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John Steinbeck Friendship

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In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck portrays that migrant workers in the Great Depression do not value life in all of its potential. George and Lennie’s friendship is different from what the expectation is, the two of them depend on each other. On the ranch friendship has no place. The workers on the ranch view life as expendable, George and Lennie’s friendship provides an alternative in that they offer companionship to one another and share a common dream. Despite the allure of their friendship and their dream, survival of the fittest overpowers the desire for community. On the ranch, a man’s worth is understand based on physical production. Slim and the other men on the ranch are trying to convince Candy that it would be better …show more content…

The desire for community is a strong virtue, but in the Great Depression the philosophy of friendship is cast aside for a competitive hierarchy. While George and Lennie value community, there simply not an understanding of friendship so it is impossible for it to thrive on the ranch. The only two friendships known on the ranch both end in tragedy, someone ends up getting shot. George and Lennie, and Candy and his dog draw interesting parallels. Candy is convinced by the ranchers that it would be better for everyone if his dog died and let 's Carlson shoot him: "I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn 't ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog." Candy regrets the fact that the dog’s last moments were with Carlson who didn’t care for him, rather than spending it with him. George takes Candy 's thinking in stride when he decides to shoot Lennie. Curley and Carlson do not understand the struggles that George had to face when killing his friend. So when Carlson states " 'Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin ' them two guys?"(Steinbeck 107) Carlson cares very little for other men’s feelings, just as he cares little for seeing Lennie 's dead body. This is why Carlson cannot understand why George and Slim might be upset about Lennie being shot. Carlson has no understanding of the value of life past

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