Feb 25th, 2022- OMAM Final Draft

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Friendship in Of Mice and Men

Everyone has heard of the word friendship, but does anyone know what it means? The dictionary definition of friendship is the emotions or conduct of friends or the state of being friends. Friendship is a word used a lot to describe being friends with someone. In Of Mice and Men, Lennie and George define friendship because they stay with each other all the time, no matter what happens to either of them. In the novel, the theme of friendship is shown mainly through the characters of Lennie, George, and Curley.

In addition to the other characters, Lennie is a big guy who has the mind of a toddler. He and George are best friends. He follows George everywhere, listens, and is loyal to him. Nothing gets in the way of him and George. He listens to George about certain things, but not all things. He portrays the theme of friendship because he and George have been with each other for a long time. A relationship like that usually lasts for a long while. Lennie tells George, "Go on, George! Tell about what we're gonna have in the garden and about the rabbits in the cages" (Steinbeck 14). He asks George to remind him about their American dream because Lennie believes when George tells it, it is more realistic than when Lennie talks about it.

As previously mentioned, George is Lennie's best friend. George always took Lennie wherever he went, and always tried to keep him out of trouble. George also always knows when Lennie's done something wrong "But he'll know. George always knows" (Steinbeck 85). He is always making sure Lennie's safe and staying out of trouble with anyone else. With Curley, George has to be extra cautious with Lennie, or something problematic could stir up.

On the other hand, Curley does not portray or play a part in friendship whatsoever. Curley is not the friendliest person one could meet. Curley is an undersized guy, and just like other small guys, he does not like big guys at all. As a guy who does not portray friendship very much, he doesn't have many friends. Curley is also rather cold to people he just met "He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie" (Steinbeck 25). Except for his wife, Curley doesn't care about anyone but himself.

In conclusion, in the novel, Of Mice and Men, Lennie, George, and Curley portray the theme of friendship. Lennie and George represent the theme of friendship, but Curley doesn't portray friendship in the same way Lennie and George do. Two define friendship just near perfectly, while one defines the complete opposite of friendship. Friendship is a grand statement in Of Mice and Men because it shows how and why George stayed with Lennie and why Lennie stayed with George.

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