George is Loyal to Lennie.
LOYAL: ' I want you to stay with me Lennie'
PESSIMISTIC: ' I think i knowed from the very first. i think i knowed we'd never do her'
CARING: ' I ain't gonna let 'em hurt Lennie'
George is Lennie's minder and instructor. Always tells Lennie what to do and how to behave, helps Lennie stay out of trouble, and helps sort things out if they have problems such as in Weed.
Lennie relies on George for almost everything even the basics such as getting a job and finding food. George isn't always good to Lennie he told him to jump into a river and had to save him from drowning after. He tells Slim that he'll never do anything like that again; realises his mistake and learns from it. George often shouts at him and calls him mean things such as 'Crazy bastard'
Even when he kills Lennie George is loyal as he knows it'll be kinder to kill Lennie while he's imagining their dream farm than to let Curley shoot him painfully in 'his guts'.
George has no problems when he's on his own without Lennie.
Smart, clever as far as finding work is concerned. Often says he'd be better off alone and sometimes seems this is better than pursuing his dream farm with Lennie. "If i was alone i could live so easily. i could go get a job an' work, an' no trouble." George feels responsible for Lennie. Lennie gives him companionship and lets him believe that the dream of owning a farm could come true.
George is a realistic character.
When he lies under the stars in chapter one he seems happy: 'Tonight I'm gonna lay right here and look up. I like it.' Enjoys most things other normal people would such as being free from work.
Steinbeck also persuades the reader to feel sympathy for George. He calls Lennie a 'Poor bastard' even when he's just about to tell him off. This makes it clear to the reader that George tells Lennie off for his own good.
George is aggressive. When Candy tries to get involved in their dream. George is very defensive: 'You got nothing to do with us.' His hatred for Curley means he order Lennie to fight back against him, even though this could get Lennie into a lot of trouble. Starts off defensive when he's talking to Slim. When Slim comments that it's unusual that George and Lennie travel together, George gets angry with him. (Doesn't like people getting involved into his personal life.) Often angry with Lennie when he's frustrated.
Good at reading people. Realises that Curley is a person to avoid. George hates Curley almost the second he sees him because he's aggressive towards them especially to Lennie. Doesn't like Curley's wife: 'I seen 'em poison before.' Warns Lennie to stay away from her as he seems that she will be the one who causes trouble. Quickly trusts Slim and tells him about what happened in Weed: 'You wouldn' tell?... No, ' course you wouldn'.'
Also good at reading situations. Agrees with Lennie that the ranch isn't a good place to be: 'I don't like it'. Realises after meeting Curley and his wife that things could go wrong for them but they've 'gotta stay' to save some money.
Dreams keep him going. George isn't in control of his own life. Has to find work wherever he can and work for people he doesn't respect or want to work with such as Curley. Also can't control Lennie's unpredictable behavior. George often recites the dream just to keep Lennie happy. When he's talking about it with Lennie and Candy in chapter three he repeats: 'I bet we could swing her'. and he gets 'entranced' with his picture of the farm.
George is free of Lennie at the end just like he wanted to be as he could 'Live so easy'. He'll be lonely without Lennie though.
Themes:
Loneliness: George tells Slim that lonely men 'get mean' and want to 'fight all the time'. George's aggression hints to the reader that he's quite close to being like this. His friendship with Lennie seems to be the only thing stopping him.
Destiny: For George the dream is about being in charge of his own destiny hes tired of drifting through life being under other people's commands.
Writer's Technique: George is the HERO in the novel but he's just a ordinary man in an ordinary situation, making it easier for the reader to identify with him and to understand why he does things like telling Lennie off.

	Created by unknown_bad almost 11 years ago

GCSE English Note on MICE OF MEN, created by unknown_bad on 08/05/2013.

MICE OF MEN