Of Mice and Men- Loss

Loss is one of the worst feelings known to man. One may have feelings of contempt as something that one has understood to be theirs is suddenly taken from one's grasp. Such a hopeless feeling of loss is portrayed in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men when George is obligated to end his best friend's life. The inevitable death of Lennie affected George by: freeing him from the burden Lennie had imposed upon him, crushing the dream of ever owning a farm, and above all, leaving George all alone in a world full of suffering. The loss of Lennie liberated George from the burden Lennie unknowingly had forced upon him. Lennie was often comparable to a child, whom George had to look out for constantly. Such is the assessment Slim makes when he says, "He's jes' like a kid, ain't he?" (43). Just like a youngster- when Lennie messed up, it was up to George to make things right. In the town of Weed, Lennie's interest in a girl's soft dress had the two men fleeing to escape punishment. Often times George was complaining about the situations Lennie had brought upon them and wanted to be done with such a big responsibility. George wished to have a life where he could do as he pleased, like have a wife or be able to freely go into town and play pool. With Lennie out of the picture, George felt that he could finally live such a life and not have to watch over someone else. As a result of Lennie's death, George feels as he will never be able to live out the dream of living on his own farm. At the beginning of the story, George and Lennie shared a dream of owning some land to provide for themselves, and essentially, live off of. Lennie was quite eccentric about the whole idea and his excitement rubbed off onto George, who had been quite indifferent before. With the addition of some extra cash from a newly acquired friend, the dream seemed surprisingly within reach. However, after George understood that Lennie's latest mishap was the last one he would ever make, he knew this dream