Mrs. Sewell
10th Grade AP Lit
14 November 2014
Friendship
In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men friendship is a theme that is portrayed highly throughout the story. There are many types of friends that may cross you in the world, some close, some not close, some kind, some not kind it all depends in the person. George and Lennie are great examples of how friends should be. George and Lennie had a close friendship and their friendships extended to be with Candy, Slim and partially with Curleys wife.
George and Lennie are moving farm workers, looking for employment near where John Steinbeck grew up in Salinas, California. Lennie is huge, strong and also mentally challenged. George is the brains of the two. Usually someone wouldn’t …show more content…
They ain't got nothing to look ahead to. With us, it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don't have to sit in no bar room blowin' in our jack jus' because we got no place else to go... Not us...Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why." In the book when Lennie says this he is describing how their lives are completely different from everyone else. Also he is also making it apparent that no matter what George and Lennie have each other’s back. George throughout this friendship sees the relationship as being annoying and having many faults. The many problems they encounter are with Lennie because he is always wanting to feel or pet soft things that come within his sight. Lenny would often kill little mice he finds he would end up petting them too hard and crush the animal’s skull. Lenny gets himself and George into a major amount of trouble when he ends up killing Curley’s wife on accident. "God a'mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an' work, an' no trouble. No mess at all..." He gets angrier: "An' whatta I got, I got you! You can't keep a job, and you lose me ever' job I get. Jus' keep me shovin' all over the country all the time. An'that ain't the worst. You get in trouble. You do bad things and I got to get you out." His voice rises nearly to a shout: "You crazy son-of-a-bitch. You keep me in hot water all the time. …show more content…
Slim observes and says that "I hardly never seen two guys travel together," and then explains to George that it "seems kinda funny a cuckoo like him and a smart little guy like you travelin' together." But Slim knows that "Maybe he ain't bright, but I never seen such a worker...There ain't nobody can keep up with him.” But, "He's a nice fella... Guy don't need no sense to be a nice fella." Slim and George agree that learning how to be nice also has a lot to do with having a good friendship and not being alone all the time. Once they meet each other there friendship automatically starts off on the good end. Slim is a totally different person from most of the other people that works on the farm. Slim is much more open than the other men on the ranch, Curley is the type who can only communicate with fighting. Curley will leave his wife, and choose to go visit prostitutes rather than to stay committed in their marriage, whereas Slim attempts to create a relationship with George the first chance he gets. The men have a deep respect for Slim, and slim respects them majorly