the rabbits.
First, dreams and goals affect George in of Mice and Men negatively. “We’d have our own place where we belonged and not sleep in no bunkhouse” (Steinbeck 57). George want to live on a ranch with Lennie and Candy. George will not have to worry about Lennie getting in trouble because Lennie is going to be on the ranch alone with George and Candy. George wants to grow his own livestock, have Lennie tend the rabbits and live off the fatta the lan which means having the best of everything.
“I can still tend the rabbits, George?” “Sure. You ain’t done nothing wrong.” “I di’n’t mean no harm, George.” ” This quote demonstrates the importance of rabbits to Lennie.
Steinbeck illustrates the overdependence in George and Lennie’s relationship by emphasizing their contrary character traits. George as an authoritative father-figure, whilst Lennie possesses more childlike demeanors. The blend of guidance and authority clashes and as a result it creates heavy dependence on George. As they prepare to sleep one day, George reminds Lennie not to say a word during the interview that George orchestrated with the boss the following day. Lennie’s face grew tight with thought and he said ‘I... ain't gonna say nothin'.
The common theme Steinbeck tries to convey in both of his stories, The Pearl and Of Mice and Men, is that dreams of a better life are not likely to be pursued completely because the hardships one has to endure throughout their life can interfere. In both stories, the main characters wish to change their lives by dreaming of something that can benefit them and their status in life. However, their dreams were not achieved due to being obstruct from the various unfortunate effects they witnessed throughout the process of following their dreams. One of these unfortunate events had occurred to George and Lennie in one of Steinbeck’s stories, this one being Of Mice and Men, that caused George’s dream of owning land and his own ranch to be fully
In Chapter 3, John Steinbeck goes into the depth of the relationship between George and Lennie. Lennie’s overall goal is to own and pet rabbits on the farm. Like this, he needs George’s permission for all of his actions: “You done jus’ what I tol’ you to’... Lennie smiled with his bruised mouth. ‘I didn’t want no trouble,’ he said.
In the novella Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck, the relationship between Lennie Small and George Milton is complex. Lennie and George are two companions who look for work and brave the hardships of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression together. Although Lennie and George are both grown men, their relationship resembles more of a child and a single parent, or a boy and his dog. Lennie is portrayed as animalistic and childish through his behavior and Steinbeck’s comparisons. This reveals the crucial power dynamic in George and Lennie’s relationship.