Of mice and menFriendship

Lennie and George

The main friendship displayed throughout ‘Of mice and men’ is the friendship of Lennie and George. Their friendship is unusual as they have very contrasting personalities and also it shocks the people on the ranch as it is very rare that people would travel around together. However we are unsure whether George chose to look after Lennie or that ‘Aunt Clara’ expected George to. George often gets frustrated with Lennie as he had quite an immature state of mind. Overall we can tell that they both have a strong friendship because at the end of the book it shows that George would go to great lengths to look out for Lennie and to keep him from harm.

Lennie and George

‘We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us’

- George, Page 15

‘because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you’

- Lennie, Page 15-16

‘It ain’t so funny, him an’ me goin’ aroun’ together, … kinda used to each other after a little while’

- George, Page

Candy

Candy is desperate for friendship, you can tell this by the way he is friendly and

welcoming when Lennie and George arrives. He instantly connects with their dream of

living on a ranch. Candy often seeks companionship from his dog which he has raised

from a pup.

‘well – hell! I had him since he was a pup. Was the best damn sheep dog I have ever seen.’

This relationship between Candy and the dog is similar to the relationship between

George and Lennie. Candy loves the dog even if he smells and George loves Lennie

even if he isn’t too bright.

CrooksCrooks is a very lonely character as he is black and at the time when the book waswritten there was a lot of racial discrimination, therefore Crooks would have been seen asa lower rank than all the other workers on the ranch. However Lennie is unaware of thisand tries to befriend him. Crooks is very cautious about Lennie, and quite resentful.However eventually he lets Lennie into his room.

‘S'pose you didn't have nobody. S'pose you couldn't go intothe bunk house and play rummy 'cause you was black.

How'd you like that? S'pose you had to sit out here an' readbooks. Sure you could play horseshoes till it got dark, butthen you got to read books. Books ain't no good. A guyneeds somebody - to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he

ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is,long's he's with you. I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely

an' he gets sick.’ - Crooks, Chapter 4.

Curley’s WifeI believe that Curley’s wife is quite resentful of Lennie and George because she

is jealous of their friendship. In the book you began to get the idea that she

doesn’t have a very good relationship with Curley. Therefore she wouldn’t have

anyone to talk to. Also she often mocks their idea of living on the ranch, this

might be because she never achieved her dream of being an actress so she

doesn’t want them to achieve theirs either.

‘think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?’

- Curley’s Wife, page 77.