The characters of Lennie and George display a close, symbiotic relationship as they travel together and protect each other, though in reality it is George who is protecting Lennie from his own uncontrollable behavior. George plans to earn enough money for his own place, and Lennie is going along, not so much as to be a help as to keep him out of trouble, something that George had promised Lennie’s Aunt Clara. George’s contempt for Lennie is clear, though he tries to temper it with kindness, but this usually ends in George berating Lennie for something he has done.
The lack of friendship for Crooks, the African-American stable buck, is due entirely to his race, more than his age and handicap. When Lennie tries to make friends, Crooks tries to hold him off, but Lennie is persistent. This does not end well, as Crooks retreats into himself when Curley’s wife shows her prejudice openly. Crooks knows he cannot have friends. As a youth, he had played with the white neighbor children, something he did not realize was different until he was an adult.
Friendship is portrayed in Of Mice and Men, not as a relationship of equals for companionship, but a situation of one person fulfilling a duty. Though the characters are mostly male, there is little camaraderie among the workers. It is mostly of being in the same place doing a job together. Only Lennie views anyone as his friend.
No comments:
Post a Comment