Of Mice And Men George And Lennie's Relationship

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Walter Winchell, an American newspaper and radio commentator, was once quoted saying, “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” George and Lennie from the novel, Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, embody Walter Winchell’s definition of a real friend by always walking in for each other when it seems like everyone else walks out. The relationship of these two friends is one that is better than the relationship that Romeo and Juliet have in the novel, Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare. Of Mice and Men is a novel about two traveling workers, George and Lennie, during the Great Depression who arrive and begin working on a farm in California. The unlikely bond between George, a small but intelligent …show more content…

The most evident case of compromise between George and Lennie is their arrangement of the future they see themselves having. Throughout Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie speak of their dreams and aspirations by George saying, “‘Someday—we're gonna get the jack together and we're gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an' a cow and some pigs and—.’ ‘An' live off the fatta the lan',’ Lennie shouted. ‘An' have rabbits’” (Steinbeck 15). This future they hope for is a compromise for the both of them. Lennie’s only need was to have the rabbits, and while George does not necessarily want the rabbits, he still agrees to have them. George’s goal of the future was to own the land and not answer to anyone. Lennie does not feel as strongly about not having a boss, but agrees to it as a compromise. Another example of their ability to compromise is with them traveling and working together. While George consistently complains about traveling with Lennie, he stays with him from place to place. George justifies his verbal attacks on Lennie by saying that Lennie makes life harder on George in return. George is able to get the two of them jobs and try to keep them out of trouble, whereas Lennie’s amazing work makes up for George’s weak stature. This compromise makes them the perfect fit for each other. The final example of compromise in Of Mice and Men is George’s compromise of allowing Lennie pet soft things. The novel begins with Lennie petting a dead mouse and George making him stop, but compromising by saying that he can have the next mouse he finds. This continues later in the story when George allows Lennie to get a puppy to make him happy, even though he thinks that it is not the best things for him. While Romeo and Juliet are able to compromise with each other, their

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