The Bond Of Brotherhood In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

The Bond of Brotherhood “Lennie broke in. “But not us! An’ why? Because…because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.” He laughed delightedly” (14). In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men the author develops two main characters by the names of George Milton and Lennie Small, these characters share an unbreakable bond. Of Mice and Men takes place in the Salinas Valley, during the Great Depression, George and Lennie are on quest for job opportunities. George and Lennie end up getting a job on a ranch, where they meet many crucial characters. Lennie struggles with mental disabilities, making him slow and clueless, Lennie causes many small issues on the ranch which eventually lead to his death. After

In the begging of the novel, George enlightens his fellow bunkmates with a story about, why Lennie and him had to leave Weed, their last work place, and how they ended up in The Salinas Valley. However, it is not an easy story to share considering it shows the immoral side of Lennie’s actions. ““…You wouldn’t tell? … No, ‘course you wouldn’.” “What’d he do in Weed?” Slim asked again. “Well, he seen this girl in a red dress. Dumb bastard like he is, he wants to touch ever’thing he likes. Just wants to feel it. So he reaches out to feel this dress an’ the girl lets out a squawk, and that gets Lennie all mixed up, and he holds on ‘cause that’s the only thing he can think to do”” (41). As a result of this event, George and Lennie had to go on the run because this woman assumed that Lennie was going to rape her when he grabbed onto her dress. After this event, George and Lennie were stuck with each other and whatever problems Lennie had George now had. Furthermore, George has been with Lennie a long time, and he has learned many things about himself and Lennie. “…One day a bunch of guys was standin’ around up on the Sacramento River. I was feelin’ pretty smart. I turns to Lennie and says, ‘Jump in.’ An’ he jumps. Couldn’t swim a stroke. He damn near drowned before we could get him. An’ he was so damn nice to me for pullin’ him out. Clean forgot I told him to jump in. Well, I ain’t done nothing like that no more” “(40). George learned that Lennie wasn’t just some dummy he can play with whenever he desires just for fun and attention, he learned that Lennie was someone of great importance to him, and having him in such a near death incident terrified George immensely. George learns many things from the mistakes Lennie and him make, one being, he learns that even though they make mistakes, mistakes are what