Of Mice and Men- Loss
Essay Preview: Of Mice and Men- Loss
Report this essay
Loss is one of the worst feelings known to man. One may have feelings of contempt as something that one has understood to be theirs is suddenly taken from ones grasp. Such a hopeless feeling of loss is portrayed in John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men when George is obligated to end his best friends life. The inevitable death of Lennie affected George by: freeing him from the burden Lennie had imposed upon him, crushing the dream of ever owning a farm, and above all, leaving George all alone in a world full of suffering.
The loss of Lennie liberated George from the burden Lennie unknowingly had forced upon him. Lennie was often comparable to a child, whom George had to look out for constantly. Such is the assessment Slim makes when he says, “Hes jes like a kid, aint he?” (43). Just like a youngster- when Lennie messed up, it was up to George to make things right. In the town of Weed, Lennies interest in a girls soft dress had the two men fleeing to escape punishment. Often times George was complaining about the situations Lennie had brought upon them and wanted to be done with such a big responsibility. George wished to have a life where he could do as he pleased, like have a wife or be able to freely go into town and play pool. With Lennie out of the picture, George felt that he could finally live such a life and not have to watch over someone else.
As a result of Lennies death, George feels as he will never be able to live out the dream of living on his own farm. At the beginning of the story, George and Lennie shared a dream of owning some land to provide for themselves, and essentially, live off of. Lennie was quite eccentric about the whole idea and his excitement rubbed off onto George, who had been quite indifferent before. With the addition of some extra cash from a newly acquired friend, the dream seemed surprisingly within reach. However, after George understood that Lennies latest mishap was the last one he would ever make, he knew this dream could never come true. George sums up his feelings when he remarks, “I think I knew wed never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would” (94). George knows its game over for his greatest dream and is left to live the monotonous life he tried to protect himself from.
The most important effect on George is the loss of his best friend. Lennie and George had been getting