The two main characters in john steinbecks novel of mice and men have two characteristics in common. The first characteristic is that they both have a big dream right now in the the book Lennie asked George to tell him why they're different from other ranchers so George said to Lennie, “Well, we're gonna get the jack together and we're gonna have a little house and couple of acres an' a cow and some pigs and...An live off the fatta the lan'...And have rabbits” (Pg,14-15).They are very loyal to each other, as well. George tells another,If I was alone I could live so easy. I could get a job an' work, an' no trouble...and when the end of the come I could take my 50 bucks and go into town and get whatever I want. But without Lennie, George would be alone and unhappy, he realizes: "Course Lennie's a nuisance most of the time, but you get used to going around with a guy and you can't get rid of him" (Pg.41).Lennie and George love one another; they know that their lives have meaning because they are friends.
However, Lennie and George travel together already demonstrating the distinctive relationship between the pair. Furthermore, Steinbeck’s use of the imperative for Lennie enhances his actions, showing George’s dominant character in the relationship. Moreover, “Till i come” explains Lennie’s reliance on George suggesting a unique relationship as during the 1930’s men, had a very solitary and lonely life, usually with no families as they were always travelling, looking for work. It was one man for themselves. This is why the relationship is seen as very rare because of the dependency and how they were uncommonly united by their shared dream of a better life on a farm, where they can “live off the fatta the lan” as Lennie puts it.
Penguin Readers Factsheets T e a c h e r’s n o t e s level E 1 2 Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 3 4 5 6 ELEMENTARY S U M M A R Y eorge Milton and Lennie Small are two ranch workers, who dream of owning a small farm one day. George acts like a father to Lennie, who is physically large but intellectually slow. Lennie loves animals and soft things, such as mice and rabbits. But his physical strength causes problems, so George has to watch out for him. The two men have been traveling together in California and have just gotten a job on a ranch.
A large, lumbering, childlike migrant worker. Due to his mild mental disability, Lennie completely depends upon George, his friend and traveling companion, for guidance and protection. The two men share a vision of a farm that they will own together, a vision that Lennie believes in wholeheartedly. Gentle and kind, Lennie nevertheless does not understand his own strength. His love of petting soft things, such as small animals, dresses, and people’s hair, leads to disaster.
However, here the similarities end. Jack is skinny, bony, has red hair, freckles and is 'ugly without silliness.' Ralph has fair hair, is tall, broad shouldered and has an 'attractive appearance.' Jack has only two motivations behind all of his actions and words; to be leader, to hunt and of course, to kill. Achieving these aims motivates everything, which Jack does.
In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, two migrant workers, George and Lennie, travel together in search of work; but the friendship that binds them is neither typical of men like them nor a typical friendship at all. George is a small, sharp man, intelligent and resourceful; enough so that he is not obliged by nature to work as a laborer and migrant worker – and yet his relationship with Lennie makes it impossible for him to have other dreams and ambitions, much less achieve them, than those few he can have that include Lennie. Lennie himself is a gigantic bear of a man, burley, possessing immense strength; and yet his mind is that of a dim-witted, dependent child inside a strong man’s body. He is entirely dependent on George and as obedient and compliant with his orders as a trained – if not very bright, and prone to unintentionally stirring up trouble – dog. At the start of the story, the pair have recently fled from their previous job after Lennie is wrongly accused of raping a young woman, an accusation which puts his life - and quite possibly George’s by association - in danger; they are making their way towards Salinas, California, for a new job bucking barley.
Just a Simple Outsider The novel “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck takes its’ setting in the 1930’s during The Grwat Depression. In this novel there’s two main characters Lennie and Geroge. These two men are on their journey to accomplish their dream but, they stumble on their way to achieve it. Lennie is mentally disabled and does as George tells him to. George is the dominant male in the relationship , because of Lennie’s disability it causes they both very much trouble back in Weed and on the ranch they arrive too after escaping.
This is an immediate contrast to Lennie’s character because it shows that George is the opposite of Lennie; his character is well defined and alert. This makes us understand better why Lennie feels the need to stand behind George all the time and rely on someone who is more alert than he is. John Steinbeck gives the impression that Lennie always stumbled and did not know what to do with himself. The quote “dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws” give me the image that Lennie just slugs around and was so large and disconnected that he couldn’t pick up his feet. Steinbeck comparing him to a bear implies that he wanted the audience to get the impression that Lennie was as fumbling as an animal but also that Lennie was very strong, like a bear.
In the book Thomas talks about a well know Bushman named Lazy Kwi. Lazy Kwi was married and had family whom he loved. However, he was named “lazy,” not because he was what Americans define as lazy, but as Thomas stated “…lazy, an insulting name, only because was not a good hunter” (Thomas 164). Although, despite this name, Lazy Kwi was still able to provide for his family using simple snares to trap smaller game. Lazy Kwi was never very good with the more traditional stalking of prey with a bow and arrow because he was quite loud when he moved.
As the book progresses we come to learn that Lennie wouldn’t be able to live without George due to the constant reminder of things and the need to be reminded to stay out of trouble. George is also harsh, mean and very stern towards Lennie, however, it is also very evident that George never left Lennie despite his life would have mean much easier without him. When Lennie and George arrive in the brush, we straight away gather that there is a leader, follower relationship that occurs between the two. However as we read further we get to understand the relationship between the two and how much of an impact George has on Lennie and even the other way around. It becomes clear that Lennie is very childlike and needs constant supervision.