Of Mice and Men Essay “Lennie! He said sharply. “Lennie for god’ sakes don’t drink so much.” (3) The first dialogue of John Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men, sets the tone of George and Lennie’s relationship and shows what kind of characteristics George MIlton represents. Steinbeck uses George to symbolize a compassionate, caring attitude and sacrifice. Throughout the entire book George and Lennie are inseparable. They travel together in search for jobs, since they are migrant workers. At the beginning of the book, George tells Lennie how most rancher guys like them are the loneliest guys in the world. They have no family and there is no place for them. George goes on to say “ With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us.” “ An’ why? Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to …show more content…
He makes it a point to tell Lennie what a pain he is at times, “ God, you’re a lot of trouble.” “ I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my trail.” (7). It’s true, George could live so much easier and more stable if he did not have Lennie with him. Often times Lennie will get into trouble which either gets them both fired or in the case of Weed, forces them to leave town. Lennie gets himself into big trouble when he accidentally kills Curley’s wife, George knows their dream of the farm could not come true. “I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would.” (94). At this point George realizes what must be done. He shows the biggest example of love and sacrifice when he decides to shoot Lennie. In doing this he knows he is saving him from the suffering and pain Curley was going to inflict on him. The painful decision was not made with Georges’ gain in mind. He did what he thought was going to be best for Lennie. George lost his closest friend, but also saved him in a
John Steinbeck wrote a story about two men that only had each to depend on. Many of George and Lennie's struggles come from things they cannot control such as Lennie's mental issues. George and Lennie are very poor and they work on farms together, but they have to move a lot because Lennie always does something stupid. The greatest tragedy in Mice and Men was when Lennie was left alone with Curley's wife. She was the reason why Lennie ended up being killed. She knew of to manipulate others to get her way and that is what she relies on most of the time.
Was George to harsh or too fast with his decision to kill Lennie? Ever since Lennie was born he has needed help “living” and it started with his aunt Clara. When his aunt Clara died Lennie needed someone to help him with his everyday life and someone that could be there and tell him what to do. Lennie starts to travel with a good family friend George. In the book “Of Mice and Men” there is many cases where Lennie just “holds on” to George. George realizes in the end of the book Lennie has done too much harm and needs to essentially go away. George then shoots Lennie in the back of the head because Lennie couldn't live on his own if he were to run away from Curly and the rest of the gang of workers coming after him. George did the right thing because Lennie was unstable and George knows lennie didn't mean to harm anything. He doesn't know his own strength and George really wasn't qualified to help Lennie learn that he is powerful beyond measure.
Lennie is depicted in a very childlike manner throughout Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Accordingly, he acts in a manner that is persistent with a child in that his motivations precisely lead to his actions. He does not act in a pure sense of dishonesty, reflective of the purity that is peculiar to someone who is like a kid at heart.
Consistently throughout the story George and Lennie were there for each other; in fact towards the very beginning Lennie and George discussed how they were better off than most guys because they had each other (14). When George killed Lennie a part of him died too, George knew murdering Lennie would hurt him mentally and emotionally. However he did it because he wanted what was best for his friend no matter the cost. His actions were altruistic and that made his decision the more favorable one. Another instance when George was selfless was when he gave up his dream. Throughout the story George and Lennie dreamed of and worked towards owning their own piece of land together. However, after discovering Curley’s wife dead, George returned to reality and informed Candy that they would, “never do her” (94). After losing his friend George understood the impossibility of achieving the American Dream. Beforehand George knew he would not want to live out his dream without Lennie, so by protecting Lennie and giving up on his own dream he put Lennie above himself. Conversely, someone may believe that George's actions were selfish and that he benefits himself by killing Lennie. After George comes after Lennie, the dim-witted man asks if George was going to yell at him. Reluctantly George told him “If I was alone, I could live so easy,” (103). Although George said
The author makes use of naturalism and presents Lennie as a human beast. Lennie possesses the body of a bear, but his actions are similar to those of a dog. He is able bodied but feeble minded. The combination of the preceding traits and his fondness of petting make him responsible for many murders. He has a nebulous and robust physical description. He possesses the mind of a child who requires supervision. George, the security of petting soft things, and a dream farm represent the meat and potatoes of his life. Lennie faces the mechanism of natural selection like any other animal.
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.
Despite the frustration that Lennie causes, without him George would probably be a lot like the other men on the ranch; simply roaming the country-side of California looking for work, and although he often prides himself on being different, he sometimes complains, usually after Lennie has caused trouble, and wishes that he could be like a normal guy and not have to live with Lennie’s hindrance. An example of this is seen when George responds sharply to Lennie's constant request for ketchup. "If I was alone I could live so easy…no trouble…no mess at all.
The Character of Lennie in Of Mice and Men In my opinion, Lennie Small is the most interesting character in Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck does a very good job describing and characterizing Lennie's personality. Lennie's character is, indeed, quite unique. A large man with enormous strength, yet kind and childlike, he seems to find joy in simple life pleasures like petting a furry animal and making the water ripple.
George’s struggles with himself become apparent at the beginning of the novel. Steinbeck clearly lets the reader know that George has conflicting feelings about Lennie. He believed, “ ...if he was alone he could live so easy. He could go get a job an ' work, an ' no trouble” (11). George is basically telling Lennie that sometimes, he wishes he could live
In the story, “Of Mice and Men”by John Steinbeck, the characters Lennie, George and Crooks have many different character traits that make themselves unique and remarkable. These characters face many obstacles and conflicts all around the story, but overcome them in a particular way. Throughout the story, Lennie is shown to be childlike and friendly while George is forgiving and wise and Crooks being displayed as sharp-witted and lonely.
One of the main characters in Of Mice and Men is a man named Lennie Small. Lennie is a, "huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide sloping shoulders" (46). Lennie has been causing lots of trouble for himself because of his mental disability. Every time he touches something, specifically an animal, he squeezes so hard yet does not know his own strength. In other words, he does not realize it when he strangles animals to death. To him, it might seem like a normal hug, but to others, it might feel like they are being choked to death. By the time he stops squeezing, the organism he strangled is already dead. Lennie is seen holding a dead mouse, a dead puppy, and a dead woman, all of which Lennie killed due to his love of petting soft things. But because he has a mental disability, these actions are not Lennie's fault. One of his actions happens to be the
Their relationship is very good its almost as my relationship with my friend both of them need each other because George needs Lennie to keep him company to keep him sane in life to keep him from being insane as i said to keep him sane and Lennie needs George to survive because George is a survivalist and they both need each other for different things like i said if Lennie wasn't there for George then George would of gone insane by now and have no sanity he would of probably killed himself from being alone while on the other hand if George wasn't there for Lennie then Lennie would survive for at least 2 to 3 days or maybe a week before dying from thirst wild animals hunger and other things they both need each other even if George doesn't show
George is a man who prefers to be in control and someone who always wants the best for not only himself, but his traveling partner Lennie. Lennie perceives George as a man who deserves everything and more, just for sticking along with him. “George, should I go away and leave you alone?”(12) asks Lennie to George. He is willing to give George anything that will satisfy him enough to keep him happy. George makes the extreme sacrifice of shooting Lennie, just so Lennie would die happily talking about his dreams of the future, even though he cared very much for Lennie more than he did for anyone else.
“The great thing about friends is that they bring a new energy to the soul” (Shanna Rodriguez). In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George, one of the main characters, deals with the consequences of his friend Lennie’s frequent misunderstandings. In the end of the novel Lennie makes a mistake that ends up taking his friendship and life. Of Mice and Men has many examples of both positive and negative relationships. The most positive relationship occurs between Lennie and George. George had told Lennie how he had felt about the situation the occurred in Weed. Once George had told him how he felt, Lennie suddenly became miserable and George had to react quickly, “‘ I was jus’ foolin’, Lennie. ‘Cause I want you to stay with me’”(p13).
Although it seemed like George and Lennie’s relationship was not very equitable, thorough examination of their interactions, conversations and time spent together reveal that they indeed had a true friendship. Thus, the men were always there to back each other up; they accepted one another; and George always knew the right decisions for Lennie. In conclusion, Steinbeck shows us that a true friendship can be a bit difficult at times, but in the end two can come together to make the perfect team that will always have each other for support. When the time comes for you, and you find “the perfect friend”, you should think to yourself: Would this person ever be as close to me as George and Lennie were in the book, Of Mice and Men by John