Lennie And George Essay, Research Paper
Lenny and George from, Of Mice and Men, are two characters looking for a place to, lay their hats. They had been in a lot of trouble in the past, mainly to the misfortune of Lenny s incompetence. Many things contributed to the critic s opinion of Lenny and George s loyalty. One of the biggest reasons for their being loyal or not, is when George shoots Lenny, many of the
critics use this as a comparison. Some critics understand that Lenny is not very bright, and George is not much smarter, therefore, their relationship is just coincidental, but others believe that the two characters are very loyal to each other.
Desmond MacCarthy believes that Lenny and George are very loyal to each other. MacCarthy says, Like a child, Lenny loves to make George repeat over and over again the story of how happy they will some day be together in a shack of their own… (340). When he says this, he believes that when George tells Lenny the story, George does it because he has feelings toward Lenny and is nothing but loyal to him. Mostly, however, MacCarthy refers to the part in the story in which George shoots Lenny. MacCarthy explains, Lenny flies to the place where George had told him to go if he ever got into trouble. And George finds and shoots him, while telling him to look where the little house stands which had so nearly become their own (340). This converts to Lenny and George s loyalty because why would George tell Lenny the story he tells him many times before, when he shoots him. This shows that George cares very much for
Lenny and knows that if he does not shoot Lenny, then someone else will, or give him a slow painful death. MacCarthy believes that Lenny and George are very loyal to each other.
Peter Lisca, although, believes that Lenny and George were not loyal to each other and they were just together by coincidence. [Even in the beginning of the book,] Lenny and George as they enter this place from the highway to an outside world. It is significant that they prefer spending the night here rather than going on to the bunkhouse at the ranch (Lisca 343). The
significance of this is that Lisca believe George could not trust Lenny to go into the ranch the first night because of Lenny s stupidity. He could not trust Lenny therefore George is not loyal to Lenny. Lisca also exclaims, Lenny needs to hear the story about the rabbits in order to go on… (343). When he states this, he is basically saying that Lenny needs to be comforted with this
dream of one day owning a ranch of their own, in order to go on. Lisca believes that Lenny and George are not loyal.
Harry Thornton Moore also believes that they are very loyal to each other. Again,comparing loyalty, to when George makes the decision to kill Lenny. Moore puts drastically, He attracts sympathy because he has to lose his friend Lenny, to whom he has been so loyal, and whom he has to kill at the last in order to save him from the others (342). Moore actually puts in that portion of his critique that George is loyal to Lenny. Moore makes the comparison to
loyalty, why would George tell the story of them living off of the land to comfort Lenny is feeling insecure. Such as the day in which they camped out, before entering the ranch, the first night they stayed at their new job, and when George had to kill Lenny. Mr. Moore believes that Lenny and George are very loyal.
Stark Young, however, believes that Lenny and George are not loyal to each other. Young, unlike Lisca, relates the two men s loyalty to when George kills Lenny. How could a man go through with killing someone, and that someone being a person he knew for a long time (Young 339). This is a meaning within itself. Young cannot believe that a person s best friend would shoot him, just so some other people could not shoot him instead. He is saying, that best friends cannot just shoot each other. Young writes strongly that if George was really
Lenny s companion, he would find an alternative way to getting Lenny out of the situation.
Young states, A man cannot treat a person like that and still be loyal to him (339). Young is
referring to the beginning of the book when George does not trust Lenny going to the Ranch the
day that they are supposed to be there. Young firmly believes that Lenny and George are not
loyal to each other.
Lynn Munro implies that Lenny and George are very loyal to each other. George and
Slim, however, do assess the full situation and are able to elude the posse long enough for George
to usher Lenny out of the world destroying his hope of attaining a better more hospitable future.
By allowing Lenny to die Humanely… (Munro 3). George killing Lenny was the best thing that
George could ever do for Lenny. She believes that if a person is going to die, that person would
rather die by the hands of a friend rather than by the hands of people that hardly know you.
Munro states, [Curly s wife s] haughtiness and contempt for the wor
undoing. Because she views Lenny as easy prey, she ups the ante and encourages him… (2-3).
This statement relates to Lenny s innocence, and Munro believes that since Lenny is so innocent,
he does not know better, than be loyal. Munro believes that Lenny and George are very loyal to
each other.
I believe that Lenny and George are very capable of holding a friendship, because being
intelligent has nothing to do with a person s feelings. George, in the beginning of the book
seemed not to be loyal because of the way he treated Lenny. Throughout the book he develops
into a well rounded and loyal friend. Although, when George shoots Lenny in the head and kills
him, I totally disagree with it, because I personally would try to persuade the fellow inmates from
the ranch not to kill him. I think because of George s incompetence, he believes that shooting
Lenny is the best thing to do. Lenny, however, stays loyal to George throughout the entire book.
In conclusion I believe that Lenny was very loyal to George, for the most part, I believed that
George was not entirely loyal to Lenny.
All of the critics had different opinions about Lenny and George about being loyal and not
being loyal. Both sides of the argument,(Lenny and George were loyal, Lenny and George were
not loyal) had very good reasons to support how they felt. Although, all of the critics mainly
brought there feelings toward the part of the story when George kills Lenny. Therefore, Lenny
and George s relationship is undecided, and is really up to the readers to decide their view of
loyalty.
Lonliness
Have you ever felt like you had nobody to talk? Everyone that is living in this world all needs to have someone there to talk to. They need someone to help them out with problems. People feel better knowing that there is someone there to care for them. In Of Mice and Men almost everybody is lonely. No one has a friend, family member, or relative. A person s need for companionship is important because it gives them a reason for living.
Crooks is a stable buck who lives all by himself in a little shed that leans off the wall of the barn. That little shed is called a harness room, he had books like the dictionary and the California civil code for 1905. He was a proud man and a man who had no interest or feelings. Crooks is a colored man and the other workers do not treat him with respect. He never has anyone to talk to because everyone tells him to keep his distance, so he told them to keep their distance from his room also. He liked it when Lennie and Candy were in his room talking to him, but he covered his pleasure with anger. If he had someone to talk to he will not be so mean because all his feelings are held inside, he can only think to himself. He will become stressed and frustrated is he hides all his problems.
Curly s wife was a very lonely woman. She was married to Curly but he did not take care of her. She did not have anyone to talk to and she was not able to talk to anyone else because the guys will get in trouble. She had the eye which meant that she was a flirt. She was really not happy with her life. Curly s wife kept saying that she was able to be somewhere better and be doing something better. She said that she might have been a model or an actress. She did not like her husband curly because he never paid much attention to her. After she died, she looked like she was in peace. When she lay there in the hay when she was dead, she looked like she finally got what she wanted.
Candy was a very old man that worked as a swamper. He had a very old dog that he had since it was a pup. The dog was just like his best friend but the men that were staying in the same bunkhouse as he was, said that the old dog stunk. Everyone wanted him killed, so Slim shot the dog for Candy, so that he did not have to do it himself. Now Candy is all alone. He knows that he will get fired soon because he is so old. He also understands that the boss is only keeping him at the ranch because he lost his right hand a t the ranch and he feels sorry for him and he also feels responsible. He kept planning to have his own place with George and Lennie because he was so lonely and wanted somebody to stay with.
Everybody in this world needs to have somebody. They would feel much better living everyday. Everyone needs companionship, it is really important because you can get help and advise from one another. Crook, Curly s wife, and Candy were all very lonely people because they did not have a friend or anybody to talk to at all. Candy had a dog but the dog was not able to talk back, so that was different. Curly s wife had curly, but he never cared for her and he did not talk to her much. Crook had nobody at all; everybody treated him bad because he was a black man. This shows that everyone really needs a companion, a friend, a relative, or a family member that is always there to talk to.