Comparing George And Lennie In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Abby More

English 11

Ms. Ulring

18 May 2023

Lean On Me Most relationships contain what could be considered factors of exploitation. This is because companions are able to give each other things that they themselves do not have, or can lean on each other for help and support when needed. In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie lean on each other to survive. Lennie has an intellectual disability and therefore needs guidance with basic thinking and reasoning. However, he is a great, strong worker, and will do whatever is asked of him. George is a smart, adequate, and satisfactory guy and travels with Lennie to get good work. They stay together and rely on each other despite the peculiarity of it during this time. The relationship between George and Lennie in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is very complex with elements of exploitation. However, George genuinely cares for Lennie and wants to help him succeed, while Lennie seems to be content with the arrangement

George wanted to be sure that Lennie never thought that he was mad at him. Certainly, there were times that he was upset with Lennie, but he knew that Lennie didn’t know any better. Before Lennie was killed, George had told him, “‘No, Lennie. I ain’t mad. I never been mad, an’ I ain’t now. That’s a thing I want ya to know’” (Steinbeck 106). George knew that Lennie always felt awful for letting George down or getting into accidental trouble. However, he did not want Lennie to die believing that George was mad at him. That strong connection that the two had was something special and they both wanted the best for each other. They needed that someone to talk to, to take care of, to support, to take away the loneliness, and they had each other to do that. The need for socialization and companionship is incredibly critical and George and Lennie were able to fill that for each