The Need For Friendship In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

“‘But not us! An’ why? Because … Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why,’ [Lennie] laughed delightedly ” (Steinbeck 14). My guess is, you probably recall this quote from John Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men. What you may not remember are the underlying themes hidden within his novella. Before you disregard this letter as another one of my rants, let me explain. As you may know, Steinbeck was known to use his platform as a writer to represent the struggles of average people in society (Hickey). In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck used the universal theme of mankind’s need for friendship to continue this idea. More specifically, he used the unusual friendship of George and Lennie and contrasted them against

Although many people want Of Mice and Men removed from libraries due to its vulgar language, there are still significant meanings behind the story (Five). I was reading Of Mice and Men for school one night while you two were bickering as usual. Coincidentally, George and Lennie were also arguing and I could not help but to compare the two situations. One small difference that I discovered was your inability to forgive each other. Perhaps that difference is actually a lack of underlying trust in your relationship. For example, instead of looking past your disagreements like George and Lennie, you hold on to them and carry them around with you like a chip on your shoulder. In hindsight these pointless arguments can greatly affect your relationship because you won’t trust each other as much as you should be able too. What you could learn from George and Lennie is sometimes you have to have a short memory. Those small arguments may seem big in the moment, but in the end they will not matter. What will matter is having your loving and supportive sister by your side in whatever you