Of Mice and Men

george and lennies relationship

how did George and Lennies relationship develop from the start to end? how would you describe it?

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I think George is far too hard on Lennie throughout the novel, and a better person wouldn't scare or hurt a friend with difficulties like Lennie has. I just can't understand how anyone could say something like, "If it weren't for you, I could have things so easy." to someone they pretend to care about.

I think George is far too hard on Lennie throughout the novel, and a better person wouldn't scare or hurt a friend with difficulties like Lennie has. I just can't understand how anyone could say something like, "If it weren't for you, I could have things so easy." to someone they are supposed to care about. words to describe George: selfish, weak, shallow.

What was that link? All I gets is a blank screen... neways, I think tom should think about George's situation. He hasn't exactly got an easy life, and we might not all be able to live up to perfect standards of behaviour and decency when we're under so much stress. Have a heart man!

I beleive that if Lennie wasn't shot in the end, George and Lennie would of turned there relationship into a block of loving life! It's a good job that curleys wife was also killed because she would of got in the way of George and Lennies relationship because I beleive Lennie and Curleys wife would of got it onnnn!

i think that the only real reason why George is so hard on lennie, is because he is overprotective, he cares for him. There is no other reason to it. Everybody knows that lennie isn't all there, and George (in the novel) always speaks for him, maybe to stop him from getting picked on?

I think George cares about Lennie alot even though he can sometimes be hard on him. He does his best to protect lennie, also i feel that Lennie cares about George, i can tell this because he gets in to trouble and its not his fault but he knows that George will be there to help him. If George didnt care about him then he wouldn't risk his job and his wellbeing to protect Lennie he would just leave him.

George knows Lennie very well. He says what he says to keep Lennie out of trouble, even if he has to be a little mean at times. He has to keep a close eye on Lennie all the time, as if George were his father. It must be really hard for him having to look after a grown man who's quite difficult to control.

George and Lennie clearly have a strong relationship, but i am agreeing with paul m as curley's wife would have definitely got in the way of this relationship! i think that it was very nice of george to stop Lennie from being killed by people that were angry at him, and i think that it is good that he was not tortured. i think though that their relationship would have been great if it had continued , without curleys wife interfering!

George is like a dad too Lennie, i wouldn't be suprised if he had too feed him. But i know that George having Lennie around makes his life so much better because in those times it was hard too make friends and having a friend it that time was a very good thing, getting you through very hard times!

i think george and lennie have a stable relationship, i belive george cares alot for lennie, but then wonders what his life would be like if he diddnt have lennie to worry about and take care of. while on the ranch many of the workers find it rather strange that two men anre friends and go around with eachother, as for it it the great depression in Calafornia at this time, this is unique!:)

no george is only harsh to lennie so lennie knows where he stands because george is hardly gonna put up much of a fight against lennie if he tried putting him in his place that way is he? and besides he loves him too much to hurt him hes been down that road and thats when he realised that lennie didnt deserve it

I think that although George frequently talks about how easy everything could be without Lennie, he still appreciates the company. I think this because at the end of the book, George is distraught at having to kill Lennie. I think this may suggest that he needed Lennie as much as Lennie needed him. We know that George and Lennie's frelationship was unusual at the time. Men didn't often travel together, and perhaps the difference strengthened George and Lennie's relationship.

I agree with elvis, if it wasn't for curley's wife interfering, lennie would never of got killed. They were so strong together through everything and George stayed by him, he would've never killed Lennie, but he knew that if he didn't, Curley would've and very painfully. George knew that if he had ran away again with Lennie he may of never got a proper job again and maybe lennie would have got into more trouble at another ranch.

i think george and lennie have a stable relationship, i belive george cares alot for lennie, but then wonders what his life would be like if he diddnt have lennie to worry about and take care of. while on the ranch many of the workers find it rather strange that two men anre friends and go around with eachother, as for it it the great depression in Calafornia at this time, this is unique!:)

George does know, however, that he has a huge influence on Lennie. Lennie is incredibly fond of George and seams to know that whatever George says and does is for Lennies own good. I think George couldn't let Lennie get locked up away from the things he loved (like the rabbits) and therefore I agree it was right for George to kill him and do it so that Lennie didn't notice a thing.

I dont think that george is 'harsh' to lennie, but it just seems as though lennie needs someone to be firm with him so that he can know what is right and wrong. i think lennie has come from a hard background, and appreciates having george around to guide him in the right direction

I completely agree with Elvis

I think George and Lennie have a relationaship that is viewed to the public as a "one way" relationship. However i believe George cares about Lennie just as much as Lennie cares for George.

Lennie needs George more than George needs himself. If it wasn't for George, Lennie wouldn't have lasted long after his Aunt Clara died. They influence each other though, Lennie keeps George hopeful and George keeps Lennie out of trouble. They're so close with each other that George knows exactly how Lennie will react to everything and there can't be any two men in any other book that are as close as they are.

George and Lennie clearly have a father-son relationship. Lennie always looks to George for guidance, while George scolds Lennie when he is bad, gives him all the ketchup if they have any, and worries about his well-being. George used to exploit their relationship, but stopped when Lennie almost drowned. From then on, George defended Lennie from bullies (like Curly) and others.

I think that George is trying to help Lennie in the way that he speaks to him, for example George says "If it weren't for you, I could have things so easy", this is a quote that George constently comes back to throughout the poem and most people would think this is being harsh on Lennie when all george is trying to say is Lennie needs to take more responsibility for himself and to try and try again before he comes running back to george for help because however long it takes Lennie will understand and learn to take care on himeself.

Many of the users on here are failing to analyse George's character and his decision properly. To start with, George was hard on Lennie however afterwards he would always regret his actions and apologise, "I been mean, ain't I?", of course it is expected that anyone who lived with a mentally disabled person may lose their patience occasionally but George's conscience is definitely in the right place. How could someone who looks after (by choice) an otherwise hopeless character (Lennie) be a bad person? Also I think that George made the right decision to shoot Lennie at the end of the book; Lennie was doomed either way, he would of either been sent to prison for most likely a life sentence or murder painfully by Curley. It is pretty evident that George did not want Lennie to die, but he made the right choice by painlessly killing Lennie while he was in a state of upmost joy (from talking about The Dream).

Source(s)

I studied this book for GCSE.