Of Mice And Men George And Lennie Relationship

The relationship between George and Lennie in ‘Of Mice and Men’ is one of friendship and guardianship. Steinbeck idealizes and perhaps exaggerates it their relationship. From Lennie’s perspective, George is the most important person in his life, his guardian and only friend. George, on the other hand, thinks of Lennie as a constant source of frustration. He has assumed responsibility for Lennie’s welfare and has, several times, been forced to run because of trouble Lennie has inadvertently caused. Equally they hope one day to accomplish their dream; of owning a piece of land which will be earned through their own hard work and this is their interpretation of the ‘American dream’.
However both of them are not equal. Steinbeck’s first descriptions of George and Lennie demonstrate the fact that George is the caretaker of Lennie and Lennie is a companion and protection for George. At one point Lennie says, “Ain’t nobody goin’ to talk no hurt to George,” suggesting that there is going to be no threats against his friend and that he cares for George. Also in the novel George says ‘He ain’t bright, but he’s a good worker’ this shows us Georges views about Lennie and the fact that Lennie isn’t very smart but he does what he is told and is a good caring friend .this tells and

emphasises to use how good George is to Lennie and he is very supportive toward him as he knows George suffers problems.
Furthermore during the description George is seen as a father figure towards the ‘shapeless’ faced Lennie.

Despite his age, acts and speaks like a child due to mental obstruction. He is always mimicking George and following him obediently for instance ‘they had walked single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other, this suggests that George is the leader and Lennie is the innocent childlike follower. George is like a parent he says ‘Lennie! He said sharply’ this shows that George cares and he also says ‘Lennie, for god sakes don’t drink so much’ this displays George’s concern for Lennie, he tells him not to drink too much from the lake because he worries for Georges

health.
The friendship between George and Lennie is dominated by George. For instance he confiscates the mouse and throws it ‘as far as possible’ and the second time he is described as ‘imperious’ and Lennie is considered as a ‘terrier’ obligated to ‘lay’ the mouse in Georges hand. We see George’s frustration as he throws the mouse and then deliberately washes his hand. George only does this because it is unhygienic and filthy to carry a dead rodent around. This is significant because George and Lennie looked out for each other and they can stand up for one another.
Lastly, Steinbeck shows us that George and Lennie have each other as friends and it’s something special. Many ranch workers are lonely and isolated they have left their family, friends and community to work and earn a decent living. This is told by George during the course of the book he says that ranch workers are ‘the loneliest guys in the world. This is interesting as it introduces the theme of loneliness, for instance Crooks, who is isolated because of the colour of his skin and Candy who loses his only companion when his dog was shot. We realise the importance and significance of George and Lennie’s friendship compared to the others.