Steinbeck's portrayal of George and Lennie's bond in Of Mice and Men

Categories: Of Mice and Men

George and Lennie's relationship is unusual from the rest, as they both have each other, while the rest of the ranch workers are alone. They say "we travel around together" which shows that they always have each other's side. The rest of the ranch workers find their friendship really weird, because they have never experienced it themselves. I think that Steinbeck is trying to show that relationships were hard to build back in 1930, hence there weren't many around.

Lennie says "I got you and you got me," which suggests that Lennie is extremely happy in having a friend.

Perhaps it's because Lennie too hasn't ever experienced friendship before.

Finally, Carlson says "wha the hell ya suppose is eatin them guys" which suggests that he'll never understand what friendship is, as he's never experienced it before, and perhaps won't ever experience it ever in the future.

George was Lennie's only hope, he relied fully on him and expected him to tell him all the instructions.

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Steinbeck could be showing that relationships don't last forever, as George killed Lennie in the end. Perhaps people knew this hence why they didn't try to build relationships because they knew what the outcome would be like. There's more pain in knowing and caring for someone than killing them, than just killing someone without knowing them.

Carlson doesn't understand this pain and just continues killing. In the end, George is left alone, he's given up hope on the American dream. However Slim does get close to George which shows it's not the end, but the beginning of a new life and friendship.

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Perhaps Slim will understand George better than Lennie as we found out during the middle of the novel, he has better compatibility with him.

Updated: May 03, 2023
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Steinbeck's portrayal of George and Lennie's bond in Of Mice and Men. (2016, Mar 23). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/re-how-does-steinbeck-present-the-relationship-between-george-and-lennie-in-of-mice-and-men-essay

Steinbeck's portrayal of George and Lennie's bond in Of Mice and Men essay
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