The Complex Relationship of Two Friends in Of Mice and Men
Of
Mice and Men is a moving tale about two migrant workers, George and Lennie. The
two characters are vastly different, with George small and smart, while Lennie
is big, strong, and very unintelligent. The two ran away from Weed, where they
had been working on a ranch before Lennie got in trouble after being accused of
raping a girl, though he had only wanted to feel the fabric of her dress. They
then start working on a new ranch in California and hope to save up enough
money to realize their dream-- to buy a farm of their own. However, they
encounter a few problems during their time on the ranch that ultimately shatter
their vision.
I
found George and Lennie to be very interesting characters. George is constantly
exasperated at Lennie’s stupidity and forgetfulness, yet cares about him a lot.
Lennie admires and mimics George’s actions, even though George often yells at
him and tells him how much better his life could be without him. “If I was
alone, I could live so easy. I could go get a job an’ work, an’ no trouble. […]
An’ whatta I got? I got you! You can’t keep a job and lose me ever’ job I get.
You get in trouble. You do bad things and I got to get you out.” However, he
also cares a lot about Lennie, trying to keep him out of trouble and telling
him how lucky they are to have each other. I think George initially took care
of Lennie because Lennie’s aunt died, but after a while, started to really care
about him. Now, I think he not only feels obligated to stay with Lennie, but
genuinely appreciates the company.
Lennie
is George’s opposite and relies on him a lot. Without George, he wouldn’t last
a day, since he counts on George to make all the decisions and tell him what to
do. He admires George a lot, which is seen when he copies his every move. Even
though Lennie is constantly yelled at, insulted, and belittled by George, he
continues to look up to him. This could be because George is his only companion
and he has nobody else to talk to or rely on. However, the book suggests that
this could instead be because Lennie realizes the sacrifices George has made
for him and truly appreciates him. Towards the end of the book, Lennie gets
himself into a sticky situation, and thinks about how disappointed George would
be at him. He then hallucinates and imagines his deceased aunt chiding him. “‘You
never give a thought to George’, she went on in Lennie’s voice. ‘he been doin’
nice things for you alla time. All the time he coulda had such a good time if
it wasn’t for you. But he got to take care of you.” This scene shows that
though Lennie appears very unintelligent and ignorant, he realizes all that
George has done for him, which is why he trusts and admires George so greatly.
In
most good novels, the characters undergo significant changes, but George and
Lennie fail to develop. They do not seem to transform at all throughout the book,
with each scene confirming the same traits. However, instead of making the book
monotonous and dull, this repetition adds to the sentiment of the ending. It
implies that nothing will change. Though they are in a different situation, their
lives will follow the same pattern it always has, which makes the ending seem
inevitable.
There
is a lot more foreshadowing leading up to the conclusion. Their dream seems
much too good to be true and is their image of paradise. Though they plan to
achieve their goal, they count on nothing going wrong; however, things start to
take a rough turn when they get to the ranch. After being there for only a few
hours, the boss’s son picks a fight with Lennie and despises him after Lennie crushes
his hand, as well as his pride and reputation. Since Lennie cannot think for
himself, this becomes a major source of worry, as he might accidently make a huge
mistake, which is what happens in the end.
-Emily
C.
I think your blog post was well written. Your observations of the characters were very interesting, and the quote you chose from the text was good support for how George becomes frustrated with Lennie. I would consider reading this book but I already know the ending since you gave a little too much away. Overall, good blog post!
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ReplyDeleteI think your blog post is crafted well and your book also seems very interesting. I liked how you discussed the plot for a bit and then get into discussing the contrast between the characters and how they shape the plot. I would definitely consider reading your book after reading this blog post. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis blog post gives an excellent explanation of the importance of character. I enjoy the fact that you show why static character development is not always a bad thing, and how it can be used to add to the story in specific circumstances (for example, it signals that their lives will not change because they do not change). I also enjoyed how you compared the main characters’ personalities to each other, to demonstrate how people can get along even though they are different. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that you say that the lack of character development did not make the book dull because usually that is the case. I think that example shows the uniqueness of the novel. You did a great job summarizing the novel, though at the end it seemed like there was kind of a spoiler, but other than that the plot summary was well written. Very nice job!
ReplyDeleteYou did a really good job with this review, especially the parts of the post regarding the characters of George and Lennie. You did a good job summarizing the novel, and I like how you were careful to mention that even though George and Lennie are static characters, the book is still great, because many would rush to the assumption that a lack of character development equals a bad book. Good job.
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