other books by the author of of mice and men

George warns Lennie never to pick a fight, and as a result, Lennie is hesitant to defend himself-even, for instance, when Curley begins beating him in the bunk house one evening. Lennie, whose huge frame and immense strength are regarded as remarkable by everyone he meets, is in many ways just as responsible for George as George is for Lennie.

While George has a sharp mind and is able to help Lennie avoid social mishaps and the cruelties of the wild American West, he is small and wiry. George explains to Slim that he and Lennie “look after each other”-their friendship, the novella slowly reveals, is not just for the sake of Lennie’s survival, but rather for both their mutual benefit. Any other responsibility to one another would, in the midst of the Depression, seem odd-the landscape is such that allegiance and solidarity are unexpected and even suspicious. George tells Curley, the boss’s son, that he and Lennie are cousins in order to make it seem like they are bound to one another out of familial duty. Their partnership confuses and surprises many of the men on the ranch-Slim, of course, but also Crooks and Curley, the latter of whom George actually lies to in order to explain why he and Lennie travel together and to seem less suspicious. Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.” Slim’s simple, straightforward assessment of the American landscape during the depression reflects the mistrust and selfishness of the time period and shows how unusual-and even suspect-George and Lennie’s devoted friendship is to the men around them. “Ain’t many guys travel around together,” says Slim, a mule driver on the Soledad ranch where George and Lennie travel for work “I don’t know why. Lennie and George’s friendship is the central focus of Of Mice and Men-even as it is presented as a total anomaly in a world where individualism, distrust, and the struggle for survival define the social landscape. Of Mice and Men explores male friendship, and through the relationships contained in the novella, Steinbeck argues that “a guy needs somebody”-even when society seems to value or demand solitude and independence. As bunk houses on ranches like the one George and Lennie travel to in search of work filled with men-often men traveling alone, separated from their families-male friendship became a necessary distraction (and often even survival mechanism) in the face of social upheaval and economic devastation. Families were uprooted and scattered as people moved around the country in search of work that would allow them to survive-work that was often physically demanding in nature and necessitated grueling hours. During the Great Depression, American society was plunged into uncertainty and chaos as jobs disappeared and the economy plummeted.

Other books by the author of of mice and men