Unlikely duos are a common find in fictional media. While it can’t be said that George Milton and Lennie Small, from John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, were the first, it can be assumed that the conflicts faced between them inspired many modern works. Steinbeck portrays George and Lennie as having a sibling-like relationship. Through this, George realizes that Lennie’s existence is holding him back, and only putting Lennie even further in harm’s way. This leads us to the theme that sometimes, in order to protect the ones you love, you have to do things that will harm them.
Siblings are an interesting case. They don’t always get along, and they often tease or pull jokes on one another. However, beneath all this squabbling and public …show more content…
1). Of course, these rants stem purely from rage. George means no harm by them. However, throughout the events of the book, George begins truly realizing that having to take care of Lennie is holding him back from achieving his dream of a peaceful life. The reader’s first evidence of George’s realization lies within the rants themselves. Though George means no harm by them and often exaggerates his points, they are seeded within the truth. According to George’s rants, Lennie gets himself and George in trouble at every job they’ve had (Steinbeck 11; sec. 1). This continually sets back George’s dream of a pleasant life. Not only that, but it also continually puts George and Lennie in more danger. In Weed, protecting Lennie was as easy as hiding out for a few days (Steinbeck 42; sec. 3). However, if George decided to run away with Lennie from the ranch and not just kill him himself, he would have set the achievement of his dream life back once again, despite finally having the means to reach it. The fact that he chooses to kill Lennie (Steinbeck 106; sec. 6) shows that he fully realizes both the extent to which Lennie is holding him back, as well as the further harm Lennie risks getting himself into. This is significant because throughout the book, George has simply accepted Lennie as something he has to deal with. He’s never once sincerely considered abandoning him. The fact that George made as drastic of a decision as killing Lennie shows a development of character, and more importantly shows that George cares enough about Lennie to not allow him to continuously get into
Siblings are an interesting case. They don’t always get along, and they often tease or pull jokes on one another. However, beneath all this squabbling and public …show more content…
1). Of course, these rants stem purely from rage. George means no harm by them. However, throughout the events of the book, George begins truly realizing that having to take care of Lennie is holding him back from achieving his dream of a peaceful life. The reader’s first evidence of George’s realization lies within the rants themselves. Though George means no harm by them and often exaggerates his points, they are seeded within the truth. According to George’s rants, Lennie gets himself and George in trouble at every job they’ve had (Steinbeck 11; sec. 1). This continually sets back George’s dream of a pleasant life. Not only that, but it also continually puts George and Lennie in more danger. In Weed, protecting Lennie was as easy as hiding out for a few days (Steinbeck 42; sec. 3). However, if George decided to run away with Lennie from the ranch and not just kill him himself, he would have set the achievement of his dream life back once again, despite finally having the means to reach it. The fact that he chooses to kill Lennie (Steinbeck 106; sec. 6) shows that he fully realizes both the extent to which Lennie is holding him back, as well as the further harm Lennie risks getting himself into. This is significant because throughout the book, George has simply accepted Lennie as something he has to deal with. He’s never once sincerely considered abandoning him. The fact that George made as drastic of a decision as killing Lennie shows a development of character, and more importantly shows that George cares enough about Lennie to not allow him to continuously get into