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George and Lennie's relationship in Of Mice And Men

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George and Lennie's relationship in Of Mice And Men
Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men is a novell written by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck. Puplished in 1937, it tells the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two migrant ranch workers who move from place to place to find new work opportunities during the Great Depression. This essay will discuss the relationship between these main characters and provide a characterisation for George Milton. It will also take a look into what keeps these two together, and why they are so dependent on each other, including the drawbacks and the benefits of this interesting companionship.

George is logical, clever, loyal, and compassionate and changes throughout the story for better or worse, clearly a dynamic character. In the novel he begins as a dreamer, full of dreams of a better life for himself and his companion. However he is not able to evade the real world and the cruel fate that is awaiting him forever. As fate catches up with George, one can see his compassionate side and how it is helping him overcome the emotional barrier that is possibly keeping him from doing what is best. One can see all the different traits of this character towards the end, when curley's wife is found dead in the barn. The protagonist begins to realize what must be done and prepares to meet his fate. “...brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie's head. The hand shook violently” (OMM, p105) But in that very moment his hand is trembling as he holds the gun to the back of companion's head. This shows his logical, clever, and compassionate side all at once. That is why one can call him a round and dynamic character. As he kills his dear friend and saves him from the lynch mob, he also kills his dream of a safe haven for them both, and that out of mercy for Lennie.

Although George is short-tempered, he is still a loving friend and devoted to protecting his lifelong companion Lennie. This is shown in the start of the novel when George says the following “You never never ougtha

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