John Steinbeck’s classic novella Of Mice and Men depicts a few days in the lives of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, in 1930s California. George is a cunning natural leader, and Lennie is his mentally handicapped traveling companion. Together, the two of them find work at a ranch in fertile Salinas Valley until Lennie accidentally strangles their hotheaded coworker’s wife. Though the two are incredibly different with regard to their roles and mental capacities, they in fact share some deeper similarities which help to illuminate meaning about the nature of fraternal companionship. George is a cunning leader who plans ahead in his devotion to Lennie and to his goal in life. When George and Lennie finally arrive at the ranch to meet …show more content…
Whenever and wherever George leads, Lennie follows. Shortly after arriving at the ranch, George recounts to Slim a harrowing anecdote about Lennie’s unwavering allegiance. One day George told Lennie to jump into the Sacramento River; and although Lennie could not swim, he nevertheless jumped in and nearly drowned. Additionally, Lennie cannot remember much of anything about others or even about himself. When George takes a dead mouse from Lennie, Lennie remarks that a lady used to give him mice to pet; and George must remind him that the “lady” is Lennie’s own Aunt Clara. George and Lennie seem like an entirely contrasting pair at first glance, but further observation yields several noteworthy similarities. Most notably, they are both driven by the same ultimate aspiration in life—to live independently on their own land. Constantly, Lennie asks George whether he will still be allowed to tend to the rabbits on their future farm despite his missteps. After Lennie horrifyingly disfigures Curley’s hand, his first and only question to George is about the rabbits, not about the egregious act he has just committed. Finally, George and Lennie are devoted to each other through whatever may come their way. When Crooks teases Lennie that someone may harm George on his night out, Lennie reveals his devotion to George