From a close study of the opening of the novel; and with reference to other stages throughout, discuss the relationship of George and Lennie, commenting on how it relates to the theme of loneliness

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Mice and Men

“From a close study of the opening of the novel; and with reference to other stages throughout, discuss the relationship of George and Lennie, commenting on how it relates to the theme of loneliness”

By Matthew Keane

In the novel, the two main characters, George and Lennie, have a parent-child relationship, as George leads the way for Lennie; he also gives him advice and teaches him.  Lennie follows all advice that George gives him.  The idea of a teacher-student relationship is evident because George shows all signs of intelligence; he gives all the advice, and has all the ideas.  Lennie on the other hand, is mentally challenged, and needs all the advice that George can give him.  Lennie’s mental capability is reflected in his descriptive appearance, he is often compared to animals, his actions and reactions are childlike, and he also has a bad memory.  However, Lennie’s bad memory can lead to friction, as George can lost his temper with him because he often has to remind Lennie several times before he can remember.  Overall, they’re more like father and son than equal adults.

From the first time they are introduced, we immediately get the impression of one being a follower and another being a leader, we can tell this by the line,

“They had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other”

The word “even” in this sentence signifies that no matter what, George will always lead Lennie, even though there was plenty of space for Lennie to walk next to him, he still stayed behind George.

The reader is given an immediate insight to Lennie’s character when Steinbeck uses animal imagery; most of his actions are compared to animals,

“Lennie dabbled his big paw”

These animal comparisons tells the reader that Lennie shares the innocent qualities, as most of his actions are made on impulse, and he doesn’t think about what he’s doing.  Lennie also has a childlike innocence, because he has the mind of a child and again doesn’t think about his actions.  However, Lennie’s animal-like behaviour shows that he can have an unpredictable nature, as his acting on impulse can have unexpected results.

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The childlike qualities that Lennie displays can sometimes lead to friction between him and George.  This happens when Lennie’s memory loss causes George to lost his temper frequently,

“So you forgot that already did you? I gotta tell you again do I?  Jesus Christ, you’re a crazy bastard”

This happens frequently in the novel, this quote is taken just after the bus driver drops them off at the wrong place, George has a reason to chastise Lennie about his poor memory, these outbursts also show that he is in control of Lennie.

Steinbeck reinforces the point about ...

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