People crave interaction with others to give life a meaning. The necessity of companionship can be observed in John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men. It is the story of two migrant workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, and their rough experience on a ranch right outside of Soledad, California. George and Lennie travel together and depend on each other, which is unheard of when it comes to migrant workers during the Great Depression. Everyone they come into contact with on the ranch feels a sense of isolation from the other workers as well as from society. Steinbeck wants to draw attention to the hardships of the migrant workers in hopes to induce reform to the system. Steinbeck uses the isolation and companionship to effectively expose …show more content…
The relationship between George and Lennie and their dream life on the farm are attempts to break the pattern of loneliness. George says that he feels a responsibility for Lennie because “when his Aunt Clara died, Lennie just [came] along with [him] out workin’” and after a while they “kinda got used to each other” (Steinbeck 40). Steinbeck creates the parent child relationship between George and Lennie to contrast the rough, isolated lifestyle of the migrant worker. They still have a rough lifestyle, but they have each other to depend on. George and Lennie always remind each other that they are different than the other ranch hands because “I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why” (Steinbeck 14). They stand out among the other migrant workers because they are not lonely. They have a companionship. Steinbeck inserts this relationship in his novel because it is complicated, yet it is also very simple. George claims that he does not need Lennie because he can go off on his own and be just like all of the other migrant workers of this time period; however, if George went off on his own he would be just like all of the other migrant workers, lonely.They have a friendship because of their long history and neither of them leave one another because they are both scared of being alone. Within this dynamic relationship, Lennie looks up to George as a parent or master. The reader comprehends just how much Lennie looks up to George when Steinbeck says, “Lennie, who had been watching, imitated George exactly” (Steinbeck 4). Lennie imitates George as a way to express his affection. It also reinforces the idea of a parent and child relationship. Steinbeck uses the relationship of George and Lennie to contrast the traditional migrant worker, a single man without a family. The lifestyle of a migrant worker was not fit
Imagine being discriminated against because of your ethnicity; or being the only woman on a ranch, stuck in a loveless marriage, when all you really want is someone to talk to. What about having to kill that friend, and bury all chances of breaking free from the life of the average migrant worker? How would you feel? These scenarios in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men illustrate the need and desire for companionship in life. There's Crooks, the negro stable buck; Curley's wife, whose marriage to Curley hasn't exactly been lively; and George and Lennie, whose friendship is strong enough to get them to a better life and out of the negetive cycle that the average migrant worker became trapped in during the Great Depression.
In his novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck depicts the essential loneliness of California ranch life in the 1930s. He illustrates how people are driven to find companionship. There were so many moments of loneliness and sadness throughout the novel, including many deaths. Following the deaths, they were very unexpected making the novel more intense and latch onto it more.
The idea of solitude is a strong theme held throughout the entire novel "Of Mice and Men". Without it, many of the key events that occur in the book would not have happened, for example, the death of Curley’s wife, which eventually lead to the unfortunate death of Lennie.
These devices are incorporated into the journey of two companions working their way towards a dream. Steinbeck uses symbolism to complement his words to depict a higher meaning. As experienced readers will discover, the relationship between the intelligent, but small and weaker George Milton and the mentally handicapped, but large and stronger Lennie Small is symbolic. Even Lennie expresses this relationship “because I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you, and that's why” (14) .This suggests that they are not alone-they have each other. While George complains in the first chapter that he does not know why he keeps Lennie around, George argues "I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn't have you on my tail"(11), he later explains the importance of Lennie's friendship -:“I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain't no good. They don't' have no fun. After a long time, they get mean. They get wantin' to fight all the time” (41). Although he is often irritated with Lennie, The reader can infer George stays with Lennie out of his promise to Lennie's aunt or the reader could look deeper and understand George cares about Lennie and that, meaning in life depends on upon sharing. This idea is central to Steinbeck's theme of brotherhood and how men are better if they are not alienated because, if alienated, they become mean and cruel out of their fear of vulnerability. The strength to oppress others originates of weakness, Steinbeck tells his readers. Most importantly for both George and Lennie, Lennie is the keeper of the dream. Without the child-like Lennie there is no dream of a ranch and rabbits and "livin' off the fat of the land." It is for Lennie's sake that George repeats the dream of them owning land. At first George does not really believe that this dream will come to fruition. But, with his childlike friend's
"Were born alone we live alone die alone. Only through love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that were not alone” Orson Welles. In this novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck focuses on the loneliness of California ranch life in the 1930’s. One of the most important things in the life is to have a friend, without friends people will suffer from loneliness like in this novel, not everyone in the novel has the same connection and special friendship like George and Lennie’s. Of Mice and Men is the story about lonely men who travel from ranch to ranch not really communicating with other ranch hands. Candy, Crooks and Curley’s wife all were lonely and dealt with their loneliness in different ways.
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.
This excerpt from Of Mice and Men emphasizes the power of friendship, which is one of the story’s main themes. Two migrant works from California are motivated by their will to experience the “American dream” and they can only do so by working their hardest. Their long days of hard work are accompanied by loneliness, fear, and betrayal. The reality and corruption of society during the Great Depression is revealed. The story explains the vicious and hostile way in which social power has a propensity to manifest itself.
Friends have a strong influence on each other. George, a small, responsible, but sharp-tongued man, is looked up to by Lennie, who is dependent and, with an incomplete mental development, childlike. The two men are part of an uneven friendship, where George is superior. Steinbeck quotes, "Lennie, who had been watching, imitates George exactly" (Steinbeck 3). Yearning for George's acceptance and approval, Lennie mimics George. In the back of his mind, Lennie’s understanding includes that he is different and must prove himself, and in mimicking George, Lennie hopes to be found acceptable. In addition, George’s companionship is what prevents loneliness from consuming Lennie. Lennie cries, “ ‘He won’t,’ ... ‘He won’t do nothing like that. I know George. Me an’ him travels together’ ” (Steinbeck 98). Lennie has confidence in their friendship, and he has every right to, as George has not abandoned him. Despite all the troubles Lennie has brought upon them, George has chosen to remain with him. This is a demonstration of true friendship, for George could have just as easily left Lennie at any point along their perilous journey. For George, his personality has changed as a result of his association with Lennie. At the start of the novel, George expresses his impa...
I have been analysing the novella ‘Of Mice and men’ by John Steinbeck, which was published in 1937. Steinbeck wrote the novel based on his own experiences as a bindle stiff in the 1920’s, around the same time when the great Wall Street crash happened, causing an immense depression in America. Throughout the novel he uses a recurring theme of loneliness in his writing, which may have reflected his own experiences at this time. This is evident in his writing by the way he describes the characters, setting and language in the novel.
John Steinbeck created this story to focus on two men, trying to reach their idea of an american dream. Friendship is probably the third most important aspect to life, following water and food. In every persons life comes hard times, and no one wants to endure those hard times alone. There is nothing better than to have that one person by your side through all the up’s and downs. Lennie and George is an example of friendship, they are each other backbones. Although they do not get along all the time, they are still friends when the sun goes down. Lennie and George’s friendship portrays many characteristics the main three are love, respect, and hope.
A friend is someone you can share dreams with and will give you assistance when you need it. That's what you call a true friendship. In the novel of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, he wrote a lot about the friendship of George and Lennie’s. George and Lennie, who come most proximate to achieving this ideal of brotherhood. The author shows the relationship of George and Lennie. George takes care of Lennie who has a childlike mind. George is constantly giving Lennie instructions, for instance like not to talk when they went to the ranch, and George said not to say anything when they go to the ranch and also telling him not to touch dead animals. George and Lennie are a good example of friendship because George took care of Lennie when his Aunt Clara died, George protects Lennie from people that try to hurt him,and George kills Lennie.
Of Mice and Men is a short novel about the story of two migrant workers who are best friends during the Great Depression (Goldhurst 49). The setting is the Salinas Valley in California, and the majority of the characters are unskilled migratory workers who do what their name implies. They travel from towns and ranches and farms looking for work and eventually move on to find another job. John Steinbeck puts the spotlight on two migratory workers who dream to finally settle down by saving money to buy their own land. One of the main characters is George Milton, a smart, small, sensitive, and kindhearted man, who is the leader of the duo. The other main character is Lennie Small, who is oversized, mentally challenged, physically powerful, and inclined to getting into serious trouble. Towards the beginning of the story the twosome’s dream seems were distant, but as the story goes on they meet people who make the likelihood of their success within their reach. With the help of their new friends they plan to quit the ranch where they are currently working and move to their own land. Steinbeck refers to this place as a place of abundance and a refuge from the hardships of life. Overall this story is about the nature of man’s fate in a fallen world. John Steinbeck’s use of diction, dialect, and characterization in Of Mice and Men shows how the different themes of the story shape a person’s life.
Loneliness is a theme that is always visible when one reads Of Mice and Men, and the forms of loneliness discussed are still applicable to today’s life. Many of the characters admit to suffering from profound loneliness and it really captures the life people were living during the Great Depression. John Steinbeck uses this novel to uncover and chronicle the circumstances that cause human suffering during this era. Each character’s loneliness is relatable though, and can be empathized with even today.
We all know that every one becomes lonely once in a while. But in Steinbeck's novella "Of Mice and Men” it shows the loneliness of ranch life in the early 1930's. It also shows how people are trying to find friendship with other ranchers in order to escape from loneliness. Imagine if you had nobody to talk to. Loneliness is the basic message here in this story.
What is your definition of a true friend? Well, to me, a true friend is someone who understands you, accepts you for who you are, and is willing to do anything for you. While reading John Steinbeck’s classic, Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie maintain a true friendship despite all the ups and downs they encounter. After Lennie Small, a man as gigantic as a mammoth with a pea-sized brain is caught touching a girl’s dress in the town of Weed, he and his best friend, an average migrant worker, George Milton, travel a strenuous journey to the town of Soledad and start working on a ranch. The young men come to realize that they have a true, brotherly bond and nothing can separate them. Even though the book has its rough spots, Steinbeck portrays the true bond of friendship that even people as close as siblings have. Throughout the story, George