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How Does Steinbeck Show the Importance of Friendship in the Novel "Of Mice and Men"?

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"Of Mice and Men" is a book about two men and their struggle to achieve their dream of owning a small ranch through their companionship. The two men are completely different, one being a retarded fellow (Lennie), and the other, a typical ranch hand(George) who travels with him. On the path to achieving their dream, they run into obstacles, but stick together, stressing the importance of true friendship. Steinbeck wrote this book to tell us how important it is to have a friend to share your life with.

The book starts off set in Soledad, which, when translated into English means "lonely". But when Lennie and George are together, they are anything but lonely. They share a friendship so great that if either person dies, or both are separated, the other could not survive. Steinbeck shows us that their friendship is a true one, where they share their lives together, benefiting from each other’s company. “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 then they go inta town and blow their 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… With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us. But not us! An’ why? Because I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.”(P31-32) Because of the extent of Lennie and George’s friendship, they go beyond the more sharing of words.
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Steinbeck presents the two friends, George and Lennie in contrasting ways. George has parent like characteristics, he is serious and caring towards

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