How Does Steinbeck Present George And Lennie's Friendship

Yin and Yang

A friendship is making sacrifices in order to make the other one successful and being a model for the other to look up to. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows the friendship and care between Lennie and George and that both reciprocate this in some ways. Steinbeck develops the idea that plans may go awry but when this happens, friends are needed to help each other in the most difficult times, even through euthanizing a friend if necessary. Steinbeck's first introduces George and Lennie as migrant workers in California, searching for work and a shared dream of owning a farm. George is seen as a care-taker for Lennie who although mentally weak, demonstrates great physical strength. As their friendship continues throughout the book, George becomes aware of the difficulties Lennie faces from society. The difficulties were not that far fetched in that his physical strength and love for petting soft animals, frequently led to the animal’s death. On some level, George understands this through his friendship with Lennie, understanding that the love that Lennie demonstrates sometimes leads him to trouble, even though Lennie means no harm. George and Lennie’s friendship is evident when they were walking through the woods and Lennie was drinking the river water. George carefully

Friends are sometimes the only people who truly understand you. Friends are the ones who can save you from the perils that lie ahead. These truths are written in Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men, and demonstrate a strong relationship between two opposite, but yet alike, men. From the beginning, one sees the caution George instructs to Lennie and the common “fight and make up” style situation in a friendship. Steinbeck shows how both men give something to the other in order to make the friendship “balanced,” and how plans may go amiss, friends are needed to help each other in the most difficult times, even through the death of a friend if