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It has been said that after Homer and Shakespeare, no novel has been written with a completely original story or message, which therefore makes it understandable why we seem to find thousands of novels with friendship as a theme, such as Steinbeck’s famous novella, Of Mice and Men. A good novel makes us question something about our lives, and Steinbeck’s creation is no different. This novel begs, in a metaphoric sense of course, for readers to define friendship and look to see what we value in friends. However, when this is done, a startling question may arise; are George and Lennie, the novels protagonists, even friends themselves? Although unfortunate, it seems that they are not. A friendship is a healthy and positive platonic relationship …show more content…
Most everyone in the novel is lonely. Most of the men working on farms during the depression were working every minute to make a living, and became, “the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place” (Steinbeck, 13). It is therefore understandable why George and Lennie stick together; it is human instinct to want companionship. Life Inspiration, a website often assessing our place in the world and our connection with others, says that, “depression and feelings of loneliness are byproducts of the need for companionship not being fulfilled, since our mind experiences anxiety when separated from the pack: an evolutionary response.” Therefore, any arguments saying that only friends stick together are not entirely truthful: we seek and desire companionship so much, we would talk to anyone to avoid the crippling feelings of depression and loneliness, and seek the benefits of companionship. George and Lennie provide each other with a person to talk to, someone to keep them from going crazy, and to give each other hope, motivation, and a purpose. When with each other, they’ve, “got a future… somebody to talk to that gives a damn” (Steinbeck, 14). In this sense their relationship is overwhelmingly positive. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to make it a
It has been said that after Homer and Shakespeare, no novel has been written with a completely original story or message, which therefore makes it understandable why we seem to find thousands of novels with friendship as a theme, such as Steinbeck’s famous novella, Of Mice and Men. A good novel makes us question something about our lives, and Steinbeck’s creation is no different. This novel begs, in a metaphoric sense of course, for readers to define friendship and look to see what we value in friends. However, when this is done, a startling question may arise; are George and Lennie, the novels protagonists, even friends themselves? Although unfortunate, it seems that they are not. A friendship is a healthy and positive platonic relationship …show more content…
Most everyone in the novel is lonely. Most of the men working on farms during the depression were working every minute to make a living, and became, “the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place” (Steinbeck, 13). It is therefore understandable why George and Lennie stick together; it is human instinct to want companionship. Life Inspiration, a website often assessing our place in the world and our connection with others, says that, “depression and feelings of loneliness are byproducts of the need for companionship not being fulfilled, since our mind experiences anxiety when separated from the pack: an evolutionary response.” Therefore, any arguments saying that only friends stick together are not entirely truthful: we seek and desire companionship so much, we would talk to anyone to avoid the crippling feelings of depression and loneliness, and seek the benefits of companionship. George and Lennie provide each other with a person to talk to, someone to keep them from going crazy, and to give each other hope, motivation, and a purpose. When with each other, they’ve, “got a future… somebody to talk to that gives a damn” (Steinbeck, 14). In this sense their relationship is overwhelmingly positive. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to make it a