Consideration of Relationship between Lennie and George.
Question 1
Consideration of Relationship between Lennie and George.
A father and son relationship is mainly comprised of the father looking after the son like a child. This is the substitute for friendship in George and Lennie's case.
Lennie is George's companion, and he is also the source of much of the conflict transpiring in the novel. Enormous, and mentally slow, Lennie is the complete opposite to George both mentally and physically and this is his fatal flaw. His innocence, ignorance, helplessness and childish actions, such as his desire to pet soft things, contrast his physical bulkiness. Although he has no cruel intentions, his stupidity and carelessness cause him to harm animals and people around him and gets him and George into trouble, causing themselves unwanted grief.
He is devoted to hearing George tell the dream of having a farm, but he does not desire the dream of an American worker in the same way that George does. His understanding of George's dream is more childish, and he grows excited at the possibility of tending the future rabbits. But a dream is a dream, different for everyone, and they both desire what they have not got. However, Lennie is helpless to achieve his dream, and relies completely on George to fuel his hope and dreams and to save him from trouble as often as it arises.
The central feature of the novel is the unlikely relationship between George and Lennie. It appears that Lennie, because of his mental immaturity, is completely reliant upon George for his survival and security, and for his main goal of obtaining work at the various ranches where they are sent. But what is also an important element of this relationship is that George is equally reliant on Lennie for companionship in the generally unfriendly and lonely environment. It is seen that when George admits to Slim when discussing himself and Lennie that 'it's a lot nicer to go around with a guy you know'. Therefore it can be seen that George is not with Lennie purely because he feels pity over him or of duty to Lennie's Aunt Clara. This bond of trust is highlighted in the closing lines of the novel.
Their companionship is an important factor in the novel. Although the two men are not unique for wanting a place and a life of their own, but in the day and age this novel was set, it is unique that they have each other. Their companionship contrasts the loneliness that surrounds them and the lives of the other ranch workers, the nigger, Curley's wife etc. The reader then becomes curious as to the unlikely friendship that is between them. But can we call it a friendship? Lennie would not hesitate to call George a friend, but would that ...
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Their companionship is an important factor in the novel. Although the two men are not unique for wanting a place and a life of their own, but in the day and age this novel was set, it is unique that they have each other. Their companionship contrasts the loneliness that surrounds them and the lives of the other ranch workers, the nigger, Curley's wife etc. The reader then becomes curious as to the unlikely friendship that is between them. But can we call it a friendship? Lennie would not hesitate to call George a friend, but would that be so in the case of George. Might he be hesitant to admit a certain fondness for Lennie? As he tells Slim, he has become so used to having Lennie around that he simply "can't get rid of him"! Annoyed at Lennie for being who he is, George demonstrates patience, pride and protectiveness when it comes to Lennie. Pride in the video of seeing Lennie carry a sack of barley single-handedly with not even the shed of a sweat, while the other workers worked in pairs, struggling to carry one sack. But as I have said before, he may be motivated to stay with Lennie through a sense of guilt, responsibility, pity, or even a desire to not be alone by himself. But perhaps his actions, and certainly feelings, might be motivated by a combination of them all. Yet for us the reader, unable to delve deeper into George's mind, wonder why George stays with Lennie, after seeing all the grief Lennie has caused for the both of them. Georges' life might be significantly better without Lennie, and we can often see that he desires independence when Lennie causes trouble, which creates a major source of tension in the novel, and this tension is not resolved until the tragic ending when George, out of fear for Lennie, kills him, sparing him the suffering of being caught by Curley. From this we can see that George will go to any lengths to protect Lennie and resolves it humanely by ending his grief, but this could also partly be because the strain of Lennie's company makes it impossible for George to survive with his companion. This demonstration of nobility and loyalty is a repeat in the way Candy's dog is shot in the back of the head by the same gun. This suggests that Lennie is like a faithful and loyal dog belonging to George, but unlike Candy, who let someone else shoot his dog, George shot Lennie himself ensuring that he meets his end painlessly and with dignity.
George is Lennie's protector, and this is a unique relationship from any of the others in the novel. When they first reach the ranch, they enter the boss' office, and it is seen that George orders Lennie to "say nothing", fearing that if "the boss finds out what a crazy bastard Lennie is, they won't get no job", and because this is an important point to note, it is seen in the novel and video. This indicates that they also seem to have a master-slave relationship, and also when Lennie innocently call Curley's wife "purty", George becomes furious and instructs Lennie to "not even look at that bitch".
The boss is very suspicious, because he has not seen "one guy take so much trouble for another guy. He thinks George must be exploiting Lennie by taking away his pay therefore this relationship is truly unusual. "We kinda look after each other".
But George is also partly responsible for Lennie's insecurity. In "Of Mice And Men", George practically destroys Lennie's free will, making Lennie completely dependent upon him. For example, when George confides in Slim and tells him about the incident that nearly drowned Lennie and it is big of George to reveal this because it does not reflect well on him, but it does demonstrate Lennie's infinite loyalty to George, and at the beginning when they have a conversation near 'the brush', Lennie threatens to "go off in the hills an' find a cave", whenever George treats him cruelly. This is a significant point to note. Lennie does not respond to George with violence or offensive language, but proposes to quietly retreat to the hills. This is an indication of Lennie's feelings toward George, showing that he greatly values him as a friend and wishes no harm to come to him. But at least when he does inspire to go into the hills, he exerts a measure of freedom. Also, when Lennie enters Crooks' room, Crooks starts a hypothetical conversation with him, saying things like 'S'pose George don't come back no more. S'pose he took a powder and just ain't coming back'. 'He won't do it' Lennie cries, and this is a perfect sign of Lennie's feelings for George. He is sure that George will come back after him knowing George for so many years. He believes and trusts George and, not knowing it was a hypothetical question, lashes out at Crooks. Although as we dive deeper into the book, we realise that Lennie seems to loose willpower, especially when Curley fights with Lennie and George must order him to "get 'im", and when Lennie nearly kills Curley, George must order Lennie to "leggo of 'im".
Lennie trust George completely, so completely that he even walks behind him in open spaces, implying that he is more of a follower than a leader, and when George stops walking, Lennie almost bumps into him. This only hints at the fact that he relies on George to show him the way in everything. He obviously cannot think for himself, and although he greatly admires George, he will be unable to lead a normal life without him.
Although he is simple-minded and forgetful, he is not by far emotionally unaware. He realises that he is sometimes a burden to George and would rather go his own way than stay if he were unwanted. He is immediate to sense a bad atmosphere at the ranch and we feel like he senses his own fate when he says, "I don't like this place, George. This ain't no good place. I wanna get outta here".
But the two are almost inseparable. George needs Lennie almost as much as Lennie needs George, for example, at the beginning they both chant "I got you an' ' ... 'An' I got you". This cannot be said in the case of many of the other ranchers!
Lennie provides the real driving force behind the dream. George also gains confidence from being with Lennie. He admits to Slim that it makes him look and feel "God damn smart".
George tells Lennie not to do certain thing, like look at Curley's wife, or drink with his head in the water but to use his hands as a cup, or even to pet nice things because, from past experience, George knows that it will bring trouble. These are all child-like qualities and when George shows him and tells him how to do things, it is like a father teaching a son. He disciplines him.
