preview

The Role Of Ampanionship In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Decent Essays

The time of the 1930s in the United States of America was known as the Great Depression. During this time period, millions of Americans lost their jobs due to the American economy and stock market crashing. These Americans were truly struggling to find a job and survive. Many Americans were forced to migrate west, and to areas affected least by the economy crash, to find employment. Most people were put in a state where they had to abandon their peers, and had to worry solely about keeping themselves alive. The novella Of Mice and Men takes place during the Great Depression, as the reader follows two men, George and Lennie, as they try to keep a stable job and survive, even though they face adversities. They end up at a ranch, where the meet a kind man called Candy and a bellicose man named Curly. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck clearly …show more content…

George and Lennie traveling together during a time of depression and high unemployment gives them company, which gives them a true advantage over most migrant workers at the time. George and Lennie having a companion helps them avoid being lonely and having some hope. George and Lennie distinguish themselves from other migrant workers when George says, “‘Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place…With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us’”(Steinbeck 13-14). George saying this clearly illustrates how Steinbeck shows that having a companion is necessary, and that it can provide hope. In this case, having each other helps George and Lennie, because they know that they are not alone, and hey have each other, who they care about. George also displays how he understands that having Lennie as a partner

Get Access