book, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the author reveals many aspects about George and Lennie's personalities and their friendship. There is no doubt that, looking at George and Lennie's relationship (in the 1930s) from a 21st century middle class point of view, George was harsh, mean, and derogatory to Lennie. However, it is also very evident that George never left Lennie even though his life would've been much easier without him. After researching and combing the book for information, I have come to the conclusion that, although he was cruel to Lennie at times, George did in fact care about him and his well being.
In the book, there are many instances proving that George cared about Lennie. There are some occasions, which are evident of the fact that George does nice things for Lennie to make him happy. George knew that Lennie had always wanted a puppy of his own, so when he learned that Slim's dog just had a litter (Steinbeck 39) he asked Slim himself if Lennie could have one. Since the death of Lennie's Aunt Clara, George also took it upon himself to take responsibility of him and his special needs by finding him jobs, feeding him, and making sure he is safe. .
Furthermore, George knew that he would have to pay close attention to Lennie to protect him from danger and proved that he had throughout the book. On one occasion when Lennie got into trouble in Weed, George told Slim how they hid in an irrigation ditch all day so the party of men couldn't find and kill him (Steinbeck 46). He could've just as easily left Lennie for the men to find, but he chose not to. George also, many times, warned Lennie to stay away from Curley (Steinbeck 32, 33) and his wife (Steinbeck35, 36). He knew that Curley was the Boss's son and he's the type of guy that could take advantage of Lennie or even hurt him. It's best for Lennie to stay away from Curley's wife for the same reasons as well, for if Curley were to see Lennie messing around with his wife, he would probably try to hurt him in some way.
