How Friendship Is Portrayed In Of Mice and Men Steinbeck shows the importance of friendship in the novella Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck shows that friendship is a key to life; without it, you’ll have a long life ahead of you. He does this by showing characters with both strong friendships and some with a lack of friendship. He portrays George and Lennie as having the strongest connection and greatest friendship in the world. While Crooks lacks it all. Throughout the novella, Steinbeck shows the reader differences between characters with the presence and the lack of friendship. The presence of friendship in George and Lennie’s relationship is key to why they stick together through everything. At first, the novella makes it seem that George is only friends with Lennie because of Lennie's disabilities. George promised Lennie’s Aunt that he would protect him when she is gone. George states that “‘When his Aunt Clara died, Lennie just come along with me out workin’. Got kinda used to each other after a while’” (40). After spending time together the two of them got to know each …show more content…
Crooks is an African American, stable buck who gets his name because of his crooked spine. Because of his skin color, Crooks is constantly pushed to the side and ignored. Crooks is not allowed into the bunkhouse and can not play cards with the men. The only reason the boys associate with him is to make him do things around the farm. In chapter 4 when Lennine walked into Crooks’ room unannounced Crook was shocked. “Crook sharply said ‘You got no right to come in my room. This here's my room. Nobody got any right in here but me’” (68). Crooks believes that if a black man is not allowed in a white man's house, then whites are not allowed in his. Crooks is rude and unaccepting towards Lennie at first because he is not used to being seen as more than a slave. Friendships require traits that some men like Crooks
adding to that, Crooks didn't have any friends. Moreover, Crooks had no friends, no one to play with, Crooks did his work around the farm and once he was finished he would go back into his room, racism was towards him since he was the only black person at the Bunk. In addition, Lennie and Crooks become friends, when most of the guys were out to town, Lennie went into crooks is room uninvited, Crooks thought about kicking him out but the didn’t because he hadn't had any company for a long time now(). Crooks is lonely and he is the only black men at the Bunkhouse he is totally an
Crooks is a victim of unfortunate circumstances. He’s a black man in a time when black people were still very discriminated against, and as a result, was forced to sleep in the barn by the other characters, which certainly doesn’t help his crooked back that he has to rub cream on. All he has to do in his free time is read books, and is incredibly lonely. He has also become very cynical, as in reference to Lennie saying he’s gonna work with George to get a piece of land, he says, "You’re nuts. " Crooks was scornful.
Crooks was a stable buck who lived with the horses and not in the regular housing with the white men. During this time, black people regularly had no respect and constantly faced prejudice behavior. Because of the standards at this time, Crooks was powerless and lonely; he was never allowed to play cards with the white men or hang out with them. He is constantly inferior to everyone on the farm because of his skin and is always alone. Although it can be argued that Curley's wife is weak, Crooks is Steinbeck’s most inferior character due to his skin color and the prejudice behavior he faced as an African American in the
For example, when Lennie goes into Crooks’ room even though he knows he is not allowed in there, Lennie is just trying to be friendly. Crooks at first doesn’t want Lennie in the room but after Lennie would not leave he let him stay. By Crooks letting Lennie stay was probably good for Crooks because he is always lonely and being discriminated against. The absence of friendship makes the characters sad and lonely and then they are meaner characters. For example, The Boss who only shows up once is a very lonely man because he has no friendships so he is always a very angry man.
Crooks feels isolated because he cannot socialize with the white males and lives by himself in the barn. While most of the workers are off in town the outliers are left behind. Lennie, being a member of the unfavorable bunch, stumbles into Crooks room as he waits for George’s return. Lennie becomes very anxious about George's return as Crooks is giving him the worst-case scenarios that could happen to George. Once Crooks notices Lennie's companionship with George he feels sad.
Racism is shown multiple times by Crooks being mistreated, and when Lennie comes into his room he says he does not want him there. Crooks does not want any trouble with the guys, “you go on get outta my room. I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain’t wanted in my room” (Steinbeck 68). This reveals how Crook is not wanted by the other guys on the ranch just because of the color of his skin. He doesn’t want any trouble with the white men, because he knows that they do not like him.
They can make you laugh, make you cry, and many other emotions. The book, “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck shows an amazing friendship between George and Lennie. Friendship has many characteristics which are shown through George and Lennie. Friendship is about sacrificing for each other. George and Lennie have a great bond.
In the novella, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, suggests that companionships can help a person fight through hardships through the use of characterization. Having a friend not only gives a chance to lend a hand to the ones we love, but also helps diminish the feeling of loneliness or isolation. Whenever George reaches his breaking point, he communicates his emotions set towards Lennie. For instance, George often gets angry at Lennie over his mistakes and threatens to leave him. When they are sitting around the fire at night, on their way to the farm, George expresses his desire to be able to travel alone one day and not have Lennie as a burden.
In ‘Of Mice and Men’, written by John Steinbeck, friendship is portrayed as one of the main themes in this novella and a very important part of people’s lives. Steinbeck also portrays friendship by highlighting the importance of friendship and showing how its presence and absence can trigger many positive and negative emotions. Its presence creates hope, feeling of companionship and a sense of responsibility. In spite of friendship’s presence creating positive feelings, its absence does the complete opposite. It generates a feeling of loneliness and isolation.
Crooks is a black man who has been given the nickname because of his crooked back. He is another character in the novel that is discriminated against. Similarly, as Lennie and Candy are discriminated because of their weakness, Crooks is discriminated because of his race. For example, he says how he “ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse… can’t play [cards] because I’m black” (68). His race causes him to be separated from everyone else and be isolated in his own room.
Because crooks was black he was isolated and not allowed to near the other men. Lennie asks, “ Why ain’t you wanted… Cause I’m black” (Steinbeck 68). Crooks at first did not want Lennie entering his room but realizes Lennie is different and is not racist. Usually Crooks would tell people that they have not right coming into his room. He uses his isolation as a way to hide from everyone and get privacy.
Steinbeck demonstrates the value of friendship, camaraderie, and shared trust throughout Of Mice and Men, even for a group of men who have been taught and demonstrated that assisting one another or putting one's own needs before others makes one weak or vulnerable. One of the ways that Steinbeck is trying to describe the theme of friendship is with George and Lennie. The book starts off with George and Lennie walking towards a work ranch to earn some money. They make a pit stop in the evening to eat, sleep, and get ready for what the next day has for them.
In John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men there are a lot of themes. The themes consist of friendship, loneliness, discrimination and dreams. All of these themes are important, and play immense role in the outcome at the end. The major theme is that friends stick together; unconditionally; this is demonstrated through Lennie and George's actions in Weed, in the bunk house, and in the aftermath of Curly's wife's death. One example of true friends sticking together is exemplified when George stays with Lennie after Lennie's actions in Weed.
The relationship between the characters George and Lennie is a strong example of friendship in this novel. George and Lennie had been friends since they were kids; Lennie has always relied on George to get him out of tough situations since he is mentally challenged. When George and Lennie had arrived at the ranch the boss was wondering why Lennie couldn’t speak for himself; and that is when George had to step in, “George said, ‘He’s my … cousin. I told his old lady I’d take care of him.
Crooks (named crooks after being kicked in the back by a horse) is a very controversial character as he is the only black member of the farm and doesn’t actually feature to much in the book. When he is in it though most of what we find out is when Lenny walks into his room. From the start its clear that crooks is a very abused and defensive because he says “You got no right to come in my room” as soon as he notices Lennie stood in his room even though Lennie doesn’t really see any difference between skin colour and doesn’t understand why this is happening. Most of what can be known about Crooks is from the items in his room. His room is actually connected to the barn showing they do not value him as a person but only as a stable buck.