Of Mice And Men George And Lennie's Relationship

In John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men”, Lennie and George travel together to work. They discuss the trouble they experience with Lennie's touching things he shouldn't and how that forces them to run, hide, and constantly search for work. Throughout the book, Steinbeck gives just a small picture of all the trouble Lennie has caused and how George continues to guide him to get by. A problem with a girl leads us to chapter 1 and 6, and how they share in setting, but George and Lennie's interactions differ. The similarities and differences of chapter 1 and 6 show how Lennie and George's cohesive friendship with a bright future develops into a loving bond that had to end.

Chapters 1 and 6 share a similarity in their descriptive, and concrete setting.

In chapter one, George talks in the rude way that any person talks to someone they have comfort with. He calls him names and hastily yells at him or speaks in a tone that he wouldn't to most people. “You never had none you crazy bastard” (Steinbeck, 4). George knows Lennie well from traveling with him and that he can get away with speaking to him in any way, so he normally speaks with that offensive, rude tone. Lennie, a dumb boy, always forgets what George has said to him, and constantly needs George to remind him, and to guide him. Lennie also looks up to George so much that he often repeats his actions. “Lennie, who had been watching, imitated George exactly. He pushed himself back, drew up his knees, embraced them, looked over to George to see whether he had it just right. He pulled his hat down a little more over his eyes, the way George's hat was” (Steinbeck, 4). Lennie does this not only because he looks up to George, but because he wants to impress in a way that in his head, makes up for him forgetting, and doing “bad things.” In chapter 6 however, Lennie travels on his own, without George's guidance and memory. He has the ability to remember and protect himself as he takes Carlson's gun with him back to the river. “Lennie said softly, “I di'n't forget, you