Friendship and Overcoming Adversity

In the novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the setting takes place on a ranch in Soledad, California during the Great Depression. George and Lennie are the best of friends; therefore, they are travelling together to find a job. George is skinny and smart, Lennie is big and strong. Lennie has a mental disability and George guides and protects him. George does all the talking for Lennie and they get hired for the job at the ranch. George and Lennie have this dream of living off the fatta the lan’. George and Lennie face many obstacles as they reach for their dream. John Steinbeck uses the signposts, contrasts and contradictions and again and again to develop the themes Dreams and Loneliness.

In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Lennie and George have both similarities and differences that are revealed throughout the storyline. These comparisons and contrasts are used to explain their unique friendship and dependency on one another. The story begins with the description of their physical and intellectual differences and establishes their roles of who is the dominant one. The story shares the obstacles that have stood in the way of them obtaining their “American Dream” to own land, even if they if they have different motivations. The story concludes with the difficult choice that George makes to end Lennie’s life himself, out of his love for his friend.

George was a good friend to Lennie because he cares for him. Lennie’s aunt died a while back and George promised her that he would take care of Lennie no matter what. George was not forced to watch over Lennie, he made a choice and stuck with it. Also, Lennie was holding a dead mouse and he was petting it. George saw and threw it across the pool. (page 6) He did that so Lennie wouldn’t get sick or a disease. Finally, George and Lennie went to work on a farm and there was a woman. She was a man named Curley’s wife. George had heard that she was trouble and told Lennie to stay away from her so that he wouldn’t get hurt.

Of Mice and Men is the classic tale by John Steinbeck of two men trying to achieve the American Dream. But things are not going great for George and Lennie. They move from town to town trying to get a job to be able to afford to get their own property, which is made more difficult by the fact the novel takes place during the Great Depression. Besides the obvious effect of the poverty caused by the Great Depression on the characters that it is the reason George and Lennie are migrant workers, it also causes the characters, not just George and Lennie, to be more suspicious and distrustful of those around them. The setting in which this novel takes place, the Great Depression, causes most of the characters to isolate themselves, everyone except

Throughout the book, “Of Mice and Men”,George and Lennie have faced many difficulties and problems. But they never quite gave up on each other. In the book, “Of Mice and Men”, John Steinbeck stated many things to prove the main idea. Throughout the book, John Steinbeck shows the difficulties that George and Lennie have to deal with. He states on how they are different, their problems and what keeps their relationship stable. Friendships may be difficult and put you out from the rest, but it has it’s values.

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.

John Steinbeck’s landmark novel Of Mice and Men is perhaps best known for its revolutionary telling of two characters that are very different, but have come to rely on each other to survive during the Great Depression. The two characters are men named George and Lenny. George is somewhat of an average fellow who has no real special skills or attributes. Lenny is large and abnormally strong, but unfortunately has the mind of a child. Lennie looks up to George as if he were a role model. This statement is best supported in the book; “Lennie, who had been watching, imitated George exactly. He pushed himself back, drew up his knees, embraced them, looked over to George to see whether he had it just right. He pulled his hat down a little more over his eyes, the way George's hat was” (Steinbeck). Both characters help each other find work and save the money they earn to purchase a farm together. Their plans keep getting delayed due to Lenny’s habit of getting into serious trouble. George and Lenny are forced to flee the towns that Lenny has gotten in trouble in and continually move to other cities to find jobs. Of Mice and Men has been praised by readers everywhere and is hailed as a modern classic. Of Mice and Men’s success is usually said to be a result of the complex and emotional bond between the two main characters. Many readers forget about the supporting characters that help or hurt George and Lenny during their story. The minor characters in the story each have their own

Picking up the book “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck holds a different feel then putting it down. Leaving the reader pondering the true theme of the story. A tale among two friends is the mindset most would assume before reading the book but digging deeper you start to realize the dark truth. The story starts with both Lenny who’s large and unaware of his own true strength and George who’s skinny and quick witted. The tale takes both characters and presents them with challenges. Lennie has a mild mental disability which often leads both of them into a lot of trouble. While George must take care of Lennie and always get him out of trouble. Two characters who travel together would be envisioned to be best pals but what awaits them is a rude awakening, George says “Lennie just come along with me out workin '. Got kinda used to each other after a little while” (Steinbeck 3.12).

John Steinbeck shows that George and Lennie have a true friendship be them taking care of each other by stating, “If you don’ want me I can go off in the hills an’ find a cave. I can go away any time. No – look! I was jus’ foolin’” (Steinbeck 12). This quote shows that George and Lennie share the true meaning of friendship by taking care of each other. George tells Lennie to stay with him and not to run of because Lennie can’t care for himself. Another quote that shows George and Lennie support one another is when the narrator states, “… I musta lost it… You never had none you crazy bastard” (Steinbeck 5). This quote shows the true meaning of friendship

In chapter one of “Of Mice and Men”, we are introduced to the characters Lennie and George. The book starts with describing a serene scene of a valley with a river running through it. The book then focuses on the two characters that emerge out of the forest. One with sharp features and strong stance and the other looking as though he is still in his pubescent years. As the chapter progresses, the author, John Steinbeck, allows readers to catch a glimpse of the characters’ relationship with each other and see the inner workings of their symbiotic partnership.

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.

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 the late 1930’s novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck follows the lives of two men and how they live on one another to endure the hardships nurtured from the Great Depression. George and Lennie, the main characters, venture together along the rolling hills of the western United States, looking out for one another and being there for each other even in the hardest times looking for work to pursue their lifetime dream. Lennie, a strong bold man and a hard worker, is handicapped with a mental disability while George, on the other hand, is a slim, but strong man who has taken care of Lennie ever since his Aunt Clara had perished. Both the men have big dreams of living on a beautiful farm together and raising farm animals such as chickens,

All the greatest accomplishments and advancements of the human species have been made through the biological instinct of humans to form bonds and make companions with others. John Steinbeck brings to light this philosophy through the main characters in the story Of Mice and Men. Lennie, a naive simpleton, has the dream of owning a ranch with George. Their companionship leads them to keep their innocent beliefs alive. Steinbeck brings to light the sense of hope that comes from companionship and illustrates the consequences of isolation by juxtaposing George and Lennie to the secluded ranch workers.

"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.