It is important to have the ability to talk and build a relationship with a companion, whether it occurs at home, at work, or many other places, human beings maintain relationships where ever they go. Man needs significant relationships and has difficulty maintaining it because no human thinks the exact same or has the exact same beliefs. To have and keep friends you must have things in common, you must be able to disagree with a sort of respectful understanding, and finally you must care legitimately about that person. Relationships help folks fight off loneliness in which must of the characters in the novel ” Of Mice and Men “, are sad and lonely people. It keeps them together, and to have a companion to open up and to and discuss their future plans.
George and Lennie have each other and are both travelling companions that try to obtain a better life for one another. They both have a strong relationship and have every requirements to maintain an excellent friendship. Lennie gives George someone to talk to and someone to keep him on track on their goals, and keeps him out of trouble. George is a reasonably intelligent, hard working ranch man who gives Lennie insight on the world and someone that will respect him and take care of him even though he is not very intelligent. However, they have one thing that unites the two of them, a close bond can.
This is that they both share the same dream of owning their own farm. They, more importantly, give each other something to live for. Slim could have had many friends or allies because he respects and appreciates the ranch hands and is an average guy with a sense of humour and an intelligent mind. Slim has friends, but none that he can consider a close friend, like the two main characters in the novel ” Of Mice and Men “, which are George and Lennie.
Crooks suffers from loneliness, because of the colour of his skin, not because he is an unfriendly person. He is forced to live in a barn by himself and can not join in any social activities with the other men, just like Lennie who can not socially interact properly because of his limited intelligence. ” Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, you all of you stink to me. ” P. 68 He is treated unfairly and therefore acts the same way toward the white people who have offended him. Crooks says, ” 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. ” P. 72-73 Although Lennie does rely on George a lot, George also relies on him to be a friend and the fact that Lennie is simple makes no difference because they have something which all the workers envy – friendship. Crooks, though, may seem mean, but is just tired of being rejected and disrespected by everybody around him. Crooks has a horrible life. He will never have a strong relationship or anybody that will respect him unless he meets another black person. Crooks says, ” I’ll tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick. ” P. 73
He does not even have the opportunity to express himself and is desperately in need to talk to anybody and might possibly be the loneliest character on the ranch along with Curley’s wife who is also very lonely. For a while, Candy was not lonely because he had his shepherd dog to keep him occupied and to fight off loneliness. He had his dog since it was a pup and they both accompanied each other on the ranch, until Carlson and Slim decided that the dog was too old and felt it was better to get rid of it. Candy and his old dog had the same relationship that George and Lennie had shared for many years. He offers everything he has to support the friendship including money to realize their dreams as well as to work for them on their ” dream ranch ” hoping George and Lennie might let him join in because he has no place or relatives to go to if the ranch would decide to “can him.” Candy says, ” Maybe I can give you guys my money, you’ll let me hoe in the garden even after I ain’t no good at it. ” P. 60
Curley’s wife suffers from loneliness also. Her only companion is very controlling, who restricts her to talk to the other ranch hands. Curley makes sure his wife does not talk to anyone. She is a victim of herself because she married a man that she hardly even known. She married him to try to build a relationship with someone who would have the ability to provide for her. Her need for companionship caused her death and Lennie’s. She craves for a better relationship because she is an attractive woman with a need for interaction. Curley’s wife says, ” Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? ” P. 77 She longs and truly believes she once could have been a film star, as she once told Lennie ” I ain’t used to livin’ like this. I coulda made somethin’ out of myself… Maybe I will yet. ”
P. 88 Curley’s wife is not the only one dreaming of a better life, all the characters struggling in this novel are dreaming of moving away and making something of themselves. Curley has two relationships in his life, his wife, which does not even like him because he likes to think that he owns her and that he has the ability to tell her what she can and can’t do, and his father, which is forced to like him because Curley is his son. Curley will not obtain friendship from any of the ranch hands because he constantly talks about how he does not like anybody. Curley’s wife said, ” Spends all his Curley time sayin’ what he’s gonna do to guys he don’t like, and he don’t like anybody. ” P. 78 With Curley, the reason why he does not have more than two relationships, is because all he does is think negatively. No one with an attitude like his deserves or may earn friends or relationships.
Everybody in this world needs companions to build relationships with each other, relationships are a necessity for one to live a normal and healthy life. Our world would be peaceful if everybody had someone like George or Lennie. People become crazy when they are lonely, just like Crooks said. George and Lennie may not have a house, a car, money or girls, but they have something more important than that. They are blessed with each other and it is a prime example of a strong relationship in the novel. At the end of the novel George kills Lennie. Some people might not agree on George’s actions in the novel, but in killing Lennie, he saves Lennie from an appalling death, putting him out of misery in a quick and humane manner, instead of watching him die of a slow cruel death to the hands of the other ranchmen. George loves Lennie enough to do what is best for him, even though it seems wrong to some. George is a man of great reverence to the feelings and well being of others especially to his best friend Lennie.
