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Companionship In George Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Companionship in Of Mice and Men It’s hard to imagine going through life without a single friend. Having at least one companion in life is essential to one 's mental well being. Simply having someone to talk to, knowing that there is at least one person in this crazy world that cares. Companions can be quite simple and can also be very complex. The characters in Steinbeck 's novel, Of Mice and Men, portray varying degrees of companionship.
George and Lennie have a unique and powerful friendship. They travel together, moving from ranch to ranch looking for work. Times are tough for everyone. George gives the readers a glimpse of the rough ranch-hand life when he says, “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the …show more content…

George, Lennie, Candy, and Crooks all have one thing in common. All of these characters are social outcasts who desire some form of companionship. Everyone needs to feel that they are loved, even dogs. The story reveals several different levels of companionship. George and Lennie have the truest form of companionship. They are in it for the long haul. No matter what happens, they have each others back. Their friendship, although rocky at times is consistent. Candy and his dog are best friends. They work and play together. The love and affection Candy has for his dog is very apparent. Candy is devastated at the loss of his pet but the idea of being able to live at George and Lennie’s dream ranch lifts his spirit. Crooks goes through life without a true friend and no one to talk to. He has gotten used to no one giving him the time day. It is quite apparent that he loves to talk and tell stories, even to strangers. The relationship with Lennie, although brief was extremely meaningful to Crooks. Lennie’s personality makes it easy for people like Crooks, Candy and George to want to take care of him, want to spend time with him and are comfortable in talking to him. The spectrum of companionship in the novel varies from a life long partner, the truest form of companionship, to a constant companionship, and to a brief acquaintanceship. All of these levels of companionship contribute to an important part of ones well-being. No one should have to go through

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Candy felt terrible after Carlson shot his dog because Candy was the one that raised it, and it is only for them to kill it, not some stranger. George is like a father to Lennie

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Lennie’s actions on the people at the ranch were at first confused of why George was with him and Slim even states people feel alone with someone with them. For example when Candy’s dog was shot. “Candy if you want me to I put that dog out of it’s misery right now, won't hurt him at all,” says Carlson. “Let’s wait till tomorrow,” says Candy. “We can’t sleep with that stinken dog in here,” yells Carlson.

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Lennie and George find themselves becoming more hopeful after Candy successfully manages to turn a dream that was originally meant for two men into a dream for three. He tries to help George and Lennie attain their dream, and convince them that, “S’pose I went in with you guys. Tha’s three hundred an’ fifty bucks I’d put in. I ain’t much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some” (59). He also shows the two friends of the possibility towards failed outcomes- symbolized through Candy’s inability to kill his own dog.

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In conclusion, the trust showed throughout the book is continually improving and creating relationships. Lennie and George have shown continuous trust and faith in each other and other characters like Candy and

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George and Lennie consider each other family, George is like a brother to Lennie, they have a companionship that everyone wishes they had. George and Lennie travel and work together. Although George promised Lennie’s aunt Clara that he would take care of him and feels an extent of burden; Lennie’s friendship helps George stay focused on their American Dream and keeps him sane. In one instance, George says, “I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail.

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2169 Words | 9 Pages

He said proudly, "You wouldn't think it to look at him now, but he was the best damn sheepdog I ever seen" (Steinbeck 44). Candy's relationship with his dog is an old and fortified relationship. The reason why Candy feels attached to his dog is because his dog is a constant companion. The dog also had its use in the ranch as a sheepdog. Although Candy lacked a close human companion, his dog filled that spot in his heart.

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The only thing that has been with Candy through everything is his dog, he lost his hand, his youth and now his beloved dog. Candy is left with nothing but himself, and because he doesn’t say much to anyone he has few

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Loneliness and isolation is an ongoing theme throughout the novel Of Mice and Men, experienced by several characters to different degrees. Some characters are more isolated and lonely than others, yet every character in the story goes through this theme during one point in the story. There are various reasons why each character is lonely or isolated. In general, all the ranch workers feel some sort of loneliness because they move alone from ranch to ranch and do not have real connections with others, Curley’s wife experiences this theme because she is the only woman on the ranch and nobody wants to interact with her because Curley is very protective and hostile of her. Thirdly, Candy struggles through being lonely and isolated after Carlson shot his dog and because Candy does not work with the others since he is a swamper.

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However he first tells Lennie about their dream, about tending rabbits, living off the land from the crops, and shoots him. Friendship and Loneliness is shown here where George is Lennie’s best friend, and everyone else stays away leaving Lennie alone. Other times in the novel the reader witnesses many other characters face this same factor of isolation. Some examples are,

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In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the era of the Great Depression in the 1930’s is revealed through a simple story of ranch workers who hope to improve their lives. Migrant workers, George and Lennie, have a friendship that is based on trust and protection. The other workers lack the companionship and bond that these two men have. In the novel, the absence and presence of friendship is the motivation for the characters’ actions.

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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.

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790 Words | 4 Pages

At the point when Candy hears George and Lennie talking about the dream of owning their own land, Candy gets inspired with the dream that George and Lennie share. George and Lennie allow Candy to share their dream, and Candy encounters hope. Imperatively, Candy builds up a friendship with George and Lennie. Candy confides about his inner feelings regarding his dog to George and begins a companionship. Candy’s actions convey the idea that shared dreams develop hope and friendship.

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909 Words | 4 Pages

All of this examples indicate the friendship of Lennie and George is

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451 Words | 2 Pages

As candy wanted his companion to be with him at the end, as did george for lennie. Candy represents the old person who isn´t needed anymore, which is an inevitable outcome. As someday , you will grow incompetent of fulfilling demands, or needs, and will be let go. I determined this through his actions, quotes, symbolism, and foreshadowing. Candy is one of the most important characters to understand, as he is representative of

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605 Words | 3 Pages

Although George sometimes abuses Lennie’s blind loyalty, they think of each other as family and establish that they will always be there for each other. For example, George and Lennie share a dream in which they own a farm and live off of the land and look out for each other as a family. Faced with many hardships, George and Lennie maintain a strong bond. This example of unbreakable friendship and loyalty shows that no matter how different two people are, they are able to create inseparable relations and become true friend even when faced with

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