Friendship is an important connection that the two characters, George and Lennie share with each other. They always have each others’ back and will make sure that neither one of them would get hurt or in trouble. It was, as if they were really good brothers that got along really well and sometimes had arguments. In the novella, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows the strong connection between George and Lennie by making the two characters support and help each other out.
Throughout the book, there were many scenes that showed the connection between George and Lennie. “Make ‘um let me alone George.” (63). Here the author is trying to show us that whenever Lennie is in some type of trouble or causing it, he always looks at George to try
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to get him out of the situation. Even though George is going to get a little furious at George for causing the problem, Lennie knows that it’s better to tell the truth then to live a lie. It is clear that George and Lennie look after each other when George says “…I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you.” (14). This shows the friendship between the two characters because both of the characters know that they have each other to guide them to safety and will make sure that each of them will not be harmed. “Lennie, for God don’t drink too much.” (3). Here, when Lennie is drinking the water that they have come cross, George seeks to make sure that Lennie’s health is ok. Again, he is looking after Lennie and he is following is oath to protect him. George could in fact leave Lennie behind but he won’t because he promised his aunt that he would take care of him and he wants Lennie to have a good life and enjoy it, not a bad one. George has also made sure that he could apply the best help he could to Lennie to keep him live an average working life.
“Think I’d let you carry your own work card?” (5). Now knowing that character Lennie, we know that he can be a bit clumsy and he can sometimes forget important things. That is why George always has to babysit him in order to make sure that he can with George at all times. If Lennie had his ticket with him and then somehow he lost it, George would have to leave Lennie behind. That’s why George takes that extra step to make sure that Lennie and him will never have to walk into two separate paths. Lennie is always honest with George at all times, “I di’nt mean no harm, George.” (65). Now even if Lennie is in trouble he does not try to keep the truth away from George, he is always honest with him. Even if Lennie had the biggest problem in the world he would be open about it and immediately tell George what happened. George would get mad at him a bit but he’s glad that Lennie was honest to him and told him everything. This proves that Lennie and George are very close and honest with each other. “He ain’t much of a talker…no… hell of a good worker, strong as a bull.” (22). When George and Lennie first go to the boss to get a job, Lennie doesn’t say much about himself. He dosen’t want to ruin the chance to get him and his friend a job so he lets George do all the talking. Now George wants both of them to get this job so one day when they save enough money they …show more content…
can move out together and find themselves a good place to live. In order to get that job George says some good things about Lennie and himself, so the boss would hire them. This shows that George wants both him and Lennie to succeed so later on they can live happy. Now even though Lennie might be stuck in a pickle, George will do anything to try to get him out of the situation or try to make the situation better than being worst.
George said “Couldn’t we maybe bring him an’ they’ll lock him up.” (97). Now when Lennie killed Curley’s wife he didn’t do it on purpose, Lennie just got his think fingers stuck in her hair. George, knowing Lennie for a good amount of time, knows that Lennie never wants to hurt people on purpose, he knows something was up for Lennie to do such a thing. So when now everyone wants to kill Lennie, George is trying to make the situation better than keeping it worst. He suggests to keeping Lennie in a jail cell or some other less cruel punishment that would keep Lennie alive, safe, and not dead or getting horribly punished. This shows that George cares about Lennie a lot if he’s doing all this to keep him alive. Now many people have different thoughts on what George did to Lennie at the end of the book, “The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger.” (106). Now technically, George did kill Lennie but it was for the better cause. George wanted to see his friend go to a better place. If George did not kill Lennie, Lennie would have to face a living nightmare. He would be getting tortured every day, probably get no food served to him, and other horrific things done to him. George didn’t want to see him live his life like that, so the best thing George could’ve done that would
make Lennie’s life better was to kill him and so he could live in a better place and not deal with all these problems. So the connection between George and Lennie is very effective in this book. If we didn’t see their friendship, this book would have been very different. George was a very helpful character in this book and Lennie was there for George to take care of. Who knows what could’ve happened if Lennie had to face this problem all by himself without anyone. Steinbeck’s message about friendship and companionship during this time in history is that it was for people to put away their differences and woke together to survive.
In chapter one, George and Lennie are introduced onto the scene and you get to know them a little bit and you get to see how they are related/ their relationship. When I read this first part, I could tell that George was pretty much Lennie’s caretaker and it was his job to find Lennie a job and make sure he ate enough and stayed a live. He kind of resented having to drag Lennie around (pg 11~12: “Well we ain’t got any!” George exploded. “Whatever we ain’t got, you want. If I was alone I could live so easy… But wadda I got? I got you. You can’t keep a job and you loose me every job I get.”), because Lennie’s a bit slow and he messes up a lot. He tries really hard to be good and listen to what George tells him to do, but in the end of every situation, Lennie forgets what George told him beforehand and sometimes it creates a little trouble (pg 45~46: “Well, he seen this girl in this red dress. Dumb like he is, he likes to touch ever’thing he likes. Just wants to feel it. So he reaches out to feel this red dress an’ the girl lets out a squawk, and that gets Lennie all mixed up, and he holds on ‘cause that’s the only thing he can think to do. Well, this girl just squawks and squawks. I was jus’ a little bit off, and I heard all the yellin’, so I comes running, an’ by that time Lennie’s so scared all he can think to do is jus’ hold on. I socked him over the head with a fence picket to make him let go. He was so scairt he couldn’t let go of the dress. And he’s so strong, you know… Well, that girl rabbits in an’ tells the law she’s been raped. The guys in Weed start a party out to lynch Lennie. So we sit in an irrigation ditch under water all the rest of that day.”). But when you look at them, you can tell that George is...
...e ever since they were children. Lennie knew that he owed George for all that he had done for him over the years. Other than that, Lennie just loved George and wanted to be with him. He hated the thought of making George angry. Often times Lennie said he could go by himself and live in a cave if George really did not want to be with him. It was obvious that Lennie could never really think of leaving George. Lennie stayed loyal to George until the very end, unaware of what would happen. Even though George did care for Lennie, he did not give Lennie the loyalty and friendship back like he deserved. It was easy for Lennie to be so loyal partially because of his simple mindedness. He almost acted like a puppy, following around its owner and trying to defend it. If only George realized what a good friend he had in Lennie.
After reading the novella I think that George is a really good friend to Lennie. The first reason that I think that he is a really good friend to lennie, because that he runs off with Lennie when Lennie gets in trouble. George have a choice of running off with Lennie and been trace by those people or he could just don’t care about Lennie and keep his job. But he choose to run off with Lennie and been trace by those people. The second reason that I think George is a good friend to Lennie is because that in the novella it shows that George care about Lennie. On the first section it shows that George tells to Lennie to get off the the green water and throw away the dead mouse that Lennie had. He did that because the mouse might get him
Lennie has always been told what to do by George. George really helps him through problems that keep happening during the book. Lennie is incapable to live because he does not know his strength and George has to play the role as a living assistant for Lennie. Lennie does not mean to harm but because of his condition he essentially harms people. In the book it explains the
Lennie constantly causes trouble. “George told Lennie to keep quiet while George was trying to find them a job”(Steinbeck 35). “Why can't you just let em’ talk?” (Steinbeck 35). It's hard for Lennie to have a regular conversation with someone. He does not understand people well. The boss found it hard to believe that George wasn't trying to fool him by talking about how great Lennie was at working and how strong he was.
Lennie respects him a great deal. Lennie is huge, and very strong, but he has the mentality of a child. He relies heavily on George, as he cannot fend for himself. He always tries his best to imitate George's actions and an example of this is when the two men are at the beach. " George lay back on the sand and crossed his hands under
The physical symbiosis of George and Lennie is beneficial to Lennie but detrimental to George. Although George used to hurt Lennie, Lennie now needs George to bail him out of trouble. Lennie also profits because he needs a person to tell him what to do. “He can’t think of nothing to do himself, but he sure can take orders” (39). Lennie is “a hell of a good worker”(22) and able to “put up a four-hundred pound bale” (22) but is likely to get himself in trouble without George’s protective influence. George likes Lennie but would be better off without him because “you (Lennie) can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get” (11). Lennie hinders George while George helps Lennie.
In all of these quotes George is looking after Lennie similar to how a brother would look after a younger sibling. From when he is talking to Slim about Lennie’s work ethic on page 39 to when he is trying to keep Lennie from getting into trouble with Curley and his wife on pages 32 and 29, George is always looking after Lennie in some way. Alongside the last example, Steinbeck illustrates a caring relationship between George and Lennie. “ [George] ‘They ain’t got nobody in the worl’ that gives a hoot in hell about em-’...[Lennie] ‘But not us’” (104). George and Lennie always come back to the subject of looking out for each other. This is demonstrated when Lennie is talking to Crooks about George and Crooks says, “jus’ s’pose he don’t come back. What’ll you do then” (72)? Just the mention of George doesn't come back or being hurt makes Lennie defensive about George, “Suddenly Lennie’s eyes centered and grew quiet, and mad. He stood up and walked dangerously toward Crooks, Who hurt George” (72). Lennie is attached to George, to Lennie, he is the only person in the world that actually cares about his well being.They have been together for years, which is quite similar
Lennie and George are best friends but they don't have any ordinary relationship. In their relationship George is like the boss while Lennie is the subordinate. George is very bossy towards Lennie. He is always telling Lennie what to do. Lennie doesn't ever really have a say on what they do. Like when they reach the ranch, George tells Lennie not to speak to anyone at the ranch because he is scared that Lennie might say something wrong, but George only does that because he is very worried and protective of
Lennie thinks of George as his only friend, his guardian, someone who he can trust and depend on, someone who had accepted him for who he is despite his childlike tendencies. Every time he did something wrong, his only thoughts would be of George’s disapproval. “I did a real bad thing. I shouldn’t have done that. George’ll be mad at me.
He never understood things the way “normal” people do. He is like a giant baby, not able to make any decisions himself and pure at heart. George is wise and witty is fully capable himself, yet he sticks around Lennie regardless. “… if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an’work, an’no trouble.” George expresses his frustration of how much trouble Lennie cause him. And how if wasn’t with Lennie he would have a simple live and wouldn’t have any trouble. However, when Lennie ask George if he should leave George says no. This is because he cares for Lennie despite how much work he is. The means that there is now way George would have even though of killing Lennie if he thought I wouldn’t be the best and only possibility for him. He always cared for him and knew that if Lennie did go live alone he wouldn’t be able to
Steinbeck tries to establish a perfect image of friendship by introducing us to George and Lennie. They are an extraordinary team, with Lennie being of monstrous size with a simple mind, and George being a smart and typical worker. Many times throughout the novel, Lennie threatens to go live in a cave to leave George alone so he won't have to take care of him anymore. However, George always explains to Lennie that he wants him by his side at all times because he knows they need each other: "No! I was just foolin', Lennie. 'Cause I want you to stay with me. . ."(13). This expresses that in order for them to have a successful friendship, they must first share their lives together to make every puzzle piece fit together. After the two men arrive at the bunk house, they meet the workers who all seem like they have no one that is willing to spend their life with as lovingly as George and Lennie. Slim, one of the mos...
George understands that he can’t hide Lennie from the world forever and that the natural order of things is that the strong pick off the weak, and he will eventually have to let Lennie go. This motivates him to seize reality, meaning he had to kill Lennie, which itself was a sign of tremendous growth in himself. Killing Lennie had many effects on George; one of them being that he became one of the men he’d tell Lennie stories about. George believed that he and Lennie were not like the other migrant workers – travelling alone and spending all their earning on a whim. When George would te...
The famed nurses study from Harvard found “Not having a close friend is as detrimental to your health as smoking.” Lennie and George’s friendship is necessary to keep the better for each other. Throughout the story, Lennie and George need each other and look out for one another no matter what. Lennie and George’s friendship and journey throughout the story symbolizes the struggles to achieve the American dream. Steinbeck, in the story Of Mice and Men, combines characterization and symbolism to prove friends do whats best for eachother.
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