Lennie's Relationship

When characters struggle, their true personalities shine through, leaving them with their true friends who were the ones who stood by them in a time of change. In Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, Lennie struggles with a new job, but has a goal in mind and a promise to George. This promise keeps Lennie from spiraling off, George keeps Lennie going. I believe George and Lennie had a true friendship which was shown through the challenges they faced. Of Mice and Men and “Friendship in an Age of Economics” by Todd May, show not only true friendships, but different types of friendships and how they help characters make decisions.

Steinbeck and Fitzgerald show us two sides of loneliness. In the Great Gatsby, the characters have so much, yet truly have so little. While Daisy’s material possessions were vast, she had no real relationships with those around her. In Of Mice and Men the

     There is only one thing in life that is really needed and that is friends. Without friends, people would suffer from loneliness and solitude. Loneliness leads to low self-estee. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the characters, Crooks, Candy, and Curly’s wife all show some form of loneliness. They are curious of George and Lennie’s friendship because they do not have that support in their life. Through his novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck demonstrates that many times, a victim of loneliness will have a never-ending search to fulfill a friendship.

Lennie could not control his strength and Curleys wife could not let him let go of her. The theme, loneliness, in my opinion is the strongest theme in this story. Such as when George is telling Lennie a story, “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world.” (13) This is because they don’t have any family and most of them, unlike George and Lennie, travel alone. Also, when George is talking to Slim about the guys on the ranch, “I see the guys that go around on the ranches alone.

The next character that exemplifies loneliness is Candy. He was lonely because the only “friend” he had had just been shot which was his dog. He stated, “I ain’t got no relatives nor nothin” (59 ). When his dog was shot he had nobody which made him want to latch onto George and Lennie for a friendship.He

In this novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck concentrates on the depression of California farm life in the 1930's. A standout amongst the most vital things in the life is to have a friend, without friends

George and Lennie’s relationship is based largely on loneliness and the desire to remedy it. In the first chapter of the book, George tells Lennie he would be better off without him. However, when Lennie frets over his friend’s statement, he counters with “No- look! I was jus’ foolin’, Lennie. ‘Cause I want you to stay with me” (Steinbeck 13). This shows that even if Lennie isn’t the one experiencing the loneliness, has major influence on his life. Loneliness is what drives George to stay with him, meaning Lennie has someone to care for and provide for him. In the following chapters, the reader is given a clearer view of how Lennie’s own loneliness, or more accurately the fear of it, affects him. When in Crooks’ room, the stable buck taunts Lennie with claims George has abandoned him, which he counters with the argument that George would never. However, the fear of being alone and without his friend terrify him, as shown when the author adds “But the doubt was too much for him. ‘Don’t you think he will?’” (Steinbeck 71). This quote demonstrates how Lennie, even if he is too simple to fully grasp it, has a deep seated fear of loneliness. These two examples together show that Lennie’s thoughts and feelings are impacted greatly by loneliness, whether his own or

In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the novella, there’s many themes throughout this book. One theme that relates to relationships is loneliness. Lennie and George, Curley and Curley’s Wife, and Crooks all have one thing in common. They all have some type of loneliness being tagged along with them. To summarize Of Mice and Men, there’s two men, Lennie and George that have a companionship and travel together to find work.

Loneliness plays a large role in developing themes and characters throughout the novel Of Mice and Men. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is a story about the lives of most American workers during the Great Depression. The story follows two friends, George and Lennie, as they try to get enough money to buy their own piece of land in Salinas, California, which seems like an impossible dream. Along the way, George and Lennie meet many other workers struggling with a common problem, loneliness. Throughout the story, it is made clear that everyone is lonely and is longing for companionship, even though no one can truly find friendship in the harsh world they live in. Three of the loneliest characters in the novel are Candy, Curley’s Wife, and Crooks.

Humans as a species, are very social creatures. When we are faced with loneliness, we start to see changes in the way we act. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck writes about George and Lennie who start working on a plantation and face obstacles together but are separated from each other in the end. In this novella, loneliness can make people cruel, angry or depressed. This is seen by how people react to George and Lennie being friends or how Crooks deals with the loneliness and looking at George and Lennie’s friendship.

Loneliness affects Crooks by his bitterness and his personality and what he thinks about being lonely. In the middle of the book Crooks says to Lennie, “I ain’t wanted in the bunk house and you ain’t wanted in my room” (Steinbeck 68). This quote proves that Crooks is lonely and isn’t wanted by anyone in the bunk house this makes him bitter too Lennie and the other characters in Of Mice and Men. In the book Crooks also says to Lennie, “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody…I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick” (Steinbeck 72-73). This quote shows what Crooks thinks about loneliness and how it can make a man go bitter and insane and how loneliness affects Crooks and how he acts around the other characters in the novel. These quotes prove the affects of loneliness on Crooks by his bitterness, his actions, and

The theme of loneliness is conveyed through the characters of Lennie, Crooks, Candy, and Curley's wife. As George is away tending the whore house, Lennie experiences what it is like to be alone. For example, Lennie goes and visits the stable buck in the barn. With Crooks testing Lennie and asking him what would he do if George did not come back, Lennie freaks out and hopes that he will not always have to be alone. Crooks has been lonely for pretty much his whole life. For example, his parents told him he cannot play with the white kids or be friends with white people. He is also the stable buck on the ranch and cannot be in the same house as everyone else nor talk to anybody. Candy lives everyday alone without his best friend by his side anymore.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck portrays loneliness in many ways. A great deal of people are lonely throughout the whole book. Evidence shows that when our requirement for social connections isn’t met, we fall apart mentally and/or physically. Although there are negative effects, it is not irregular. A few examples of people that are lonely in  Of Mice and Men include, Candy, Curley’s wife, and Crooks.

Steinbeck developed main themes of friendship and loneliness throughout the book. He did this through examples of each. He used the friendship between George and Lennie as well as the friendship between Curley and Carlson. He then used Curley’s wife as the primary example of loneliness. The friendship of George and Lennie was a perfect example of a lasting and caring relationship between two people.

The theme of loneliness is a theme shown in the characters of Lennie, Crooks, Candy, and Curley's wife. Lennie is lonely because he is different from everyone else. First, Lennie seems to be simple minded, and most people do not understand him. Secondly, Crooks is lonely because he is the only black guy for miles. Crooks also grew up with rough family and does not have a family anymore and that is why he is lonely.