The Importances of Companionship #1 In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, companionship plays an important role. It seems like a lot of the characters in the novel need someone that they could talk to, someone that they could listen to or someone that needs to listen to them. Also someone that they could count on in times of needs. Absence of character names is one way we see loneliness in the novel. The Boss is Curley’s father and the owner of the ranch, but nobody ever calls him by his name. Another character that Steinbeck doesn’t give a name is Curley’s wife. Throughout the whole novel they called her Curley’s wife. “Curley’s wife lay on her back, and she was half covered with hay” (45). George and Lennie, even …show more content…
One of the guys (Carlson) told Candy that he would do it for him. Carlson told him just one bullet in the head and he wouldn’t feel a thing. Everyone was agreeing with Carlson so Candy just lets Carlson took the dog. Carlson took the dog and shoot him on the back of the head, and poor Candy was so depressed now that his dog was gone. Laying on his bed Candy overheard George and Lennie talking about their dream of having a little farm and he wanted in. Candy told them that he had some money saved and that he wanted to give to George for the farm if they would take him with, “Maybe if I give you guys my money”.... (30). George was in because he needed the money, they were so excited and George told them that they were going to do this in one month. Someone else who longed for companionship in this novel the most is Crooks. Crooks is a black man that lives all by himself because of his skin color. He was not wanted in the other man’s bunk and no other man come to his bunk, I ain’t wanted in the bunk house, and you ain’t wanted in my room” (34). One day when Lennie was looking for his pup he stopped at Crooks bunk and Crooks told Lennie that he was not welcome in his bunk. Crooks changes mind and let Lennie in, they began to talk. Lennie told him about his dream about the farm and he had a desire to share the dream with Lennie, George and …show more content…
Although she has a husband, she did not like him. She flirts with every worker at the barn, she told them that she was lonely because she wanted some company and Curley was not at home most of the time. In this novel Curley’s wife seems to make trouble for the other guys at the barn because she’s always flirting with them and that make Curley very jealous. When he gets all jealous he gets mad at the other farmers. One day when Curley’s wife stopped by in Crooks’ bunk she found Lennie and she started to flirting with him and Crooks wanted her to leave them alone. Curley’s wife was not afraid of Crooks because he was black and she told him all she had to do was yell rap and he would be dead. Later on in the book Lennie was all alone with his died pup when Curley’s wife thought it was a perfect time to come talk to him since all the other man were playing house shoe. She persuaded Lennie into talk to her, Lennie didn’t want to because George told him not to take her.“George says I ain’t to have nothing to do with you—talk to you or nothing” (Steinbeck 43). This shows the power of having someone who supports
In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the need for companionship is shown throughout the book. Crooks, Curley's wife, and George and Lennie all illustrate that you need trustworthy friendships to live your life to its full potential and pursue your dreams.. That is why I believe that, had Lennie lived, he and George could have taken their companionship further and gotten the little cottage they wanted, enabling them to achieve their dream of “'[living] off the fatta the lan''” (14).
In terms of emotional stability, 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-esteem and deprivation. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the characters, Crooks, Candy, and Curley's wife all exhibit some form of loneliness. They are driven towards the curiosity 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 often times, a victim of isolation will have a never-ending search to fulfill a friendship.
The dream of owning a farm and "living off the fatta the land" originally started as a story just to keep Lennie quiet but because of Lennie constantly asking George to tell him the story kept the dream alive. One time in the bunkhouse, George was re -telling this story when candy overheard it. Candy fears that because he is getting old and has one crippled hand that any day soon he is going to be asked to leave...
Candy is also very important for the fact that he foreshadows Lennie’s death. The relationship between Candy and his dog is a parallel to the relationship of George and Lennie. He relies on his dog, just as George and Lennie are an elevated version of a master-dog relationship. The fate of Candy’s ancient dog, which Carlson shoots in the back of the head in an alleged act of mercy, foreshadows the manner of Lennie’s death. When Carlson suggests that Candy’s dog be put out of his misery, Candy abdicates the responsibility to Carlson. Candy does this because he doesn’t want to see his own happiness die, because when his dog dies his hope dies. Before Candy’s dog had passed, he didn’t think much about his future because like dream...
Curley's wife states how the weak characters Lennie, Crooks, and herself are excluded from the trip into town because of their disabilities or social standing. Steinbeck also portrays her lack of importance by not giving her a name. He refers to her as Curley's wife throughout the book this shows that she is seen as an object owned by Curly. She is so attention seeking because she urins for an
True friends are difficult to find in life, especially as an adult. Lennie, a main character in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, was lucky enough to have George, despite all the odds he faced with mental illness. Lennie, having a tall, stocky frame, was intimidating to many people at first glance (Steinbeck 2). However, after they discovered his childlike nature, he quickly became an easy target for ridicule and violence. George sacrifices a normal life to protect Lennie and those he encounters. This relationship is crucial to their survival. The importance of friendship is a major theme found in the book. This is shown through the character’s strong bond between one another, how they face society in the 1930s, and how they influence each other’s actions.
The turning point of the novel, where for an instant George and Lennie’s dream finally seems attainable, is the introduction of the dream to Candy. It is at this moment, where a dream shared between two men, spreads out to three because of the irresistible offer that Candy makes the two travellers: his money. Candy negotiates with George and Lennie where he says “’S’pose I went in with you guys. Tha’s three hundred an’ fifty bucks I’d put in. I ain’t much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some. How’d that be?’” (Steinbeck 67). Candy believed that the dream of owning land was unattainable to him because of the loss of his hand, however, by backing George’s ambition financially begins to reignite hope in the old man. As Lennie gets increasingly more excited at the prospects of finally being able to tend to the rabbits, he shares his plans with Crooks, a black stable-hand. Crooks after being convinced by both Candy and Lennie at its potentiality, suggests his own assistance to the trio when he states: “…If you…guys would want a hand to work for nothing– just his keep, why I’d come an’ lend a hand. I ain’t so crippled I can’t work like a son-of-a-bitch if I want to” (Steinbeck 87). This growing community of workers, combining their personal assets and desires now have
The first characters that Steinbeck uses to back his answer are Curley and his Wife. Curley is always very protective of his wife and gets very aggressive at those who seem interested in his wife in any way. Even though Curley is constantly acting protective of his wife, the characters relationship seems stressed and unloving. Curley’s wife is always walking around the ranch, pretending to look for her husband, but truly just looking for an excuse to talk with other people. Curley, on the other hand, spends all his time looking for his wife, and is always suspicious that she is cheating on him. Curley’s wife in fact says this to Lennie while shivling about her life, “I ain’t told this to nobody before. Maybe I ought’n to. I don’ like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella.” (89) Curley’s wife admitting this to a man so obviously unintelligent that he truly won't understand, instead of trying to talk to someone who can actually help her truly shows how desperate she is to communicate her feelings to someone other than her husband. Curley’s wife is unable to form a sense of community because she has no one to care for her, she has no family near, a husband who she dislikes, and a bunch of ranch hands who ostracize her because they are afraid of making Curley angry. Because of this she becomes so desperate that she looks for anyone who will just not ignore her, even if she know the man she is talking to cannot understand.
In the novel, Steinbeck leaves out a few names that kept the readers and I wondering what their names were instead of what they were referenced to. For instance, in the novel there was a character called “The Boss” of the ranch. We didn’t ever find out what “The Boss’s” actual name was and it somewhat agitated me on how I illustrated what “The Boss” looked
George tells Lennie that workers like them are “the loneliest guys in the world” but that they're different because they “got somebody to talk to.” At this time migrant workers did not have a partner to bond with. George and Lennie are a rare example of friendship in a society where traveling workmen were reclusive and careless. George explains to Slim that “it’s a lot nicer to go around with a guy you know.” Instead of living a lonely life, George has Lennie to keep him company. He realizes that without Lennie he would be completely desolate. While waiting for morning, Lennie begins to talk about leaving. George responds with the simple, powerful statement, “I want you to stay with me, Lennie.” George often complains about Lennie being a nuisance, but ultimately he values Lennie’s loyalty. Their companionship is important not only for Lennie, who relies on him, but also for George, who depends on Lennie emotionally. The friendship between these two supplies them both with a sense of
Steinbeck displays, Curley’s wife as more of an object to the men at the ranch. He conveys this idea through the description of her appearance. When Steinbeck introduces the reader and George and Lennie to Curley’s wife he takes a long time to describe her. “She had full rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her finger nails were red “. This quotation suggests that Curley’s wife is an object to men in society and that she is as worth as much as she is wearing. Not only does Steinbeck describe her appearance he also describes her actions when on the ranch and talking to the men. He does this to show the awareness that the men have towards her. “She puts her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward”. A lot of the men on the ranch try to ignore and do not want to start a conversation with her but through Steinbeck’s description of her actions the reader can see that she craves attention from the men on the
In the touching and gripping tale of John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, he explains many themes throughout the books. One of the major themes is loneliness, which is shown throughout many different characters, for example, Curley’s wife, the stable buck (Crooks), and Lennie.
Curley makes sure his wife doesn’t talk to anyone. She is a victim of herself because she married a man that she hardly even knew. She married him though, to have a companion. She killed herself and Lennie because of her need for companionship. She craves companionship because she is an attractive woman with a need for interaction.
“The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it.”---Hubert H, Humphrey. The novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck has a reoccurring theme of friendship. George and Lennie are two migrant farmers trying to find work in the 1930’s around Salinas, California. George Milton and Lennie Small are trying to unite with friendship that puts them over all others.
Candy dealt with his loneliness by being friendly with George and Lennie and becoming a partner in obtaining the small ranch that was George and Lennie’s dream. Candy kind of an outcast because of his age difference from other ranch hands. “I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some”(Candy 319). Candy attempts to be useful in someone else life. He heard that George and Lennie have this dream to “live off the fat of the land” as soon as they get enough money. Candy wanted to join, he offered as much as he can. He wanted to join the dream but not only did he want to join, he wanted to join the friendship of George and Lennie. “Maybe I can give you guys money”(Candy 325). Candy offered his money that he gets from the government for his disability. An exchange for money Candy gets a friendship out of it. So he is paying George and Lennie to be friends with him really. I think money will never buy a real friendship. Not only was Candy lonely and miserable trying to deal with loneliness, but so was Crooks...