In the novel Of Mice and Men, Jon Steinbeck portrays the life of two common men looking for work on various ranches throughout the United States. The ultimate goal of Lenny and George is to save enough money so they will be able to purchase their own ranch. Traveling the country in search of work proves to the men that companionship is one of the greatest things a man can obtain. Steinbeck uses his novel to introduce several themes that many people will encounter in life such as loneliness, death, and chasing the American dream. Lenny and George discover that as long as they have each other, they will always have something. Most of the other ranch workers do not have any family or a close friend.
Lenny can not take care of himself and depends on George to do so. George merely counts on Lenny for companionship and as someone to confide in. George tells Lenny of his hopes and dreams and although Lenny may not fully comprehend what George is saying, George’s need for someone to converse with is fulfilled. Lenny and George are almost like a family as in they satisfy each other’s emotional needs and keep each other company. Both Lenny and George benefit greatly from their relationship. Although it appears that Lenny needs George more, George’s needs are just not as evident.
Without Lenny, George would take his pay, and ‘go into town and buy liquor.’ ; Lenny is a means of hope and his presence keeps George on track. Death is not perceived to be the worst possible situation in this instance. Lenny has a mental condition and has the mental capacity equivalent to that of a third grader. Lenny’s reasoning skills, or rather lack thereof, lead him into doing harm to others and ultimately into killing Curley’s wife. After the other ranch workers find Curley’s wife dead, they suspect Lenny to be the killer. Lenny runs away and hides in a spot that George has told him to run to if anything bad should ever happen.
The Essay on Friendships in “Of Mice and Men”
Throughout life, one establishes friendships to better ensure their future. The novel Of Mice And Men, written by John Steinbeck, is about a group of traveling labor workers and the hardships that they overcome. The friendship between George, one of the main characters, and Lenny, a retarded man and of Candy, a crippled man, and his old dog, although different, they each share many of the same ...
George finds Lenny before the other men do, but ironically George kills Lenny. George does not kill Lenny to get rid of him and not have to take care of him anymore, but as way of helping him. Lenny’s mental state deters him from distinguishing right from wrong and thus, Lenny stays in constant trouble. Lenny does not comprehend his strength and does not know how to contain it. Lenny dies without having to go through a period of suffering and may be off better dead. George knows that if anything ever happened to him then Lenny would not be able to survive on his own.
George cares enough for Lenny that he wants the best for him, and in this case death may be the best thing. Lenny will not be able to cause any more harm, and will not put himself through any more emotional turmoil. One thing that inspires George and Lenny to continue working is their dream of owning a ranch of their own. The goal of most Americans is to own their own home.
This dream inspires the men to endure the hard work and continue. George talks about a ranch he knows of that himself and Lenny can afford. Lenny often asks George to describe the ranch and how he will be able to ‘tend the rabbits.’ ; Lenny knows that he must stay out of trouble or else he will not be able to have rabbits. The ranch symbolizes hope for both George and Lenny. It gives them a reason to work and also convinces Lenny that he must try his hardest to stay out of trouble. George learns many important lessons while working on a ranch alongside Lenny.
He discovers that death may not be the worst thing that can happen to a man. George is put through many hardships by taking care of Lenny, but in the end he is a much stronger person.
