Of Mice and Men | Part One
The relationship between George and Lennie | Analysis

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Re-read the section from “The small man stepped nervously behind him…” to “He pulled his hat down a little more over his eyes, the way George’s hat was”. (pages 7-9)How do the details in this passage help you to understand the relationship between George and Lennie? Focus on what they say and do in this extract. 

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Point / detail	Evidence	Effect / Explanation
George looks out for Lennie and tells him what to do ​(or what not to do).	He uses commands such as: ‘… don’t drink so much.’ ‘… you gonna be sick like you was last night’.	George behaves like a parent might to a small child who cannot be trusted to make his own decisions.
Lennie behaves and speaks in a child-like way.	‘ain’t we gonna have no supper ? ​’‘I like beans with ketchup’ Let’s have different colour rabbits, George’​	Lennie’s personality is like that of a child. He has a child’s mind in a man’s body.  ​
Lennie seeks George’s approval.	‘Look George, look what I done!’ ‘Lennie, who had been watching, imitated George exactly’	Lennie sees George as an example to follow, as his role model. This is why he constantly tries to imitate George’s movements and mannerisms, just like a child who mimics his parents. ​

Analysis:

A central feature of the novel is the unlikely relationship between these two friends. In the opening section of the book, the two characters are introduced walking “in single file down the path (…), one behind the other”. Right from the start, this image conveys an impression of “leader-follower” relationship between the two men. It also highlights the fact that George acts as a parental figure and that Lennie is similar to a child following his father.  Furthermore, Lennie is always eager to seek George’s approval because he looks up to him and sees him as his role model. He also continually imitates George in an attempt to please him. He even takes the trouble to check if he is imitating him correctly: ‘(…) looked over to George to see whether he had it just right.’ 

Lennie’s complete dependence on George is emphasised throughout the first section of the book. Lennie is totally reliant upon George for his survival. George gives him instructions and advice. He also carries Lennie’s work card because he knows Lennie would lose it for sure. Equally important, however, is the extent to which George relies on Lennie for companionship (another key theme of the story) in the lonely environment of the migrant labourers. Even though George indulges Lennie as if he’s a child, it’s clear that George harbours a lot of resentment towards Lennie and the position in which Lennie has put both of them: “God you’re a lot of trouble”, said George, “I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl”. (page 12) it is obvious that George is torn between wanting to shelter Lennie and wanting to be rid of him to achieve his own dreams. 

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Movie extract
Lennie and the dead mouse (Of Mice and Men, 1992 film)

Directed by Gary Sinise
Produced by Gary Sinise
Screenplay by Horton Foote
Based on Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Starring

1. John Malkovich
2. Gary Sinise
3. Casey Siemaszko

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