Social Statements in "Of Mice and Men"
Social Statements in "Of Mice and Men"
In the novel Mice of Men, John Steinbeck writes about two completely different characters George and Lennie. George is a bright hardworking man. Lennie is a large strong man who has the mind of a child and equally hardworking as George. Because Lennie has a hard time understanding how things work in life, he finds himself in a lot of trouble. George and Lennie travel around the Salinas Valley working on ranches. They are good friends and share the dream of owning a ranch where they will spend the rest of their lives living off the land. As different as they are and through struggles they maintain their friendship and a dream.
Many characters in the book say that two men traveling together are not very common. George and Lennie have been traveling together from town to town doing working. They keep each other company where ever they go. Even though Lennie has a mental retardation it gives George someone to talk to. They have known each other for a long time. George had promised an aunty of Lennie’s to take care of him before she died. At any time George could have gotten rid of Lennie, leave him at a town to fend for him self, but their friendship keeps them in bond. In their job near Soledad, when they report to the boss, he arises suspicion of George and Lennie traveling together. The boss asks George if he is taking Lennie’s wages. It is hard for people to see how friendship works, especially with two different people, so George, tired of explaining, lies to the boss that Lennie is his cousin and he was hit on the head by a horse when he was young. He admits to the boss that Lennie is a little slow, but that he’s a hell of a worker. All of this was of good intentions by George to make sure that Lennie was not turned away.
George looks out for Lennie, sometimes he might be a bit harsh with him, but it’s for Lennie’s own good. When they were walking to the ranch Lennie was holding a dead mouse in his pocket. Who knows how long it might have been dead, but since Lennie doesn’t know any better he...