John Steinbeck portrays in his novelette Of Mice and Men the subject of solitariness. In the novella Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck writes about the Great Depression and how two friends, Lennie and George, stay together through this tough clip. They go from town to town and work on spreads, ever remaining together. This new oasis in California they stumble upon seems like a good tantrum, nevertheless Lennie creates jobs and terminates their opportunities of endurance at that place.
George and Lennie have an interesting and strong relationship for the clip period in which they live. Lennie and George have a parent to child type of relationship. Lennie, being the childlike of the two, does non hold the mental capacity to do determinations for himself. George shows the parental attitude and creates the most safe conditions for the both of them to populate and work. While this makes their friendship stronger, it besides creates tenseness when large determinations come into drama. George invariably sticks his cervix out for Lennie and makes life easier on him by taking the incrimination for jobs good as calculating out the tough state of affairss they are put in. When Lennie crushes Curley ‘s manus, they risk being fired. Slim negotiates with Curley after this accident to non state anyone about what happened or else “ we ‘ll state ever’body, an ‘ so will you acquire the laugh. ” ( 64 ) . The people working aboard George and Lennie acknowledge this and stop up lodging up for them when problem comes along. The compassion that George and Lennie express towards each other hang-ups off on the people that surround them and maintain them out of problem. George create a stable life environment for Lennie while he could non make so for himself. While George could hold abandoned Lennie, gone on his manner and go successful and non had many more jobs, nevertheless he chooses to remain beside Lennie for the ground that Lennie needs George to last. The love between the two creates a strong bond and a trueness that does non stop when George makes the ultimate forfeit for his friend and saves him from the anguish of lynching.
Not everyone has a comrade like Lennie throughout this narrative. In Steinbeck ‘s novel, Candy, an old, frail, crippled adult male who had worked on the spread for old ages has merely one comrade, his Canis familiaris. Candy and his Canis familiaris portion similar features. They are both aged, and neither of them really utile on the farm any longer due to age and malformation. Candy and his Canis familiaris ‘s relationship parallels that of George and Lennie ; both have a dominant leader, and both have the compassion and love for each other. Candy finds himself emotionally broken one time his lone friend, and merely existent intent in life dies. He can non convey himself to hit his Canis familiaris since to him, it is his best friend. Carlson nevertheless, has no job with killing the Canis familiaris, Carlson shows a ferocious attitude when he says “ If you want me to, I ‘ll set the old Satan out of his wretchedness. Right now and acquire it over with. Ai n’t nil left for him. Ca n’t eat, ca n’t see, ca n’t even walk without hurtin ‘ . ” ( 47 ) .
Carlson shows that he does n’t hold a attention in the universe, and does n’t cognize what it ‘s like to care about person adequate to desire them about. This scene is where the friendly relationship of Lennie and George differs from Candy and his Canis familiaris. Candy shows a more selfish expression at friendly relationship, where George sacrifices his best friend for the improvement of Lennie, Candy can non convey himself to hit his Canis familiaris because he can non bear to be entirely. After his Canis familiaris is gone nevertheless, he attaches himself to George and Lennie ‘s program in order to derive some other company and significance in his life. This portion of the narrative ties into the subject of the “ American Dream ” and endeavoring for something though it may look out of said individuals each. Having a friend along the manner creates an easier way to travel than traveling by themselves.
Steinbeck stresses the demand of meaningful friendly relationship through this adversity we call life. Particularly in the puting the novelette is placed, where on spreads people have no 1 but themselves, it ‘s necessary to hold a friend to non travel brainsick with solitariness. Crooks, an African American who works on the spread, is basically an castaway, turn outing this statement when he says, “ A cat goes nuts if he ai n’t got cipher. Do n’t do no difference who the cat is, long ‘s he with you… ” ( 73 ) . People, like Crooks says, need person to speak to or else insanity sets in. Other work forces depicted in Of Mice and Men show a selfishness that comes with solitariness, every bit good as a deficiency of sensitiveness. Steinbeck based the rubric off of a verse form, which says “ The best-laid programs of mice and men/Gang aft agley ( frequently go incorrect ) /And leave us naught but grief and pain/For promised joy. ” This statement is proved over and over once more in the text, shown when George makes the difficult determination to end Lennie ‘s life for the better, thought it was non portion of their great “ American Dream ” and how Crooks has a strong desire for a friend, nevertheless has isolated himself because of common belief. Life changing determinations consequence the hereafter and peoples desires, go forthing the people in this novelette lonely, depressed, and in demand of friendly relationship, the little spark of hope that George and Lennie bring when they come to the spread discontinues the loneliness momently.
Steinbeck demonstrates in his novel Of Mice and Men the battle of keeping a close friendly relationship and how unusual companies finally makes life easier. He proves that George and Lennie ‘s unusual friendly relationship helped both Lennie and George maintain the idealistic idea of “ best friends. ” He shows that even the smallest of comrades, such as a Canis familiaris, can give a needful oversight in solitariness. But most of all, Steinbeck demonstrates how friendship gives hope in the hereafter and optimism for what existent friendly relationship is. This thought relates non merely to the Great Depression, but the demand in every human being for some type of connexion and company. It besides shows the battle that comes with friendly relationship, and the forfeits needed to be made for a true friend.
