How Does Steinbeck Present Friendship in of Mice and Men?

How does Steinbeck present friendship in Of Mice and Men?

In the novella, Steinbeck presents friendship as an esteemed connection between two people, where both benefit from it. These symbiotic relationships can reward people in distinctive ways, but overall the recurring theme in every friendship is that it saves characters from isolation in an already cruel world. Unfortunately, Steinbeck has not presented some characters with the opportunity to have friendships in order to give perspective as to how indispensable companionship was, and it is not a coincidence that these characters are unfriendly as a result.

The most iconic friendship of all was that of George and Lennie. Unlikely as one might think, the two have a relationship where they both benefit from each other’s company. Their friendship saves them from the loneliness that is so common in other ranch workers of their time. On a daily basis, George helps Lennie by sharing his intellect and keeping him as far away from harm as he can. It seems as though this has always been the case, because “In a panic, Lennie looked at George for help.”, which shows us his natural instinct. In turn, Lennie contributes to the friendship by providing companionship and an imagination that allows George to temporarily leave harsh reality behind.

A character who is affected significantly by friendship (or lack thereof) is Crooks. He is presented as the loneliest character and due to his race he doesn’t have much chance of changing that. Crooks would therefore be resentful to George and Lennie’s friendship, which may be why he is horrible to Lennie; they have what he craves. When Lennie comes into Crooks’ room, Crooks is nasty to him and he ‘said sharply, "You got no right to come in my room.’ However, it doesn’t take long for Lennie’s