The Benefits and Risks of the Friendship in “Of Mice and Men” 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.
George and Lennie’s unusual companionship produces risks for both men. George is kept out of jobs in a time where jobs paid little and were hard to come by because of Lennie. Before they go to their new job, George says to Lennie, “An’ you ain’t gonna do no bad things in Weed, neither” (7). This shows that George has to constantly remind Lennie not to get him in trouble just so that they can get and keep a job. Even though he reminds Lennie, Lennie will more often than not cause trouble risking both of them a job and money to live on. This is especially risky considering the time period
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The most important benefit is that they have each other to look after. When George is telling Lennie about his dream for the future Lennie interrupts with,”Because...because I got you to look after me, and you have me to look after you” (14). Their dream for the future is to own their own ranch and they both think that it will come true because they have each other to look after. This shows that there is a strong trust between the two knowing that they can confide in one another. This is especially important to Lennie because without George he could not
Many characters in, “Of Mice and Men”, show friendship. George and Lennie show the most examples of having a great friendship. George and Lennie both take each care of one another and care about each other. They both support each other in making the dream of living off the fatta’ the land, come true. Doing these things prove that they have a strong friendship.
George raises the gun and steadies it... BOOM! He brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie's head. George made a hard decision at the end of the book, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Lennie and George are really close friends. George is smart and very aggressive, and Lennie is big and strong, but has a mind of a child. First, Lennie and George arrive at the ranch in Soledad, California during the Great Depression. Lennie keeps getting into trouble, which risks their job, so George has to clean up the mess. Finally, George has to make a decision on how to give Lennie a life he deserves, or letting him suffer. Lennie and George are like brothers and they would do whatever it takes to make eachother happy. Throughout the story,
It was clear from the beginning of the book that Lennie had caused George a great amount of trouble in the long time the two had known each other. We learned that George and Lennie had been forced to run away from Weed because Lennie “wants to touch ever’thing he likes,” (Steinbeck, 41), and he grabbed a woman’s dress, and “the girl lets out a squawk,” (Steinbeck, 41), and all Lennie did was hold the dress tighter, which upset her so
If Lennie wasn’t around, George would have had an easier time when not trying to constantly take care of Lennie. Trying to get him out of trouble and making sure he survives and earns
According to Aristotle the highest form of a friendship is a friendship of virtue. In the story Of Mice and Men George and Lennie are the definition of this “true friendship”. This type of friendship is based on a person wishing the best for their friends regardless of utility or pleasure. George tends to look after Lennie, guide lennie to do the right thing and at times protect him from danger. “Aristotle notes that there can not be a large amount of friends in a virtuous friendships because the amount of time and care that a virtuous friendships needs limits the amount of time one can spend with other friends.”
Lennie is a large slow and a bit childish due to his mental disability. George is small, rough, bright but short tempered man that travels and cares for lennie. On page 14 George was talking to Lennie about how guys like them are lonely, they have no family or place to go. Unlike themselves they have a future and theycare for eachother. Then lennie says happily “But not us! Ah’ why? Because.. Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you and that's why” this shows that George and lennie have each other's back and they're basically each other's family and if they ever got lost or separated, they had a specific spot to go find each other so they wouldn't have to worry where they would be.
A question many people are wondering, is George a true friend to Lennie? There are many different opinions on if George was really a true friend to Lennie. In our opinion, we don’t think that George was a true friend to Lennie because George shouldn’t have had control of Lennie’s life. George had other options like turn Lennie into the police, Lennie Should have agreed to George ending his life, and If George did care about Lennie he would have turned him in sparring Lennie’s life, These are the reasons that I think George was not a true friend to Lennie.
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
“There are two kinds of people: those who choose to throw out the good cherries and wallow in all the rotten ones, and those who choose to throw out all the rotten ones and savor all the good ones."(Kinuthia, 1) George wallows in the rotten ones. Now imagine you are in George’s shoes. You’re in Salinas Valley in the Great Depression and your companion has something wrong in the head. That’s okay though, because he is good to you and you are good to him. George and Lennie are like brothers. Their interaction is very similar to when a little brother annoys the other brother, but in the end they still love each other and take care of each other. George shows Lennie love by taking care of him and being responsible for him.
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.
Strong friendships have the power to make people’s lives better. George and Lennie travel together and eventually live together, resulting in a strong bond between them. George cares for Lennie and he makes sure
" Of Mice and Men " by John Steinbeck is a novel involving two extremely different main characters. George is a reasonably intelligent, hardworking ranchman. Lennie on the other hand always manages to find trouble. He is equally as hardworking and honest as George but his simple childlike mind always finds him trouble wherever he goes. However they have one thing that unites the two of them as close as any bond can. This is that they both share the same dream of owning their own ranch and after many hard working years, moving from ranch to ranch, living in complete poverty and working for next to nothing they finally try to achieve this life long dream.
There is also a sense of lack of trust in the relationship between the two men. We see this through the predicament with the work cards. It tells us that George again has to take care of Lennie, and that Lennie isn’t trusted by George. Again this idea is portrayed to the reader on page seventeen, we notice that George knows that he needs a plan b as Lennie cannot be trusted so his plan b is to tell Lennie to “hide in the brush until I come for you”. This helps us to understand the relationship even further. George also treats Lennie like a dog in one occasion in the chapter, “good boy”. This is something a master would say to a dog to encourage them, it also tells us the sort of role in the relationship George has again.
A quote in the book that demonstrates this is when they were walking over to the ranch and Lennie shouted, “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.” (14). George had always looked out for both of them. “ Well, I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy.” (22). This quote was stated by their boss when George and Lennie arrived at work. The boss was confused why George was talking for Lennie. He thought George was trying to take his money, but really George was just trying to get both of them a job. This passage shows what George will go through to help his friend Lennie and other people see that too. Also, Slim, another character in the novel, saw Lennie and George traveling together, “Ain’t many guys travel around together. ‘He mused. ‘I don’t know why. Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.” (35). This shows that Lennie and George's friendship is rare amongst most people, and when seen, is
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.