The Importance Of George Milton In Of Mice And Men

In Of Mice and Men, George Milton is the hero, completing all three rites of passage within the journey. Before he begins his separation, he lives in the ordinary world, and for George that entails tending to Lennie. In the midst of the Great Depression, the two men incessantly search for jobs to occupy their time and hold up some sort of financial stability. George is responsible for looking after his friend Lennie and never ceasing to let him depart and commit a heinous act out of love. The tedium of telling the same story routinely consumes George, and he “never get no peace.” (Steinbeck 7) George receives his call to adventure when he finds a job for the two men bucking barley, although he didn’t have any knowledge of what was to come, this single event would signal the beginning of his journey as a hero and separation from the familiarity of his world. George confides in Slim, who serves as his helper as he is aided through separation. Not only does he give George …show more content…
Arguably, George never crosses the return threshold, even though he is free from what partially held him back. After pointing the search party in the wrong direction, he goes to find Lennie in their safe place by the Salinas River. His decision to kill Lennie was not so he could be granted autonomy, but more so for the protection of his best friend. This is made undeniably clear as Lennie begs for George to “give [him] hell,” (Steinbeck 51) and as George begins to scold Lennie for his actions, an wave of emotions falls over him. He wanted Lennie to die at peace, rather than being punished for something he did not intend to happen. “His voice was monotonous, [and] had no emphasis,” (Steinbeck 51) truly exemplifying the motive behind George’s actions. He pulled the trigger on Lennie in doubt, never fully crossing the return threshold as his journey is prolonged until he can go back to a secure state of