Unique Companionship In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Unique Companionship during the Great Depression In modern day society, everyone has companions and life is pretty easy right? Imagine not having work, food, or money. While waiting in despair for a better life, individuals may pass one another daily, but perhaps do not speak to the neighbors surrounding them. Everyone in this time and day is waiting for life to get better, not only are people lonely but also mean in a way. People do not know what others are going through because they simply do not speak to one another. This is common at the time of the Great Depression people did not have companions which therefore made them lonely. Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck presents the importance of friendship through George and Lennie’s unique companionship

George notifies Lennie that people that work on ranches are lonely therefore he is saying that if he did not have his companionship with Lennie, he would be like a lonely worker on the ranch. George advises the reader in the following quote that he does not want to end up like typical guys that work on ranches. “Guys like us that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place.”(13) This quote proves the thesis true by saying that George needs Lennie in order to defeat Loneliness. George says that even though they are a symbol of companionship they are also a symbol of loneliness because even though they are companions that does not automatically make them not lonely. Together they make a unique companionship where they can rely on each other to battle loneliness. Later in the book George and Lennie are still companions during this rough time in history. Lennie and George rely on each other in many ways. George announces that even though he may portray through his actions that he seems mad at Lennie, he is never actually mad at him. This symbolizes companionship versus loneliness because it informs the reader that in a companionship there will be things to overcome in order to have a companion versus being lonely. George tells the

Crooks notices that George and Lennie have each other and that is because they have each other they are not lonely. Crooks is telling the reader that a man needs someone or else he will become lonely. Something as simple as a companion could battle loneliness. Crooks states that a man needs someone and what will happen to him if he does not have someone in the following quote “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you.”(72) This quote shares that in order for companionship to battle loneliness a man needs a companion. Crooks notices that the reason that Lennie and George are not lonely simply because they have each other. Finally, Crooks informs that people who are lonely eventually become mean. He notices that they have no fun yet, he notices that although Lennie and George may not have “fun” they still have each other. He mentions this to the reader this in the following quote, “I see other guys that go around on the ranches alone. That isn’t no good. They don’t have no fun. After a long time they get mean.” (71) This quote shows the thesis correct because it is saying that companionship plays a key factor in battling loneliness. It also proves the thesis correct because Crooks is noticing that their relationship is unique because he is stereotyping that all men that work on ranches are lonely, but George and Lennie have that