Moral Obligation In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Improved Essays
The esteemed Audrey Hepburn once said, “There is a moral obligation that those who have should give to those who don’t.” This quote is a perfect match for the novella “Of Mice and
Men” by John Steinbeck. “Of Mice and Men”is a story of two workers traveling together and their adventures in looking for work. While they may live together, their friendship is not one of a classic nature. Steinbeck clearly shows that the only reason that George and Lennie would travel together is because of moral obligation, because Lennie is challenged, they travel together. George feels that as someone with a better understanding and awareness of the world, he is morally obligated to take care of Lennie. Lennie is portrayed as a mentally challenged, very strong
…show more content…
George felt obligated since Aunt Clara’s passing to take care of Lennie and therefore Steinbeck reveals that this friendship was derived from George's moral obligation.
Obligation is clearly a prominent theme of this book. However, no matter how obligated
George feels to take care of Lennie, he constantly combats his motives to have a stable income and a safe arrangement. Lennie gets in the way most of the time, and usually it creates a moral dilemma for George. Shortly before Lennie and George arrived at the ranch,
George explodes into rage about how much of an inconvenience Lennie is. He even brings up how little money he has for himself. “...I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get whatever I want.” (Steinbeck,11). This is the first incident where George describes his discontent without having a steady income. Also yet again it proves that without the obligation to take care of Lennie, George would’ve left a long time ago. A true friend wouldn’t mind the constant moving for their best pal, however George isn’t there just because of friendship purposes. Lennie offers to leave which is sweet and it snaps George back into reality. He

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    George and Lennie’s Relationship George and Lennie shared a fairly strong friendship, but the relationship that they had was not one that friends should have. Because of Lennie’s disability, George could not always treat him as a friend, but sometimes more as a child. The first moment in the book that we can start to see that George feels responsible for Lennie was after they had run away from Weed, and were hiding in the woods. This was when George was starting to get very angry and scream at Lennie, he said “An’ what I got, I got you!” (11) This quote shows that George feels as if his life could be so much better and easier without Lennie, but he has to keep Lennie with him, because he feels responsible for him.…

    • 656 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The character of Lennie Small, though his age, is extremely childlike. He is quite submissive, and becomes fixated on ideas or what he is doing. Lennie does what he is told, allowing George to dictate how he behaves. When Curley begins to attack him, he starts crying, but reacts and fights back when George tells him to. He seizes Curley’s hand, and even as he is getting yelled at to let go, he does not release, and must be pried off of Curley.…

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lennie does not listen to what others tell him. George would always tell Lennie not to get in trouble and not to do something. Even though Lennie looked and sounded like he agreed, he would go and do it anyway. In the book George says “ “, but Lennie does it anyway. It seems that Lennie is not caring to other people,…

    • 356 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lennie is very reliant on George, and George keeps him out of trouble. Not only does George keep him out of trouble, he keeps him from being institutionalized. The entire novel relies on Lennie’s disability to cause the different conflicts throughout the…

    • 1093 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In the novella Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck the main protagonist and his friend’s relationship reflect the lyrics of the song written by Lifehouse. When first introduced to the characters, the reader originally thinks that Lennie is dependent on George. In truth, George needs Lennie just as much to survive. To open, despite George constantly saying that he should have left Lennie a long time ago, he never does until the very end when he is forced by the circumstances. On page 11, George says: “‘ If I was alone, I could live so easy.…

    • 210 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lennie’s Aunt Clara died when Lennie was young, so George took him in, taught him things, and made sure he was okay. When George realizes he hurts everything he touches, and is always getting in trouble so George came with a plan for if Lennie got in trouble again, “‘Well look. Lennie- if you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an’ hide in the brush’” (Steinbeck 15). George is always looking out for Lennie, making sure he’s okay and healthy.…

    • 1150 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Friend, noun, definition; 1) A person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. 2) A person who gives assistance; patron; supporter. Many qualities make a friend, even more make up a good friend.…

    • 818 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When it comes to friends there’s people who just socialize with you and well for the other people who motivate you are true friends. In the book OF MICE AND MEN by John Steinbeck there’s two very special people who motivate each other. George and Lennie, they take care of each other, while they make sacrifices for each other. George and Lennie’s relationship shows us the true meaning of friendship.…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sometimes Lennie may get on his nerves but George has always been there for Lennie and Lennie knows that. Lennie looks to George, to his permission, to his actions because he can trust…

    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Even though George has to take care of Lennie because he promised Aunt Clara to take care of Lennie “Him and me was both born in Auburn. I knowed his Aunt Clara. She took him when he was a baby and raised him up. When his Aunt Clara died, Lennie just comes along with me out workin'. Got kinda used to each other after a little while”.…

    • 1819 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Lennie is like a little kid, he needs someone to guide him, so he is always looking up to George. Which is the reason why George is always controlling and bossing him around. Lennie is handicapped so he can not be left alone or do things by himself, giving George an advantage to make him do whatever he wants. George and Lennie do everything together, but George is the one who always makes the decisions. So Lennie has no choice but to follow him because without George, Lennie would be getting himself into a lot of trouble and would probably get himself killed.…

    • 1075 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    George could have been well off without Lennie, but still continues to care and support him. They have one another to talk to, be with, and look after.      ‘With us it ain’t like that. We got a future.…

    • 921 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    George and Lennie display true friendship of loyalty to each other like family. According to Aristotle “Complete sort of friendship between people who are good and alike in virtue”. Easily dissolve”. “ its is clear that only the good can be friends for themselves, since the bad do not enjoy their own kind unless some benefit comes from them”.…

    • 253 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    Taking place in the 1930’s around the time of the Great Depression, Steinbeck fashions a story following the relationship of George and Lennie as they work towards achieving the goals they have set forth. Through this journey, the theme of moral responsibility is highlighted by George’s willingness to care for Lennie even though he is an unnecessary burden, his capacity to defend Lennie in tough situations, and his ability to do the right thing however difficult it may present itself to be. To begin, one example from the novella where George’s moral responsibility…

    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I think that there was no time to go hide and escape so Lennie could have suffered. Have you ever seen those commercials about how owners and dog pounds have to put down animals? Imagine it like this Lennie is an animal, he’s getting sick and ill and too old there wasn’t a reason to let him suffer. What if George did tell him to leave, go find a cave and disappear? How would you feel if your best friend you’d known for several years said that to you and didn’t want anything to do with you?…

    • 1240 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays