Friendship in Of Mice and Men Essay Example

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is a historical fiction novel that ecompasses many themes and motifs relating to the effects friendship has on people. The story follows George and Lennie, two migrant farm workers near Soledad, California during the 1930s. The time period brought hardships on everybody due to the financial and environmental struggles. Friendship, and in turn loneliness, is a very big part of the literary work. The novel diligently illustrates the desperation and lengths that individuals will go to in order to find the companionship they long for.

Firstly, George and Lennie have a very profound bond that was quite uncommon among migrant workers because of the constant relocating. Migrant workers typically didn’t have the luxury of staying in one place long enough to make friends. In fact, George explained to Lennie, “Guys like us that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world” (13). Although George constantly indicates that his life would be better without Lennie, he knows that that statement couldn’t be further from the truth. He truly cares about Lennie in a way that most people of his profession didn’t have the privilege to. The fact that George still takes care of Lennie despite the challenges proves that he truly cares about him, and will take drastic measures to achieve what he deems as the best outcome for Lennie.

The relationship between Candy and his dog provides another strong example of the desperation that may occur when one is faced with the possibility of losing their closest companion. Candy is an old swamper who took care of his dog since it was a pup, and Steinbeck shows the strong emotional connection between the two. When Carlson suggested shooting the aged dog, Candy tried to reason with the men; “No, I couldn’t do that. I had ‘im too long”(45). Despite the logical decision to put the dog out of it’s misery, Candy’s emotional involvement with his companion makes him unwilling to accept that fate. Candy’s dog was the only constant in his life during the very trying times, and Carlson shooting his closest companion took a huge toll on him.

Furthermore, Curley’s wife is another great example of the desperation that comes with  loneliness. She constantly dreamed of becoming a Hollywood star, beloved by everyone. However, she settled for an unfulfilling marriage with Curley in order to escape her controlling mother. The men on the ranch viewed her as a flirtatious woman that was only looking for attention, however the only reason she felt the need to act out for that kind of attention was because of the constant loneliness she faced. Because of Curley’s constant neglect, she felt the need to open up to Lennie, and was even shot down by him at first; “Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talke to nobody. I get awful lonely.” (86). Curley’s wife was very desperate to find friends, but in the end no one was truly there for her. This further illustrates the importance of personal relations, or lack thereof, in the novel.

Throughout the novel we see the recurring theme of the importance of companionship expressed through the actions of the characters. George taking such great care of Lennie despite all the challenges that come with it, the unwillingness of Candy to part with his dog, and the loneliness and desperate acts of Curley’s wife show that companionship is as critical to the characters state of being as the economic and environmental challenges of the time.