George certainly does treat Lennie as a younger sibling, or a child, at least. On page 7, George demands that Lennie hand over a mouse that he was hiding in his pocket, and the scene serves to highlight Lennie's innocence, but also George's constant role as supervisor. His familiarity with this role is portrayed when Lennie returns with the mouse: He appears sympathetic (“Poor bastard...”) but immediately knows that Lennie had retrieved the mouse because his “feet was wet”. Here, Steinbeck is creating a sense of repetition and deja vu, which further suggests to the reader that this relationship has spanned a long time, and so George's patience with Lennie is even more remarkable.
However, Steinbeck avoids portraying George as a saintly figure who only lives to guide Lennie and to do so with no complaints. One of the novella's key themes is the harshness of everyday life in this time, and to successfully lay this out Steinbeck creates a sense of resentment bubbling under the surface of George's side of the relationship. He often insults Lennie, calling him a “crazy bastard” and a “fool” several times, while littering every situation with exclamations of how much trouble Lennie is and how better off he would be without him (“God, you're a lot of trouble... I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn't have you on my tail.”). This frustration culminates and is released in one lengthy outburst on page 12, in which George lists all the things he could do without Lennie, like “stay in a cat-house all night” and “eat any place” he wanted, but also outlines an event which will shed light on Lennie's true nature later in the book (“Jus' wanted to feel that girl's dress”). The manner in which Steinbeck subtly manipulates the wording and structure of George's behaviour and his outbursts, however, creates the sense that George's resentment is not directed at Lennie specifically but rather his entire situation – that George is somewhat using Lennie as a excuse for why his life isn't perfect when, really, he knows there are many other factors contributing to his situation, not just his slow-minded companion. This theory is proven when Steinbeck writes that “[George's] anger left him suddenly.” This phrase indicates that George really was only letting off steam, and once that steam had been sufficiently let off, he immediately felt guilty, showing that he himself knew that Lennie was not to blame for all his troubles. George's guilt is demonstrated earlier in the section just a page before on page 11, where, after Lennie became upset about George disposing of his mouse, “George put his hand on Lennie's shoulder” and insisted that he wasn't “takin' it away jus' for meanness”, promising to “let [Lennie] keep [a fresh mouse] a little while”. Steinbeck shows this softer side of George to avoid creating a vengeful, unsympathetic character with whom the reader would not connect, and also to give the relationship realism – one of George's reasons for staying with Lennie is because he would feel too guilty leaving him.
Steinbeck takes the opportunity to use George's demonstration of guilt on page 13 to show that Lennie is not completely oblivious to everything around him, as he picks up very quickly on George's remorse following his outburst and tries to use it to his advantage by 'guilt-tripping' him, suggesting craftily that he “could go off in the hills” if George wanted. This is a continuation of the portrayal of the parallels between a sibling relationship and George and Lennie's relationship, on two levels this time: the guilt trip is a classic move by younger siblings over older, and this fact is indeed what Steinbeck intends for the reader to pick up on, that Lennie's behaviour is simply that of a child. Furthermore, note that Lennie describes to George how good his life would be if he was by himself (“I'd lay out in the sun and nobody'd hurt me. An' if I foun' a mouse, I could keep it.”), which is exactly what George was saying to Lennie just moments ago. Even in their arguments, Lennie cannot help but mimic George, a habit which many younger siblings possess. Steinbeck uses this unusual turning of the tables to create a more dynamic, and wholly more interesting, relationship between the two men.
Lennie, still using George's guilty conscience to his advantage, tries to coax a story out of George by asking him to 'tell about the rabbits'. The story, which is in fact a long-held dream, is the crux of George and Lennie's friendship. The trials and tribulations through which the pair struggle are all worthwhile as long as they have a far-off place for which they are striving. In fact, it may be reasonable to say that their interdependence on this dream is the only thing keeping their friendship together. Or, inversely, that their friendship is the only thing keeping the dream together. As, without the other, George and Lennie are unable to believe in the possibility of such a place, just as a fairytale lacks credibility when you read it for yourself, instead of having it read to you and being able to share the childish wonderment of such dreamt-up lands.
The second section introduces the hitherto sole characters into the setting of the ranch, and into the company of the rest of the cast. The overall intention of this section is to depict the rarity and preciousness of Lennie and George's type of relationship in a world in which companionship is scarce, despite there being a great need for it. Steinbeck does this by employing characters to further the reader's knowledge, understanding and opinion of Lennie and George through interaction with other characters. As Steinbeck writes the novella in third-person narrative that is at all times separate from any particular character (aside from a brief page with Lennie at the close of the book), he must use characters as catalysts of sorts to get across the true essence of each individual in the book and build a 3D appreciation of them.
The first new character introduced is Candy, an old, disabled swamper. His interactions are limited to George and he seems not to notice Lennie, who does a very good job of following George's instructions not to speak. It is significant that when he does speak, he merely repeats what George says (“'As strong as a bull,' he repeated.”).
Steinbeck uses the men's interactions with the boss to explain to the reader that George and Lennie's relationship was not an often-seen sight in this part of America at this time. Steinbeck's portrayal of the ranch is as a microcosm of 1930s America, and so each person within the ranch represents a different group of society. The Boss symbolises all authority figures, and his suspicion of George and Lennie's relationship typifies the money-centric mentality of men in business – he presumes George is only with Lennie to take his money off him, and the difficulty he has accepting this indicates the strangeness of companionship in this world of solitude (as he says, “I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy.”)
George's role as Lennie's carer is exampled prominently in this scene; he has to talk for Lennie, and testify to his ability to work. His speech almost feels like he is trying to sell an animal, insisting that he “can do anything you tell him”. The suggestion of Lennie as an animal isn't a new one; Steinbeck employs this method many times, particularly on page 10, where he describes Lennie as a “terrier who doesn't want to bring a ball to its master” and in further pages, when Steinbeck advances the association between Lennie and a pet to give an additional viewpoint on his and George's relationship through the description of Candy's old dog.
Steinbeck implies that George himself doesn't even know how to justify their relationship by writing that George says Lennie was “his cousin” who was “kicked in the head by a horse when he was a kid” which, as we learn from Lennie, is a lie. Even to the man in the friendship, their situation seems odd enough to lie about it.
The third new character to appear is Curley, the boss's son, who Steinbeck uses to represent the aggressive, confrontational men of America. He does not inquire about George and Lennie's relationship, instead accusing them of questionable conduct (“'Oh, so it's that way.'”). By introducing an inflammatory, trouble-starting character, Steinbeck allows George to show his unwavering defence of Lennie, who in turn was, despite his obvious strength, completely inexperienced in and incapable of standing up for himself without clear guidance from George. However, George admits that “'Lennie's strong and quick and Lennie don't know no rules.'” Through this, Steinbeck demonstrates the innocence of this man whose size and power are completely unmatched to his mental capability, thus justifying Lennie's side of the relationship: he is too dangerous without instruction. Lennie himself does not know this exactly, but he understands that it is vital he always follows George's lead and because of this dedication to adhering to George's every command, Lennie constantly watches George, even when George is doing something as unremarkable as playing cards (“Lennie was lying down on the bunk watching him”). And almost as much as Lennie watches George, George instructs Lennie. In a repeat of the scene in the first section, George explains to Lennie what to do in the event of trouble, this time with Curley, and in the next few pages, with Curley's wife. Steinbeck's repetition of this scenario is intended to make George look as if he is over-planning and generally having an exceedingly pessimistic view of Lennie's capabilities; however, as the reader finds out in the final section, George knows Lennie better than Lennie does himself and manages to predict all of his downfalls, from the attack on Curley to the doing-something-bad to Curley's wife in the final section.
Steinbeck now introduces Slim, a dim ray of light in the otherwise uninviting world of the ranch. His immediate reaction to the men is completely opposite to the reactions of the previous characters – “he looked kindly at the two”. Steinbeck uses Slim to represent the few wise men left in the world who are respected by all and who show respect back. Through Slim's wisdom Steinbeck can vocalize what is probably his own opinion on the subject of companionship in a way that would be inappropriate through any other character: “Maybe ever'body in the whole damn world is scared of each other”. And from this comment, George manages to find the justification he struggled with earlier: “It's a lot nicer to go round with a guy you know.”
Carlson is then introduced, who out of all the ranchmen, appears to understand companionship the least. It is he who proposes and carries out the killing of Candy's old dog. Steinbeck purposefully creates several parallels between George and Lennie and Candy and his dog throughout the text, so that this 'mercy killing' can act as a foreshadow of Lennie's killing in future sections. Carlson's justification for killing Candy's dog is that it “ain't no good to itself” and that it was kinder to put him “out of his misery”. Candy argues that he's 'had him so long' and that he 'doesn't mind looking after him'. When George is presented with the decision of whether or not to kill Lennie, Carlson and Candy's arguments act as sort of devil-and-angel figures on his shoulder, as they echo true for Lennie's situation as well. Steinbeck's use of a dog to represent Lennie allows the reader to hear the arguments for and against the dog's (and thus Lennie's) killing without these arguments needing to be voiced by George at the actual moment of the deed, and thus in-keeping with the cinematic, non-thought-intrusive tone of the novella.
Section three is a lengthy section in which several key events occur, although not all of them relating to the presentation of the relationship between George and Lennie. The opening is a key event which does relate, and in it Steinbeck clearly uses Slim as a vehicle for exposition, moving the plot along by drawing out information from George which otherwise the reader could not have been told. This is a key technique used by Steinbeck, providing a scene which reads at some points almost like a monologue, as Slim's purpose in the scene is not to add information but act as a carrying for the things George needs to get off his chest.
George's preliminary defensiveness is characteristic of men in this time as Curley and the Boss have shown, but the fact that he so quickly loses his inhibitions and tells Slim things without Slim even needing to ask shows that George cannot confide in Lennie, and so is eager to talk once given to space to do so.
George's objection to Slim's description of him being a “smart little guy” and Lennie being “a cuckoo” indicates that, despite all George's insults and complaints, he doesn't see himself as exceedingly better than Lennie. This openness leads to George admitting that it is partially his fault that he is in the situation he is in: “'If I was bright... I'd have my own little place, … 'stead of doin' all the work and not getting what comes outta the ground.'”
On page 40 and 42, Steinbeck repeats the phrase “got/get used to”; this was used previously in relation to Candy, when he stated he “just got used to” the smell of his old dog. These subtle similarities in the two groups' situations all play intricate parts in the close of the story.
As the novella reads in real-time, it does not depict events which happening prior to the opening of the book, and so Steinbeck must use conversation to recall past incidents which are crucial to the understanding of the story. Such an incident is outlined by George on page 41, in which George takes advantage of Lennie's trusting nature. Another more significant event is the girl in the Red Dress in Weed. This entire incident serves to foreshadow the climax of the story, from the “soft things” excuse to the “red dress”, but George is careful to point out that Lennie was “scared”, and meant no harm.
The conversation ends abruptly when Lennie walks in carrying his puppy. This interruption has a purpose – by timing this careful, Steinbeck manages to juxtapose the conversation about Lennie's misdeeds and dangerous actions towards the girl in the red dress with his obvious innocence when he enters secretly cradling a newborn puppy. This avoids allowing the reader to become too comfortable with one viewpoint of Lennie, which would rather ruin the effect of the ending.
However, Lennie's love of the puppy is somewhat darkened by the knowledge that Lennie has no concept of the repercussions of his actions, and despite not wanting to hurt his pup, does so by removing it from the nest. This deadly naïvety is, and always has been, Lennie's greatest downfall.
A few pages on, George's devotion to the dream is tested when Whit, another ranchman, suggests that he “come in town with [the] other guys tomorra night” to “go into Old Susy's place”, which is a brothel. George declines, saying that he and Lennie are “rollin' up a stake.” His devotion to this dream is alien to other ranchmen, until he begins to once again recite it, in the presence of the dejected Candy. Immediately Candy becomes interested and tells George that he is willing to give George his life savings in order to buy the piece of land he has been dreaming about, as long as he can work for him.
However, 'when Candy spoke they both jumped as though they had been caught doing something reprehensible.' Dreams are delicate things in the real world, and George and Lennie have always carefully kept their plan a secret. In the safety of their own imaginations and private discussions nobody can remind them of the harsh reality they were facing. In fact, the idea that men would even have such a dream would not be looked kindly upon, as others would consider it a trifling day-dream and not a life-long commitment. And so when Candy chimes in, George gets defensive immediately-- he doesn't want his dreams to be broken, nor does he want to share them.
As they discuss it further, it becomes apparent that the dream might actually become a reality, as together they do actually have enough money to buy the piece of land George has been dreaming about for so long. George is swept up in the emotion of this realisation , but Steinbeck allows the reader to interpret George's thoughts about this matter by blurring the meaning behind his actions (standing up then sitting quietly back down). On the one hand, this was George's dream literally coming true. On the other hand, suddenly we must ask whether the dream is better off as a dream, a belief that's bigger and better than any reality. Steinbeck makes the subtle suggestion that their dream, now within their grasp, might be too dreamy for the hard reality of the time in which they live. In their minds it was perfect, but in reality it could turn out to be just a disappointment, which would possibly be worse than it never having been real at all. Because, if the dream broke down, then George and Lennie's friendship would break down too, and that was really the only thing that either of them actually had.
The section closes with Curley entering the bunkhouse, trying to pacify an angered Slim. Events escalate and suddenly Curley turns on Lennie, and he “slashed at Lennie with his left, and then smashed down his nose with a right”. As Steinbeck has suggested through the text up to this point, Lennie is completely helpless, and it is only when George guides him clearly that Lennie can fight back. But even then it isn't fighting – Lennie merely “watched in terror” as Curley flopped on the ground, Lennie having unintentionally broken his hand. In a repeat of the girl in the red dress incident, George has to physically beat Lennie away from Curley. Steinbeck's aim in depicting this event is to make the reader aware not only of the harm Lennie can do, but the importance of George's presence at all times. This emphasis makes the climax of the story all the more believable, and all the more affecting.
In conclusion, John Steinbeck employs many literary techniques and devices to present the relationship between George and Lennie, and manages to show not only several sides of the relationship, but several sides to each man as well. It now becomes clear to the reader that, in fact, this is a traditional case of the pack following the strongest member as, although Lennie is physically the strongest, this is far outweighed by the superior mental strength that George possesses over Lennie. Through the depiction of their relationship the reader is provided with a more succinct understanding of the text and life at that time, and is able to appreciate the significance of each theme in the novella on its own, and when applied to George and Lennie's complexly intricate friendship.
