Friendship In Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck

Good friendships make life easier. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is about two men, George and Lennie, who go on various journeys in order to get a job. Although George would consider Lennie to be his closest friend, he ultimately ends up shooting and killing Lennie. George did this, not out of hatred, but rather out of protection. A good friend will always want what is best for one another. Steinbeck uses his protagonists’ friendship in order to show that true friendship can help make any of life’s hardships less difficult.

What do you think Steinbeck says about the theme of friendship in Of Mice and Men?

Happiness is what makes friends, friends. George always goes out of his way to make Lennie happy. Everything he does is for Lennie’s benefit, along with his own. George is making sure Lennie has food, comfort, money, a job, and a true friend. In the text, Steinbeck writes, “Lennie pleaded, “Come on, George. Tell me. Please George. Like you done before.” “You get a kick outta that, don’t you? Awright, I’ll tell you, and then we’ll eat our supper….””(13). Everything that George does, is for Lennie. He cares about Lennie so much, and that is what makes him a true friend to Lennie. Lennie tries his hardest to make George happy as well. Lennie makes George believe that they can have their own place one day. That makes George happy and hopeful. True friends make sure each other is

Individuals have had to do something they do not want to do at least once in their lives. It could be something small, or something to a bigger extent. In the novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, many characters struggle with loneliness because the novel is set during the Great Depression when many people found it difficult to make a living. This is one of the reasons why many readers find it odd that Lennie Small and George Milton travel together in these desperate times. George and Lennie look out for each other at every place they go. At the Tyler Ranch, Lennie’s disability causes him to get into trouble, big trouble. George has to make the toughest decision of his life: kill his friend or let him die a painful death. George decided to kill Lennie because he would not be able to allow Lennie to experience misery. George Milton did not kill Lennie Small out of hate, but out of friendship.

Lennie is unaware of his own strength, and accidentally kills Curley’s wife, which causes George to weigh Lennie’s options. He decides that killing Lennie would be the best option, and, after delivering the killing bullet, Carlson asks George how he does it. George stiffly sits on the bank, and his “voice was almost a whisper. He looked steadily at this right hand that had held the gun” (107). The fact that George acts very calm and quiet indicates that he is in deep shock. The trauma from killing Lennie really deals a blow to George’s energy. George himself would be happy if his friend did not have to die, but he is completely aware of how it is the option that is best for Lennie. Shooting Lennie causes George to experience deep sorrow, anxiety, and anguish. He feels emotionally drained and tired, which he could avoid by just leaving Lennie alive, but he sacrifices his own emotional health to benefit Lennie. If Lennie was not George’s good friend, George would not invest so much of his own happiness. Friends not only have to deal with their own problems, but also have to sacrifice more energy by managing their friends’ as

“To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.” ― Mark Twain. Twain's words relate to Lennie and George in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, who divide their happiness and joy with each other. In the story Lennie and George are companions very close though they have their ups and downs. Lennie and George find a ranch to work on where they meet many people like Candy, who is an old man who lost his dog, Curley--the boss's son and his wife. At the ranch they get into many different things- good, bad, involving other characters and more. In Of Mice and Men Steinbeck shows that companionship is beneficial in many ways.

"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.

Friendship is hard, there are times where you have to give up everything for them, times where you just have to deal with the fact for a while and take it, and times where you might have to do something you really don’t want. But whatever you do, you know its for the best concern of your friend. To symbolize the over all focus of friendship and loneliness during the great depression, John Steinbeck uses Curley's wife, George and Lennie's friendship, and Candy with his dog, in his book Of Mice and Men. Through the use of Curley’s wife’s character Steinbeck shows loneliness of the great depression. With the use of the characters' actions, John symbolizes her loneliness and need for attention. “Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once and a while?” (Steinbeck 77). Through Curley's wife's characters, John shows her need for friendship. With that being said, loneliness is shown through thoughts and words that Steinbeck has given to her. “What harm am I doing to you? Seems like they ain't none of them cares how I gotta live” (Steinbeck 88). Unaware that she is a burden to everyone accordingly, Curley’s wife still try's. Needing

There are many themes in “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck. A few themes are friendships, American dream, woman's rights, and the working class. But the theme I chose is friendship. Steinbeck portrays friendship as a big part of the book, and there are many ups and downs in friendships in “Of Mice and Men.” I believe that most of the friendships are very odd or just not good, true friendships. Lennie and George, Curley and Curley’s wife, and Crooks and the rest of the workers, are the friendships that I feel have the most impact on the story. Starting with George and Lennie.

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.

Losing a pet or friend is the most tragic event to suffer through as a human being. We all want to keep everybody we hold dear, but we must learn to live with their death and treasure their memories which make us love them even more. In the book, Of Mice and Men, a loss is very common; almost everybody loses something important to them. Of Mice and Men has many morals, but the moral, “You’ll never appreciate how much you love something until it is gone,” is followed by Candy, Curly, and George.

In addition, Steinbeck also shows that George and Lennie are not true friends because they are together for a benefit. Like Lennie with George because he wouldn’t survive without him. According to Aristotle “It is clear that only the good can be friends for themselves, since the bad do not enjoy their own kind unless some benefit comes from them.”Aristotle True Friendship This clearly shows that they are not true friends because they are together just because they benefit being together. Steinbeck confirms they are not true friends when george says to Lennie “I got you! You can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get (11)”. This clearly shows that George helps Lennie so Lennie is the one who benefits in this friendship. Then Steinbeck

Imagine going through life without having any friends. The story Of Mice and Men, by

Friendship can be different for everyone, like for Lennie and George in Of Mice and men. George and Lennie were friends for all their lives but in the end he needed to shot Lennie because Lennie killed someone and he couldn’t be trusted anymore. George could have left Lennie at any time but he was his friend so he stuck with him, also George did it for the aunt of Lennie’s.

In John Steinbeck’s story Of Mice and Men, and in the film Places in the Heart written and directed by Robert Benton, many of the characters experience unexpected friendships during hard times. The authors bring forth sexism, racism, and the feeling of belonging, showing that everyone deserves a friend. (49)