How Steinbeck Presents the Relationship in ‘of Mice and Men’
The book was set in California in the 1930’s when America had a great depression which affected everyone because everyone was unemployed and had to travel to look for work so it is showing George and Lennie traveling together to achive their dream, like everyone else in America, which is very unrealistic which is why they travel together. In the book there is a theme of loneliness. George and Lennie plan to buy a farm for just them two to live on so they wont have to worry about being lonely. “Well, we’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens.
And when it rains in the winter, we’ll just say the hell with goin’ to work, and we’ll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an’ listen to the rain comin’ down on the roof.. ” There dream is giving them something to work for so they can forget about being lonely and have a great life. The writer presents George and Lennies relationship as close but George gets really protective of Lennie. ‘Hide in the brush till I come for you. dont let nobody see you. ‘ This shows that George does not want Lennie to get caught if he does something bad.
But if he does get caught he wants him to be safe and so they can stay together. This is also giving the reader a little clue that he might get in trouble later on in the story. Without a doubt the writer succsessfully shows George and Lennies relationship as not very good at times. ‘When I think of the swell time I could have without you I go nuts. ‘ This is suggesting that George is getting very sick of Lennie always getting them both in trouble because whenever he does do something bad they both have to move and get a new job.
He is also getting sick of Lennies childish behaviour and how he constantly has to remind Lennie what to do and tell him about their plans all of the time. When George says this Lennie tells him taht if he wants he will go off on is own and live by himself because he knows George cares about him but thinks he is too much for him to handle. This means that George doesen’t want Lennie around all the time because he is too much bother and he is ruining Georges life. Also George wants them to stick together bacause it is during the great depression. The writer also shows George as a father figure for Lennie by how he tells Lennie what to do. Lennie, for god sakes, don’t drink so much’. This is because George cares for Lennie and doesn’t want him to get sick. It is like how a parent would tell their child not to drink too much and to not be greedy. When George syas for god sakes it shows how George is getting a bit annoyed at Lennie because he says it sort of snapping at him. ‘George raised the gun and steadied it and brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennies head’. George shoots Lennie because he is always getting them both into trouble and George is getting sick of it.
The writer drags it out to build up the tension so the reader can imagine how horrible it would be for George to do it after he promised Lennies aunt that he would look after him. George cares for Lennie so he doesn’t want him to get hurt, ‘Get him Lennie, don’t let him do it’. This is particularly effective because it shows how George wants Lennnie to be able to fight back and stick up for himself so he doesn’t have to fight for him all of the time, but doesn’t want Lennie to be pushed around all the time so it shows that their relationship is close. Where we going George? ’ ‘So you forgot already did you? I gotta tell you again? ’ Lennie forgets everything, so George always has to remind him of their plans and what they are doing which is why George gets very annoyed with him at times. When George says again this is showing that he has already explaind their plans to Lennie and that he is slowly getting sick of telling him. Also when he says already this is showing that George is expecting Lennie to forget what he told him but he didn’t expect it to be quite so soon.
Lennie looks up to George and copies everything he does. Lennie who had been watching imitated George exactly. This is because he follows George around all the time so he is like a father figure. Also because George does everything right, Lennie wants to be just like him. George tells Lennie to stay away from Curly and his wife because he knows that they are trouble and he doesn’t want Lennie getting them both in bother with Curly. This is showing George as being very protective of Lennie because he knows what Curly is like and he knows that he will end up getting hurt.
In the beginning, Geeorge and Lennie are on their way to where they will start work because Lennie got them both in big trouble at their last job because he is clumsy and doesn’t think, which is why George has to tell hime what to do and keep him out of trouble like a parent and their child. George has to tell Lennie where to go if he gets in trouble because he knows he will get into trouble because he always gets into trouble but he wants to make sure that he is okay and that they can stay together and so George can look after Lennie like he promised his aunt.
