Friendship, it can be for pleasure, money, or self gain, but the friendship that is the most scarce is that of a true friendship. True friendship is that which “stands as a challenge to the tenor of our times”.(May) True friendship is shared mutually between two people that are open and intimate. When you share personal details and experiences in your life to one another and trust one another, you develop a true friendship that is not about money or personal gain, but about being involved with the life of another human being. An example of one of these friendships is the friendship between Lennie Small and George Milton in the book Of Mice and Men.
An example from this novel that illustrates the true friendship between George and Lennie is that they both share a common goal to have their own little farm where they can “live off the fatta the lan.” ‘“Lennie said, “Tell about that place, George.” “I jus’ tol’ you, jus’ las’ night.” “Go on—tell again, George.” “Well, it’s ten acres,”
…show more content…
said George. “Got a little win’mill. Got a little shack on it, an’ a chicken run. Got a kitchen, orchard, cherries, apples, peaches, ‘cots, nuts, got a few berries. They’s a place for alfalfa and plenty water to flood it. They’s a pig pen—” “An’ rabbits, George.” “No place for rabbits now, but I could easy build a few hutches and you could feed alfalfa to the rabbits.” “Damn right, I could,” said Lennie. “You God damn right I could.”’ (Steinbeck) George and Lennie are two men who left their hometown after an incident with Lennie, who is mentally handicapped, and a girl wearing a red dress.Lennie liked the dress, so he went up to the woman and touched the dress. The woman was startled and screamed, confusing Lennie, who inturn grabbed and held on. So Lennie and George found themselves running away to a ranch to find work. George and Lennie are planning to save enough money to eventually buy a ten acre farm. It is this shared dream held by the two of them that goes to show that George and Lennie are true friends. By sharing a common dream, or simply sharing things in common with another person, helps to knit together a true friendship, “The answer might seem self-evident—our friend-in-the-making likes to garden, as do we, or shares our passion for NASCAR or Tex-Mex cooking. She laughs at our jokes, and we laugh at hers. In short, we have things in common.” (Karbo) Lennie and George, by sharing this dream, can take pleasure in the fact that someone else strives for the same thing and wants to work together to achieve it. This mutual dream strengthens the argument that George and Lennie are true friends and not just consumer(those of just pleasure), or entrepreneurial(those of usefulness) ones. A second example that concludes that Lennie and George are true friends, is the fact that George is always giving or doing something for Lennie. George has sort of taken on the role of “big brother” to Lennie, who is mentally incapable of fending for himself. George grew up with Lennie and his Aunt, who had passed away by the setting of the story, and now goes everywhere with Lennie and keeps him out of trouble. Throughout the book, George is constantly doing things for Lennie’s best interests. One scene where George does something nice for Lennie, is when they are on their way to the ranch and George finds that Lennie had a dead mouse in his pocket. George questioned Lennie and took the mouse from Lennie, but promised to get him a puppy first chance he got,‘“Tell you what I’ll do, Lennie. First chance I get I’ll give you a pup. Maybe you wouldn’t kill it. That’d be better than mice. And you could pet it harder.”’(Steinbeck) A paradoxical aspect that creates strong friendship is that giving, rather than receiving, makes us value a friend more. “ It was the American statesman and inventor Ben Franklin who first observed the paradox, now called the Ben Franklin Effect: "He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another than he whom you yourself have obliged."’ (Karbo) Even Though Lennie doesn't ever do much, if anything, for George, except drive him crazy, George is attached to Lennie because he is needed by him. It is this relationship of giving by Georgel, that tied these two unlikely friends together. Some may argue that George and Lennie are not true friends because Lennie is unable to share personal personal information. While George and Lennie travel and work at the ranch, George is always telling Lennie about his dreams and what he thinks, but Lennie does not say anything back, instead he just asks George to tell him about things he already knows. Because Lennie has mental issues, his cognitive ability to share his own personal information with George is severely limited. "The transition from acquaintanceship to friendship is typically characterized by an increase in both the breadth and depth of self-disclosure," asserts University of Winnipeg sociologist Beverley Fehr, author of Friendship Processes. "In the early stages of friendship, this tends to be a gradual, reciprocal process. One person takes the risk of disclosing personal information and then 'tests' whether the other reciprocates."(Karbo) Without this crucial piece of the friendship puzzle, it could be said that George and Lennie’s relationship can not be labeled as a “true friendship.” But, this one contrasting example is outweighed by the fact that George and Lennie are loyal to each other.While working on the ranch, George always backs up Lennie and tries to make sure the others on the ranch don’t ridicule him..
“He can do anything you tell him,” said George. “He’s a good skinner. He can rassel grain bags, drive a cultivator. He can do anything. Just give him a try.” (Steinbeck) Also lennie assures the others that George wouldn’t do anything bad to him. “George wouldn’t do nothing like that. I been with George a long a time. He’ll come back tonight—” (Steinbeck) Loyalty is one of the emotional attributes that Karen Karbo lists out that contribute to a strong friendship. “Hefty helpings of emotional expressiveness and unconditional support are ingredients here, followed by acceptance, loyalty, and trust.” (Karbo) George and Lennie share a strong loyalty, trust and acceptance of one another that draws them together and forms the strong friendship between the
two. The many factors that make up true friendships apply to George and Lennie,but because of Lennie's disabilities, he doesn't communicate at the same extent that George can, but that put aside, George share a strong friendship. Their friendship is by definition a true one, neither is in just for personal gain, or money, but they are in it for the emotional support and the shared loyalty and the quest for the same dream.
George chooses to stick with Lennie, despite his mental disabilities. They are loyal to each other, even though they are different: “Even in the open one stayed behind the other” (2). Their desire to spend time together in fellowship indicates the theme of true friendship. Later on in the novella, George and Lennie are introduced to Slim, the jerkline skinner on the ranch. Because his job requires him to move around, Slim, like most migrant farmers, is lonely. He observes George and Lennie’s unusual friendship and questions it saying, “You guys travel around together?” (34). George and Lennie’s loyalty to each other protects them from the loneliness of their work, revealing one important benefit of true friendship. Near the end of the novella, Lennie is in the barn with
Just as looking after each other is important, another component of a healthy relationship is being able to make each other better people. With no surprise, George and Lennie are able to do this for each other constantly. The first way that George and Lennie make each other better people is because they have common goals between each other. George and Lennie explain to readers how their goal is to own a farm with each other. Their farm will take up an acre of land, and it will have a shack on that land that they can live in. They will own chickens, pigs, cows, and rabbits that Lennie will be able to tend. (Steinbeck 105-106)
Curly and Lennie, two men that traveled together everywhere they went. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck describes friendship, dreams, and personality to describe Lennie and Curly adventures.
It is very apparent that each of the four characters in the two friendships feed off of each other. In Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie are very different, yet they need one other. George is a very independent, loyal, and caring person who takes care of Lennie because Lennie is unable to take care of himself. Although George makes it seem like he would be better off without Lennie, George makes it clear that without him he would be better off. This is evident because of this conversation h regularly had with Lennie” I could go get a job an’
I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn't have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl. " If George wanted to leave Lennie and change his lifestyle completely, he easily could. But he stays with Lennie throughout the whole book so they must have a special friendship.
As the story continues on and the pair arrive at their job, the character chart begins to branch as we are introduced to Slim, another worker on the farm. After learning of the two’s past together, he openly expresses, “Ain’t many guys travel around together... I don’t know why. Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other” (Steinbeck 35). There is a unique value to George and Lennie’s relationship which the world lacks. Rather than combining their might, people would rather watch their own back with one set of eyes than having a second set to keep watch. There is mistrust between people and the idea of backstabbing and swindling is very present due to the economic decline and the loss of wealth for all social classes. Due to Lennie’s mental decline, however and the fact that if it were not for George, Lennie would not be alive, there is a strong bond apparent. To be separated from one another would mean becoming the rest of the world, sad and lonely. Neither of the two would like to bring sorrow to one another or let each other go through
George and Lennie need each other to achieve their dream of their own farm with rabbits to tend. Lennie could not take care of his rabbits or even survive without George.
They are a textbook example of loyal friends. They, together, are like peanut butter and jelly in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Lennie gives George someone to talk to and someone to keep him on track. George gives Lennie insight into the world and someone that will respect him even though he isn’t intelligent. They, more importantly, give each other something to live for.
"Were born alone we live alone die alone. Only through love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that were not alone” Orson Welles. In this novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck focuses on the loneliness of California ranch life in the 1930’s. One of the most important things in the life is to have a friend, without friends people will suffer from loneliness like in this novel, not everyone in the novel has the same connection and special friendship like George and Lennie’s. Of Mice and Men is the story about lonely men who travel from ranch to ranch not really communicating with other ranch hands. Candy, Crooks and Curley’s wife all were lonely and dealt with their loneliness in different ways.
George and Lennie seemingly contrast each other throughout most of the story, constantly arguing about Lennie’s actions. After the two fight about Lennie needing ketchup for his beans, the author writes, "But I wouldn't eat none, George. I'd leave it all for you. You could cover your beans with it and I wouldn't touch none of it" (12). Lennie’s innocent offer to give up ketchup for his friend, resolving their argument, also establishes that extending acts of friendship is an astounding way to overcome differences. Certainly one must not only be kind in order to gain acceptance, but persistent in attempts to establish friendship. Lennie is another perfect example of this when he befriends Crooks: “Lennie’s disarming smile defeated him. ‘Come on in and set a while,’ Crooks said. ‘ ‘Long as you won’t get out and leave me alone, you might as well set down.’ His tone was a little more friendly” (69). Analogous to Lennie’s tenacious attempts to win Crooks’ trust, one must be resolute in order to accept those with differences. Constant acts of friendship show compassion and clear purpose in actions, ridding any stereotypes or misunderstandings in a
That shows the power of friendship. Friendship is like a spark of life that brings two people together from sometimes different situations to learn more about each other and to benefit one another. In Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, two close friends, Lennie and George, who are opposites in size and personality, come from different situations, but end up traveling together to find a job in the Salinas. Both have done so to pursue their hopes and dreams of happiness and to purchase a small ranch of their own.
In life, friendship is something that everybody needs. It allows people to function better and be more successful. Some people think that all friendships are the same and do not differ from the next. However, I believe that each friendship has its own quality that makes it different from all of the other friendships while still retaining all of the characteristics that make the relationship a friendship. Today, this essay will highlight the qualities that are the same in the friendship of Maurice and Laura from An Invisible Thread and the friendship of Lennie and George from Of Mice and Men while also identifying the differences between them as well as illustrating the very attributes that define a friendship.
Whether or not the men have a stable friendship with others determines some of their actions. George and Lennie’s friendship is very strong, so they base off their actions on the other persons. The have been staying together for many years. The two moving around and living together is great for Lennie, because due to
‘If you don’t want me, you just’ got to say so, and I’ll go off in those hills right there.’” (Stenbeck, 1). This shows true friendship, because the reader can pick out how they are both being virtuous towards each other. Lennie is upset, and wants to leave, so George wants to show how much he cares to keep him around since he enjoys him. They truly care, and do not expect anything from each other, just the care within the bond they have.
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.