Companionship in Of Mice and Men Essay Example

Many people think that companionship is extremely helpful in life. It has benefits including an increase in happiness, helpful in tough times, and more. But, John Steinbeck thinks the opposite. In John Steinbeck‘s novel, Of Mice and Men, he uses characters Lennie, George, Curley's wife, and Crooks to show companionship can be more painful than helpful.

Steinbeck uses Lenny and George, and the faults in their friendship in his novel to show companionship can be more painful than helpful. A quote to prove this is, while George is yelling at Lennie, he says, “An’ whatta I got’, George went on furiously. ‘I got you.’ You can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get”(Steinbeck 11). In this quote, George is yelling at Lennie about how he never has a successful job because of him. This shows that companionship can be more painful than helpful because George, who is the sort of “guardian” or best friend of Lennie is now criticizing him and saying he would be better off in life without him. After Lennie kills Curley’s wife, George “[pulls] the trigger.

The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. Lennie jarred”(Steinbeck 106). In this quote, George shoots Lennie after he finds him hiding from the other ranch workers in the river that George told him to go to as he hears the deadly ranch workers coming close. Ultimately, Steinbeck uses characters Lenny and George, and the problems in their friendship including mistakes Lennie has made to show companionship can be more painful than helpful.

Next, Steinbeck uses Curley's wife and her relationship with her husband and Lennie to show companionship can be more painful than helpful. A quote to show this is, while Lennie is strangling Curley’s wife, Lennie yells “Don’t you go yellin’, he said, and shook her and her body flopped like a fish”(Steinbeck 91). In this quote, Lennie is telling Curley's wife to stop screaming while he is strangling her, and he suddenly breaks her neck, killing her. This shows companionship can be more painful than helpful because Lennie and Curley’s wife were having a nice conversation, becoming friends, and then he all of a sudden kills her. While Curley’s wife is chatting with Lennie about Curley she says, “I’m glad you bust up Curley a little bit. He got it comin’ to him.

Sometimes I’d like to bust him myself”(Steinbeck 81). In this quote Curley’s wife talks to Lennie about how he crushed Curley’s hand into bits and says she sometimes wants to hit him herself. This proves companionship can be more painful than helpful because Curley's wife, the love of his life, says she even wants to hit him at times. In conclusion, Steinbeck uses Curley's wife and her relationships with her husband and Lenny to show companionship can be more painful than helpful.

Lastly, Steinbeck uses Crooks and his relationship with others to show that companionship can be more painful than helpful. A quote to show this is, when Lennie enters Crooks’ room Crooks says, “Crooks scowled, but Lennie's disarming smile defeated him. ‘Come on in and sit a while,’ Crooks said. ‘Long as you won't get out and leave me alone, you might as well sit down”(Steinbeck 69). In this quote, Crooks tells Lennie instantly when he walks into the room to leave him alone and he will be able to stay.

This shows companionship can be more painful than helpful because Crooks is fine without people being super friendly to him as shown because he doesn’t want Lennie to be friendly knowing it will be bad. The next quote is, as Crooks is talking to Lennie, he says, “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 for me”(Steinbeck 75). In this quote, Crooks tells Lennie that the friend group of white ranch workers don’t let him do anything with him because he is black. This shows companionship can be more painful than helpful because it can also be painful to other people as it is to Crooks in this instance. In conclusion, Steinbeck uses Crooks and his relationship with others to show companionship can be more painful than helpful.

Majority of people, including myself, believe that companionship is helpful. But, John Steinbeck portrays through his novel Of Mice and Men, that it is the opposite. In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, he uses characters Lennie, George, Curley’s wife, Crooks, and their relationship with each other and others to show that companionship can be more painful than helpful.