Friendship is being loyal to, kind to, and taking care of another person. It requires trust, because friendship’s inherent vulnerability easily lends itself to betrayal and the potential for rejection. The bond between George Milton and Lennie Small in John Steinbeck’s 1937 novel Of Mice and Men is a curious mix between positive and negative aspects of friendship. They are very loyal to each other, but George’s treatment of Lennie is questionable. However, theirs is a friendship that ultimately proves that friendship is worth the risks involved. Of Mice and Men takes place in California, during the height of the Great Depression. George is small, thin, and smart, while Lennie is strong, kind, and severely mentally disabled. It is revealed
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George shoots and kills Lennie in the novel’s final chapter, but in many ways this is the ultimate act of mercy. Lennie accidentally killed the wife of Curley, another ranch worker. George knew that Curley would probably torture and violently kill Lennie if he could, because Curley is a brutal and aggressive, as shown in chapter three when he tries to fight Lennie: “[Curley] slashed at Lennie with his left, and then smashed his nose with a right. Lennie gave a cry of terror. Blood welled from his nose,” (Steinbeck 63). George wanted to save Lennie from a horrifying death he would’ve received at the hands of Curley, so he shoots him so he won’t suffer at all. He even has Lennie think of their dream of owning their own farm so he is happy in his last moments on Earth. “‘Look down there acrost the river, like you can almost see the place,’” (Steinbeck 106). The type of true friendship that George and Lennie have is captured by this line from May’s article: “The borders of my life, while not entirely erased, become less clear than they might be,” (May). George and Lennie care about each other and what happens to each other very much. They want the best for each other out of the goodness of their hearts, and because of that, the “borders” of their lives are “less
George shoots and kills Lennie in the novel’s final chapter, but in many ways this is the ultimate act of mercy. Lennie accidentally killed the wife of Curley, another ranch worker. George knew that Curley would probably torture and violently kill Lennie if he could, because Curley is a brutal and aggressive, as shown in chapter three when he tries to fight Lennie: “[Curley] slashed at Lennie with his left, and then smashed his nose with a right. Lennie gave a cry of terror. Blood welled from his nose,” (Steinbeck 63). George wanted to save Lennie from a horrifying death he would’ve received at the hands of Curley, so he shoots him so he won’t suffer at all. He even has Lennie think of their dream of owning their own farm so he is happy in his last moments on Earth. “‘Look down there acrost the river, like you can almost see the place,’” (Steinbeck 106). The type of true friendship that George and Lennie have is captured by this line from May’s article: “The borders of my life, while not entirely erased, become less clear than they might be,” (May). George and Lennie care about each other and what happens to each other very much. They want the best for each other out of the goodness of their hearts, and because of that, the “borders” of their lives are “less