Examples Of Brotherhood In Of Mice And Men

In the novella Of Mice and Men by the author John Steinbeck, George Milton and Lennie Smalls deal with the pitfalls of migrant work while employed as ranch hands in the midst of the Great Depression. Steinbeck explores the theme of brotherhood through George’s responsibilities towards Lennie, Lennie’s downfall, and the ranch hands’ camaraderie. Throughout the work, John Steinbeck proves that brotherhood cannot outstand all of life’s challenges and necessary decisions. First, George’s dedication to Lennie shows an example of brotherhood in the plot. George began watching over Lennie after his Aunt Clara, his primary caretaker, passed away. Even though Lennie has cost him many jobs and opportunities, George does not leave him behind. George reassures Lennie, “‘I want you to stay with me, Lennie...No, you stay with me. Your Aunt Clara wouldn’t like you running off by yourself…’” (Steinbeck 13). This quote is an example of George expressing how he

After George kills Lennie, Slim reassures him, “‘You hadda, George. I swear you hadda.’” (107). He expresses that George had to shoot Lennie, because if he hadn’t, Lennie would had been killed violently. Slim is showing his brotherhood and loyalty to George even though he just watched him kill his only other friend. Crooks is the only African American on the ranch and is also very kind to Lennie and shows him respect even though they have many differences. “‘Come on in and set a while,’ Crooks said. ‘Long as you won’t get out and leave me alone, you might as well set down.’” (69). Even though Lennie bothered him at first, he still lets him stay in the room because everyone else was gone and if Lennie was alone he could get himself into trouble. This shows Crooks’s true values and feelings as he cares enough to protect Lennie from himself. This shows his brotherhood even for someone of a different race than