Of Mice and Men

George is a good guy with a good heart, but he has developed a hard edge, likely due to tough times. He is occasionally mean to Lennie, complaining about everything he misses out on by having to travel with this guy as baggage. Still, it’s clear he enjoys Lennie’s company, as he’s quick to comfort and assure him. He even shares this great big dream of the two of them having a ranch together.

Although George is all mother hen around Lennie, he can be rather gruff with outsiders. He’s suspicious of nearly everyone, except Slim, and seems to take his time warming up to people. This general distrust puts George’s relationship with Lennie in even greater contrast – it’s pretty extraordinary that George has opened up, and though he doesn’t run around declaring that he’s BFF with Lennie, it’s pretty clear that his gruff affection is more than anyone else will ever get.

George doesn’t exactly spend the whole book declaring much of anything about himself. But his final act in the novella reveals that he has a clear sense of right and wrong – and that he truly loves Lennie. Unfortunately, that love requires the execution-style murder of his friend.

George’s murder of Lennie is in some ways a renunciation of George’s own happiness. We know from George’s own admission that Lennie gives him hope. With the dream farm, but even just within their friendship, Lennie gives George a place to belong and a reason to belong there. George chooses to take Lennie’s life in order to protect him from an awful fate, but in killing him, George also sacrifices his own dreams and happiness for the sake of his friend’s comfort. Thus George is a special kind of character – a hard-talking, straight-shooting guy with a heart of gold. And a need for friendship.