Have you ever had a true friend? John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men is the tragic narrative about two migrant workers, George Milton and Lennie Small. This famous story is set in Salinas during the 1930’s, the time period of the infamous Dust Bowl. Aristotle defined true friendship as "[Those] who love each other for their utility do not love each other for themselves but in virtue of some good which they get from each other." George and Lennie have a true friendship because they are honest, supportive, and care for each other. George and Lennie have an honest relationship because George isn’t afraid to speak his mind about Lennie. In the beginning of the story, George and Lennie are at the Salinas River, cooking and eating dinner. While
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While George and Lennie are still at the banks of the Salinas River, George starts to talk about how other guys don't have their kind of relationship: "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world...But not us? An’ why? Because.. because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you and that’s why” (Steinbeck 7). By the time the reader gets to this, the reader can already tell that George and Lennie have a special friendship. Neither George nor Lennie fits into the ‘status quo’ of most migrant workers, George is exceptionally smart, and Lennie is mentally deficient. But when they work together their strengths and weaknesses balance each other out, and they can accomplish almost anything. However, when they do get into hardship, they support each other in any way that they can. For example, when Lennie got in trouble in Weed for touching the girl’s skirt, George helps Lennie get to safety and find another job in Soledad. When Slim, one of the workers on the ranch, sees this kind of support, he questions it, but eventually sees why George and Lennie help each other. No matter what trials George and Lennie go through, they support each other through everything. The trust that they have for each other because of this support is the backbone of their
While George and Lennie are still at the banks of the Salinas River, George starts to talk about how other guys don't have their kind of relationship: "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world...But not us? An’ why? Because.. because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you and that’s why” (Steinbeck 7). By the time the reader gets to this, the reader can already tell that George and Lennie have a special friendship. Neither George nor Lennie fits into the ‘status quo’ of most migrant workers, George is exceptionally smart, and Lennie is mentally deficient. But when they work together their strengths and weaknesses balance each other out, and they can accomplish almost anything. However, when they do get into hardship, they support each other in any way that they can. For example, when Lennie got in trouble in Weed for touching the girl’s skirt, George helps Lennie get to safety and find another job in Soledad. When Slim, one of the workers on the ranch, sees this kind of support, he questions it, but eventually sees why George and Lennie help each other. No matter what trials George and Lennie go through, they support each other through everything. The trust that they have for each other because of this support is the backbone of their