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Which to choose?  Friendship or Isolation...

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Which to choose?  Friendship or Isolation...

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In this novella, George and Lennie represent THE ideal male friendship.  They don’t talk about how they feel about each other or why they should stay loyal – they just stand by each other, and that’s that.

In contrast, everyone else is isolated from one another.  Everyone seems to get along quite well together by talking about how isolated they are, even though the men on the ranch are constantly together and chatting.

Although they are always together, George and Lennie are isolated from the rest of the world. Friendship is a negative relationship in the novella; every time any character gets close to any other, something goes wrong.

Friendship:

LENNIE exclaimed, "But I wouldn’t eat none, George. I’d leave it all for you. You could cover your beans

with it and I wouldn’t touch none of it."  (p.13 in pdf)

GEORGE said, "I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself. No, you stay with me. Your Aunt Clara wouldn’t like you running off by yourself, even if she is dead."  (p. 14 in pdf)

"He never got mad about it, neither. I've beat the hell outa him, and he coulda bust every bone in my body jus' with his han's, but he never lifted a finger against me." (p.41 in pdf)

"I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why.” (p. 15 in pdf)

" 'Course Lennie's a God damn nuisance most of the time, but you get used to goin' around

with a guy an' you can't get rid of him.” (p. 42 in pdf)

Suddenly Lennie's eyes. centered and grew quiet, and mad. He stood up and walked dangerously toward Crooks. "Who hurt George?" he demanded. (p. 73 in pdf)

Isolation:

LENNIE whined, "If you don’ want me I can go off in the hills an’ find a cave. I can go away any time."  (p. 14 in pdf)

"Well, I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy. I just like to know what your interest is." (p.23 in pdf)

"A guy needs somebody―to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick.” (p. 73 in pdf)

“Ain’t many guys travel around together,” he mused. “I don’t know why. Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.” (p. 36 in pdf)

"A guy on a ranch don’t never listen nor he don’t ast no questions.’’   (p. 25 in pdf)

'Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. They come to a ranch an' work up a stake, and the first thing you know they're poundin' their tail on some other ranch. They ain't got nothing to look ahead to.” (p. 15 in pdf)

"George can tell you screwy things, and it don't matter. It's just the talking. It's just bein' with another guy. That's all."  (p. 72 in pdf)

Maybe if he sees somethin', he don't know whether it's right or not. He can't turn to some other guy and ast him if he sees it too. He can't tell. He got nothing to measure by. I seen things out here. I wasn't drunk. I don't know if I was asleep. If some guy was with me, he could tell me I was asleep, an' then it would be all right. But I jus' don't know."  (p. 74 in pdf)

And then her words tumbled out in a passion of communication, as though she hurried before her listener could be taken away.  (p. 88 in pdf)

Curley and Carlson looked after them. And Carlson said, "Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin' them two guys?" (p. 107 in pdf)

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The American Dream:  a reality or an illusion?

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The American Dream:  a reality or an illusion?

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Of Mice and Men captures the feel of rural America during the Depression. Different outlooks are presented:
--the never-will-be starlet trying to make it to Hollywood,
--the isolated black man born and raised in California,
--a ranch full of men that like to go to whorehouses, play pool, and drink away their earnings
--men that are constantly bouncing from job to job just shy of making ends meet.

The America of Of Mice and Men is populated with dreamers who are constantly struggling to achieve their dreams.

This novella argues that there is no single America. Rather, there are many different groups

(women, blacks, farm workers, farm owners), each with their own unique struggle.

Quote:

GEORGE complained, "…If I was bright, if I was even a little bit smart, I’d have my own little place, an’ I’d be bringin’ in my own crops, ‘stead of doin’ all the work and not getting what comes up outa the ground."
(p. 40 in pdf)

LENNIE looked sadly up at him. "They was so little," he said, apologetically. "I’d pet ’em, and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead - because they was so little.  (p.11 in pdf )

"She slang her pups last night," said Slim. "Nine of 'em. I drowned four of 'em right off. She couldn't feed that many." (p.36 in pdf)

Whit found the place again, but he did not surrender his hold on it. He pointed out the letter with his forefinger. And then he went to his box shelf and laid the magazine carefully in. "I wonder if Bill seen it," he said. "Bill and me worked in that patch of field peas. Run cultivators, both of us. Bill was a hell of a nice fella." (p. 48 in pdf)

Lennie watched him with wide eyes, and old Candy watched him too. Lennie said softly, "We could live offa the fatta the lan'."  (p. 59 in pdf)

They fell into a silence. They looked at one another, amazed. This thing they had never really believed in was coming true. George said reverently, "Jesus Christ! I bet we could swing her." His eyes were full of wonder. "I bet we could swing her," he repeated softly. (p. 61 in pdf)

“Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head.”
(p. 75 in pdf)

"I ain't a Southern Negro," he said." I was born right bere in California. My old man had a chicken ranch, 'bout ten acres. The white kids come to play at our place, an' sometimes I event to play with them, and some of them was pretty nice. My of man didn't like that. I never knew till long later why he didn't like that. But I know now." (p. 71 in pdf)

The stable buck went on dreamily, "I remember when I was a little kid on my old man's chicken ranch. Had two brothers. They was always near me, always there. Used to sleep right in the same room, right in the same bed-all three. (p. 74 in pdf)

He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was a natural. Soon's he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it." She looked closely at Lennie to see whether she was impressing him. "I never got that letter," she said. (p. 88 in pdf)

"Coulda been in the movies, an' had nice clothes-all them nice clothes like they wear. An' I coulda sat in them big hotels, an' had pitchers took of me. When they had them previews I coulda went to them, an' spoke in the radio, an' it wouldn'ta cost me a cent because I was in the pitcher. An' all them nice clothes like they wear. Because this guy says I was a natural." (p. 89 in pdf)

George said softly, "-I think I knowed from the very first I think I knowed we'd never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would." (p. 94 in pdf)

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Of Mice and Men deals with many of America’s age-old, hot-button issues, including sexism, racism, ageism, and discrimination against those with disabilities. Most importantly, this prejudice isn’t ever explicitly noted or fought against – those who are discriminated against accept the prejudice against them as a way of life.

Prejudice is a fact of life on the ranch because it was a fact of life everywhere in America at

that time.

Racism :

Crooks said darkly, "Guys don’t come into a colored man’s room very much." (p. 76 in pdf)

GEORGE patted a wrinkle out of his bed, and sat ' down. "Give the stable buck hell?" he asked. "Sure. Ya see the stable buck’s a nigger." (P.20 in pdf)

"Why ain't you wanted?" Lennie asked. "'Cause I'm black. 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 to me." (p. 69 in pdf)

They let the nigger come in that night. Little skinner name of Smithy took after the nigger. Done pretty good, too. The guys wouldn’t let him use his feet, so the nigger got him. If he coulda used his feet, Smitty says he woulda killed the nigger. (p.21 in pdf)

"I had enough," he said coldly. "You got no rights comin' in a colored man's room. You got no rights messing around in here at all. Now you jus' get out, an' get out quick. If you don't, I'm gonna ast the boss not to ever let you come in the barn no more." (p. 80 in pdf)

“Well, you keep your place then, nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.” Crooks had reduced himself to nothing. There was no personality, no ego—nothing to arouse either like or dislike. He said, “Yes, ma’am,” and his voice was toneless.” (p. 81 in pdf)

"There wasn't another colored family for miles around. And now there ain't a colored man on this ranch an' there's jus' one family in Soledad." He laughed. "If I say something, why it's just a nigger sayin' it" (p. 71 in pdf)

“This is just a nigger talkin', an' a busted-back nigger. So it don't mean nothing, see? (p. 71 in pdf)

Sexism :
"Well, I tell ya what - Curley says he’s keepin’ that hand soft for his wife."
George cut the cards again and put out a solitaire lay, slowly and deliberately. "Purty?" he asked casually.  (p.29 in pdf)

"Why'n't you tell her to stay the hell home where she belongs?" said Carlson. (p. 63 in pdf)

Her face grew angry. "Wha's the matter with me?" she cried. "Ain't I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am, anyways? You're a nice guy. I don't know why I can't talk to you. (p. 87 in pdf)

"You God damn tramp," be said viciously. "You done it, di'n't you? I s'pose you're glad. Ever'body knowed you'd mess things up. You wasn't no good. You ain't no good now, you lousy tart." (p. 95 in pdf)

Ageism :
‘’Carl’s right, Candy. That dog ain’t no good to himself. I wisht somebody’d shoot me if I go old an, a cripple.’’ (p. 46 in pdf)

Disabilities :
‘’His body was bent over to the left by his crooked spine, ..’’  (p. 68 in pdf)

‘’Good boy! That’s fine, Lennie… Oh, I ain’t saying he is bright..’’  (p. 23 in pdf)

Candy said, ‘’I ain’t much good with on’y one hand. I lost my hand right here on this ranch. … I got hurt four years ago. … Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunkhouses they’ll put me on the county. … When they can me here I wisht somedy’d shoot me. I won’t have no place to go, an, I  can’t get no more jobs.’’ (p. 61 in pdf)