The Power Of Friendship In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

It’s the 1930’s, the middle of the Great Depression. Many of Americans have lost their jobs and are looking for work. In Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie are doing the same. They are just two friends trying to make a living and achieve their dream. However, without the power of friendship some dreams just don’t seem possible anymore. Of Mice and Men starts out with George and Lennie, who are headed to a ranch near Soledad, California. They are good friends that travel together during the Great Depression to find work. Like most men during the Great Depression, they dream of owning their own small farm and living “off the fatta the lan’” (Steinbeck, 14).
When George and Lennie get to the farm a lot of the men do not seem to have any friends. …show more content…
When Lennie does this he goes and hides. When Curley finds out he gets really angry and riles the men up to go find and kill Lennie. George is able to separate from the rest of the group and find Lennie. George talks to Lennie and has him stare across the river and imagine their little farm over there while George describes it. While Lennie is looking across the water, George shoots him the back of the head. George did this because he knew that Curley was going to kill Lennie no matter what, but if George did it, he could make it quick for Lennie and have his last moments be happy.
When George first finds out about Curley’s wife, he hopes that Lennie could be taken care of in a jail. Candy explains to George that “Curley gon’ta wanta get ‘im lynched… Curley’ll get ‘im killed” (Steinbeck, 94). After realising this, George really gives up on his dream. Candy asks if the two of them will still go for it. George says “I think I knowed from the very first… I think I knowed we’d never do her” (94). As soon as George realises that there is no way Lennie can be a part of their dream of a farm, he gives up on it instantly. He no longer has any motivation to work towards their