In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the special relationship between George, the small yet smart man, and the strong but straightforward Lennie is really eye-catching. They are both impecunious and vagrant, however, they both dream to have their own ranch, in which they are not restricted. In addition, they clearly know that if one of them is in trouble, the other one will be on that guy’s side immediately. Generally, the common dream and mutual trust binds them together and makes them travel all around the California.
George plays an instructive role in their relationship. George tries every way to prevent Lennie from causing trouble. He tells Lennie not to drink so much water in a seemingly unclean green pool before their arrival at new ranch; he avoids Lennie from getting into trouble by informing him not to speak when he meets the new boss; he asks Lennie not to speak with Curley’s wife. Yet George is actually ready for helping Lennie get out of trouble. The little man tells Lennie to flee to the brush on the north of the ranch, and wait for him to come when getting in trouble. George chooses to stick around with Lennie instead of smoothly living alone, because he realizes that having a buddy around himself and going together wherever they go make him feel safe. He says to Slim, another guy in the ranch where they work, that it is a lot nicer to go around with a guy you know. Although Lennie is troublesome to some extent, George is well aware that Lennie is really a nice fellow, and he is not mean.
As George always defines what Lennie should do, Lennie, on the other hand, is quite obedient with George. One example is that when George asks Lennie to jump into a river, he actually jumps. Although it doesn’t make sense that people who function normally will do the same thing, Lennie agrees to George without a second thought because he really trusts George. The reason why Lennie cannot leave George to go living in a cave is that he needs someone to be on his side to back him up. Lennie knows that he will unconsciously make trouble, and he also realizes that all the people but George will get inpatient or even abhorrent with his “foolish” personality. As a result, Lennie cherishes George so much. And he knows George is never away. For instance, when Crooks, a black guy working in the ranch, supposes that George will never return to the ranch, Lennie believes firmly that George is going to come back. It is George that gives Lennie the courage to live in the world where he is not at all recognized by other people.
In all, when George and Lennie get along for a long time, they seem to mentally rely on each other more and more. Although George seems to be more sophisticated than Lennie, this guy actually shares a pure dream-to own a ranch with Lennie. In 1930’s society where discrimination and oppression is widely emerged in the society, life has been hard. It is really considered a reachless dream to have a guy on one’s side, and make both of them keep looking for happiness. But for George and Lennie, this dream comes true.
