Of Mice And Men, The Hardships Of Friendship And Business

Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is a short story about two men looking for work in the 1930's. Lennie and George, two friends in search of jobs, have one dream, to own their own piece on land and raise crops and rabbits. Lennie is a tall, strong man, who has a mental disability, causing him to act almost childish, absent minded, and extremely forgetful. George, is a short man, who has to stick with Lennie because of his mental disorder. This book portrays the lifestyle of the average man during the great depression, a touching friendship between two friends, and many diff rent prejudices added into the context of the book.

What this book really made me think about while i was reading it, was how different the two main characters where. Lennie,someone who could never take care of himself, has been on look out in certain cities because of being accused of rape, and has the strength and retarded capability of killing someone and/or something without realizing it. Then George, a person who would most likely loose in a physical fight, is extremely bossy, and someone who can manage his business extremely well. How did these two men come to be together, traveling the country in search of jobs? What really gets to me is why George doesn't leave Lennie, because he would live a much less stressful life, most likely making more business, if Lennie was not tagging along with him. I think that George wants to leave Lennie, but inside of his harsh outer appearance that he keeps up, he feels sorry for Lennie and his mental disabilities. Lennie would surely die, and/or get taken to jail if he had no one to guide him through his life.

I can relate Georges side of this situation to the rest of the world. George has two choices, to either let Lennie go, or to keep Lennie under his wing and put up with the trouble he causes. An example we could use that relates to the rest of our world is when people are torn between two decisions. A decision that is good for business, or a decision that relates to a emotional connection between someone. An example we could use is, When someone gets a job offer far away from their home town, where all their relatives and friends that love them, are. Should that person take the job offer, and earn more money, which will benefit him in the long run? Or should he decline the job offer and stay with his family and friends (which will maybe effect his life later on because he can not afford something he wants)?

George and Lennie's life is complicated,And "George is torn between the business choice, and the friendship choice.  Because Lennie does not have the mental capability of doing the thinking himself, George has to take matters into his own hands and decide their future for himself.