Of_Mice_and_Men

BATMAN AND ROBIN OR SUPERMAN AND LEX LUTHER' According to dictionary.com, friendship is the relationship between two friends. So what is a friend' Based on the same source a friend is a person who expresses 4 main personality traits: 1. Support, 2. Not hostile, 3. Mutually feels you are his/ her friend and 4. Affection. In of mice and men, Steinbeck plays with these characteristics and makes it seem as if the two protagonists in the novella are true companions. They are always together, but that is not a key trait to friendship. In this essay I will prove that their emotions towards each other never developed into a true companionship and that despite responsibility, aspiration, and obedience, their relationship is only physical. There are many reasons why a person may think that Lenny and George are best friends. The book begins with them together walking one behind the other as if they have been together for a long time. There are also key things that the characters do and do not do that indicate a supposed emotional bond. George doesn’t leave Lenny and likewise Lenny doesn’t leave George. George looks after and cares for Lenny and fully sacrifices his personal dream for Lenny. Lenny tries his best to please George and obey his commands. These are all true but there are factors behind theses actions that make their relationship far from an actual friendship. George is a very complex character because he is a rather knowledgeable person. He is also the foundation and the responsibility holder in the novel. But these traits make it harder for him to truly be lennie's friend. He stays with Lenny solely so he will not be alone He is clearly the boss out of the two and he makes that evident by constantly giving Lenny orders. Throughout the book Lenny doesn’t make one decision for himself and this is because George does it for him. He cannot even introduce himself (21), and others see it and some even use that to their advantage. Curley's wife mentions “ George giving you orders and everything (86)” when he refuses to talk to her because George said so, and earlier in the novel Curley gets into a fight because he knows Lenny will not retaliate unless George says so (62-63). He also sees Lenny as a major burden. In the beginning of the book he tells Lenny “ when I think of the swell time I could be having without you, I go nuts (12)”, which means that the time they are together (which as mentioned earlier is all the time) George is not happy. Also George uses the one thing Lenny believes in to his advantage. When ever Lennie's is off task he is quickly revokes his promise of tending to the rabbits, whenever he wants Lenny to do something he refers to the rabbits and Lenny quickly corrects himself, which brings you to the conclusion that George doesn’t really believe in their aspiration but is actually lying to Lenny and using it as a hypothetical whip. In some cases it is to give Lenny something to look forward to but in others it is to keep him under control. It is all Lenny knows and cares about and a true friend would not lie about something, as childish as it may seem, so important. And finally George does the worst thing you can do to a friend, kill them then betray them. He gives Lenny the final scene of their planned dream, only to shoot him execution style while he imagines his goal is so close to being accomplished. Many may see this as a way to let Lenny go peacefully, but it can also be negative because now, Lenny will never be able to achieve that dream no matter how unrealistic it seemed to others. After shooting Lenny instead of coming up with a story to show the other ranchers how harmless and innocent he actually was, George creates a story portraying Lenny as dangerous and armed. There was no logical reason for him doing that. The others would have embraced him if he simply told the truth; they were going to kill him and punish him brutally for killing Curley's wife anyway. Lenny is a tougher character to analyze because he is not ordinary and his actions do not necessarily tell how he feels. What makes others happy and what makes others upset is very different based on his on feelings. And simply put Lenny is happy when he thinks the dream may come true and is not happy when he is told it will not happen. That is how Lenny’s mind works. His complication, relationship wise, has noting to do with George. Although he calls Lenny a friend based on the definition he is more of a pet or dog. George is loyal to Lenny for all the wrong reasons but Lenny is loyal only for the “reward”. He simply tags along and goes wherever George goes and the definition of friendship does not necessarily include obedience. In Lennys case, based on the way George treat him, he has no real reason to comply with George but the only reason he does as he is told is out of fear. In the novel crooks brings up the fact that “ s’pose, jus’ s’pose he don’t come back (72)”. Lenny gets angry and the reader automatically assumes that its because he cares about George but we later find out that it is because he is afraid he will not have the opportunity to have his alfalfa patch if George is gone. Every second of the book Lenny goes on and on about how they will tend to the rabbits and have chickens; its all that is on his mind. In other words he is too childish and ignorant to know how to be an actual friend and what a true companion is. In conclusion Lenny and George are not friends even though many people may think otherwise. Based on the definition of a friend, George supports but Lenny cannot, Lenny is not hostile but George is at many times, Lenny shows affection but George never really displays any love, and finally neither one thinks the other is a true friend. George sees Lenny as a burden but company nonetheless and Lenny sees George as a ticket to “the fat of the land”. They have a very strong physical relationship but it never develops into a relationship based on love and affection and happiness but on fear of loneliness an unaccomplished dreams, which is not what friendship is.