Friendship

            
             In his novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck tells the story of two friends who face obstacles daily in their burdensome lives. Lenny and George's relationship shapes a theme of an uncommon friendship, yet not so distant in order for the reader to find similarity to his or her own personal experiences.
             When the novel begins, Lenny and George are conveyed as two men who don't share a positive bond, but as the story progresses the realization is made that George and Lenny are very close. Lenny and George's ties are centered on throughout the story, relaying Steinbeck's theme of friendship. Friendship is portrayed in many different lights in this novel with George and Lenny. There are times when George is cruel to Lenny, threatening to leave him, yet there are times when he would die for Lenny. Steinbeck shows the extremes of friendship in a unique manner in Of Mice and Men.
             The method that Steinbeck chose to display in his novel is very necessary for today's audience. Steinbeck created an extreme situation by giving Lenny disabilities, making the hardships of friendship that much worse. It is also important for the current reader's of Of Mice and Men to see the joys of friendship. The happiness shone through the most in their relationship when George would tell Lenny of their future house where Lenny would tame rabbits. Although George may not have been as excited as Lenny may be about the "perfect life" they may have some day, he found joy in telling Lenny and watching his face light up. .
             Steinbeck's choice of characters was perfect to convey what friendship is all about. Lenny's disabilities created conflict, exaggerating the burden a normal relationship may have. This exaggeration helped him to display his theme that friendship is not easy. The novel described Lenny as a big man who really wasn't in control of many of his actions because of his disabilities. The movie character of Lenny was very well done because he was a big guy, but his emotional and childish inner self comes out many times, distinguishing him from a normal murderer when he murders Curly's wife.