The Role Of George In Steinbeck's 'Of Mice And Men'

Throughout Of Mice and Men, George never leaves Lennie’s; however, George does not seem to like being around Lennie: it is a responsibility he accepts. In one scene at the beginning of the book, George grows intensely frustrated with Lennie and begins a lecture which leads into a one-sided fight. They settle down for the night next to a river, when one insignificant question from Lennie sets George over the edge. He chides Lennie about how he holds him back instead of pushing him forward, and rants, “‘You can’t keep a job and you lose me every job I get. Jus’ keep me shovin’ all over the country all the time. An’ that ain’t the worst. You get in trouble’” (11). As George berates Lennie, he gives the impression that he does not enjoy being with Lennie and instead, treats Lennie like he is an unintelligent child and grudgingly takes him in. If George claims to be a suitable friend of Lennie,

George takes care of Lennie many ways. George has taken care of Lennie for a long time. George took him under his wing even though he didn’t need to. George genuinely cares for Lennie. He feeds him, makes sure he is safe, also he gives him hope. George is constantly watching Lennie. George is a good friend to Lennie; however, George gets annoyed with Lennie very easily. He does this to make sure he doesn’t get into trouble or lost. He never leaves him by himself. This is shown when Lennie offers to leave, but George tells him “I want you to stay with me Lennie”(Steinbeck 104). George really cares for Lennie.

The long, hard war of human equality in society, has been a war since the beginning of civilization. The Great Depression, a tragic time in America’s history, reflects American determination, but also social inequality. In the fiction novella, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses symbolism and characterization to address ableism and sexism in society. Steinbeck addresses these flaws in society in an attempt to ultimately bring awareness these riffs before society falls.

I could also notice when I was reading through the first chapter that George has a sense of authority over Lennie, “you gonna get that wood”. This is like a parent telling a child to do his chores. On some occasions though George shows a bit of hatred towards Lennie, he thinks of what he could have if Lennie wasn’t around and contrasts that with George.

The novel written by John Steinbeck called Of Mice and Men is about how two men who are migrant farm workers. Their names are George and Lennie. They are good friends and George takes care of Lennie because he is very incapable of taking her of himself. This novel has many different characters. They are all different in their own ways and all have their own archetype for the kind of characters that they are. The character George has The Hero archetype. One characteristic of this archetype is that they are trying to achieve a certain goal throughout the novel and must overcome obstacles throughout the way. This fits Georges character very well because throughout the entire book he is trying to achieve the goal of owning his own farm and he calls it the dream. The novel Of Mice and Men that was written by John Steinbeck, George is the protagonist and has the archetype of the hero.

In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the most complex character that occurs in the book is George Milton. George Milton is the protagonist in the story and is quick tempered when dealing with Lennie. He is like a father figure for massive but slow-processed Lennie. George is the most complex character in Of Mice and Men due to the conflicts of Lennie getting into a fight with Curley, George having to deal with Lennie killing Curley's wife, and George always having to look out for Lennie even though he would be better off alone.

At this point in the novel, we have heard George mention twice that his life would be improved without Lennie. However, George still seems to feel a need to look out for Lennie. That said, he protects Lennie from conflict by explaining to everyone they meet that he is just a “big kid”.

That is not “caring” for someone and also I think that the main reason he stayed with Lennie and stuck by him was of pure guilt .George would also repeat how life would be easier if he was alone and basically what he could do without Lennie.One key concept and evidence that George is not a good friend to Lennie is that you do not under any circumstance kill your friend.

First, before heading out to the ranch Lennie was about to run out of George's site but George told him “No, you stay with me. Your Aunt Clara wouldn't like you're running off by yourself.” (Steinbeck 13). This quote demonstrates a great relationship because it shows how George is looking out for Lennie and making sure that he did the right thing by staying back. Once again George shows the qualities of a good relationship is shown once again in the novel when George was about to get a job he demanded to Lennie and said “You ain’t gonna say a word. “You jus’ stand there and don't say nothing. If he finds out what a crazy bastard you are, we won't get no job.” (13). The quote from the Novel shows more of how George and Lennie realize that their relationship is held up by being able to make good decisions and listen to each other.Lastly George is making sure that he is sticking with him and not going off on his own because he knows that is the best thing for Lennie and he knows that Aunt Clara wants Lennie to be safe as well. “George said, I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody'd shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself. No, you stay with me. Your Aunt Clara wouldn’t like you running off” (13).George is determined to always protect and insure that he will never be in a bad

George was the most important character in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck; if he was not in the book Lennie would not have had anyone to guide him in the right direction. George also changed the most throughout the duration of the book. He went from a determined working man, whose only worries were caring for Lennie and finding a job, to a man whose end goal was completing his dream of living on a small farm with Lennie and Candy, owning rabbits and other livestock so they could “.. live off the fatta the lan’” (Steinbeck 14)

“If he tangles with you, Lennie, we’re gonna get the can. Don’t make no mistake about that. He’s the boss’s son. Look, Lennie. You try to keep away from him, will you? Don’t never speak to him. If he comes in here you move clear to the other side of the room. Will you do that, Lennie?” (Steinbeck, pg. 29) John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is a tale about what it means to have a relationship. Steinbeck's story of George and Lennie's goal of obtaining their own ranch, and the challenges of reaching that goal, shows the nature of dreams, dignity, loneliness, and sacrifice. Lennie, the giant with mental issues who makes George's aim of owning his own ranch beneficial, ironically becomes the biggest challenge to achieving that goal. One of the most important characters in this story is George because he is different from all the other men of his time. The two words that best describe this character are bossy and diligent.

Before George kills Lennie, he reassures him that they will be there for each other forever. Lennie doesn’t want George to ever leave him, and that is shown by this quote in the book, spoken by Lennie. “You ain't gonna leave me, are ya George? I know you ain't.” George then answers, “No” (103). Even though George did not want to kill Lennie, it was the best choice for the both of them. George was still Lennie’s best friend, but he would look out for him till the end. Even if the end meant

George not only controlled Lennie but he also looked out for him and he wanted him to be happy. An example of this is how he constantly reminds Lennie of their dream,

Even from the very start of John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, the uniqueness of George, as a character, is already noticeable. He is described as "small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp strong features" and has an obvious dominance over the relationship between Lennie and himself. This lets the reader know from a very early stage in the book that George is different, and probably the essential character. George's character seems to be used by Steinbeck to reflect the major themes of the novel: loneliness, prejudice, the importance of companionship, the danger of devoted companionships, and the harshness of Californian ranch life.

In this case, George learned this the hard way. Once Lennie did the last bad thing he could do, George knew that he had to decide whether he wanted to struggle or survive, the American dream was no longer an option for them, at least not together. Was George finds Lennie, Lennie says, “you ain’t gonna leave me, are ya, George? I know you aint.”(Page.103 line 2-3) This quote proves how even Lennie knows that George has been held back by him. That day, after Lennie killed their boss’s wife, he knows that he can’t continue on with him.