Of Mice and Men

A detailed Summary of Of Mice and Men

The novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck is a story about two very different characters who have an emotional bond. George Milton is a physically small man whose travelling companion is Lennie Small, a man who is extremely large and physically strong. Lennie is mentally retarded and his simplemindedness often gets him into trouble. This trouble is often the result of Lennie's liking for things that are soft. He has a distrust of people except for George. Also, he is not always sure about what is right and what is wrong; he relies on George to make the distinction for him. In spite of the fact that he tries to avoid people, he has tremendous faith in George and can remember almost everything that George tells him. It seems as though Lennie is so childlike, that he would not be able to function without George.

In contrast, George is described as a restless man. He takes over the care of Lennie when Lennie's Aunt Clara died. The two men are wanderers, moving from one job to another. Throughout the story George complains constantly about having to deal with Lennie. He often seems impatient and harsh; but, George understands loneliness and he needs the companionship of Lennie as much as Lennie needs George. He often desc

The relationship of Lennie and George is examined in the assigned quote: "In the fall world of the valley, where human commitment is the only realizable dream, the fact that in the end as in the beginning two men walk together causes Of Mice and Men to end on a strong note of hope-the crucial dream, the dream of man's commitment to man, has not perished with Lennie." Throughout this novel Steinbeck shows us the commitment of these men to each other. Lennie only listens to George and feels sorry when he has disappointed him. In the first chapter when Lennie is angry with George for touching the girl in the red dress and having to leave town in a hurry, Lennie tells him, "If you don' want me I can go off in the hills an' find a cave. I can go away any time" (12). And later he tries to tell Curley's wife to leave, "If George sees me talkin' to you he'll give me hell" (87) After he kills Curley's wife, Lennie is only concerned that George will be angry with him and not allow him to tend the rabbits. He states, "I done a real bad thing...George'll be mad" (92).

Although George yells at Lennie and complains that his life would be easier without him, we see that he is totally committed to Lennie. He continually hides with Lennie whenever there is trouble. He realizes that the bad things that Len

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Approximate Word count = 880
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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Of Mice and Men

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