Of Mice and Men

¶ … Mice and Men

John Steinbeck's of Mice and Men:

Loneliness, friendship, and the American Dream

'Living off of the fat of the land -- together.' From the first chapter of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men onward, there is foreshadowing of the tragedy that will eventually take the life of Lenny, the simple-minded protagonist of the short novel through Steinbeck's underlining the themes of loneliness, friendship, and the inability of the main characters to ever enjoy the American Dream. The first chapter illustrates how the friends George and Lenny are bonded together in loneliness. Their dream of fulfilling the 'American Dream' of gaining their own farm someday seems futile, even when they are most hopeful. Although they are physical opposites, they wear the same clothes, and walk the same lonely road together until the end of the novel.

Loneliness is what bonds Lenny and George. That explains George's protective view of Lenny. George is willing, despite his frustration, to deal with Lenny's mental incapacity, even though it has gotten him 'run out' of jobs previously, and George states that if he didn't have to take care of Lenny he could find himself a girl. However, more than conventional 'catting' with women, George clearly needs someone to make him feel worthwhile: "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no fambly. They don't belong no place." Lenny's loneliness is manifested in his yearning for something warm and soft to pet. Ominously, foreshadowing the death of Curly's wife, Lenny talks about how his Aunt Clara used to give him mice to pet, which he used to accidently crush to death because of his great strength.

Despite the great difficulties Lenny presents for George, George is clearly willing to sacrifice a great deal for his friend. He gets him a job, carefully instructing Lenny not to speak so his disability will be concealed. George fantasizes about the ease of his life without Lenny: "God a'mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an' work, an' no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the month come I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get whatever I want. Why, I could stay in a cat house all night. I could eat any place I want, hotel or any place, and order any damn thing I could think of." When George starts talking like this, even though it is clear to the reader that he does not mean it, Lenny panics and apologizes like a child for bothering his friend.

The fantasy that Lenny and George muse over is the realization of the American Dream of finding a place to call their own. George is convinced that if he can find his own place, there will be an end to the loneliness he feels as a wandering ranch hand. The dream of living 'off of the fat of the land' is so powerful that even Lenny can remember it, even though Lenny can hardly retain any other information in his head. However, Steinbeck underlines the fact that this dream is very unrealistic. At the end of the novel, George will tell it to Lenny again just before he shoots his friend, to prevent Lenny from being lynched.