Who is George?

As we find out right from the beginning of the book, George, is one of the main characters of the novel and holds great importance within the text. George has a defined personality which may be due to some of his peculiar characteristics. The main one of these being his appearance which is described right from the very start of the book. "The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose." Immediately we get the impression that because of the height and size of this man he will be timid and shy, however George turns out to be the complete opposite to this. Confident. Intelligent. Controlling, bringing a complete contrast of his traveler friend Lennie.

George Milton out of the 'Of Mice and Men' movie

George has a tendency throughout the book to be short-tempered, constantly losing his cool and snapping at Lennie "Well we ain't got any, George exploded." This allows the reader to emphasize and feel sympathy towards Lennie, but George is always quick to apologize showing that he is a loving and caring friend, and some may even say a 'devoted brother'. George fantasies quite a lot about what life would be like without Lennie "God a'mighty, if i was alone i could live so easy", which makes us ask the question, Why doesn't he just leave? but even with this doubt in his mind his commitment to keeping Lennie safe never falters which i think may be down to Aunt Clara and something she may have said to George before they left. George is most certainly impatient and stern but it's clear that his main concern is protecting Lennie and keeping him from danger because his opening sentence begins "Lennie! For god's sake Lennie don't drink so much. You gonna be sick like you was last night."

At the beginning of the novel George has a strong belief of their dream of "Livin' off the fatta the lan'" and tells it to Lennie like a bed time story starting to believe in it more and more which may sway some people to thinking George is a bit of an idealist. This is because of their longing to be free of work and bosses and live independently with out having to be told what to do, but also for safety and comfort away from danger like the little miss perfect wife of Curly and Curly himself who both always seem to be looking for trouble...

George Milton and Lennie Small

The extremely popular John Steinbeck novel, 'Of Mice and Men' is based on two migrant American labourers on the search for their 'Great American Dream' in which they will live together on a farm where they will "live offa the fatta the lan'". During there travels it becomes apparent that Lennie is very reliant upon George, who cares and supports Lennie and helps him to remember. The two get on well together acting like brothers and best friends which grows throughout the book building a strong emotional connection to the reader.

Personally i feel that if you connect to the characters early on in the novel you are more likely to enjoy the book and finish it, which is why John Steinbeck has gone into so much detail about their lifestyles and emotions. Since we started reading this book in my English class i have enjoyed it because i like George and Lennie and am always anxious to find out what they will do next, but mainly i have been excited about finding out about ending which my friend told me was good to look forward to...

All up until the point a REALLY REALLY annoying boy in my science set blurted out the ending and spoiled the whole experience for me, because now i find that although i am still waiting for the ending to happen i no longer feel the same buzz of not knowing what to expect as i am already expecting.

However, i now understand how important it is for the reader to understand about the characters and build a connection, as without it the whole book would be a pointless read and a waste of time as you would feel no emotion towards the two very different characters and what will happen to them. You can see the contrast between the two people on the image to the right - Lennie on the left, and George on the right - and even through Lennie looks like a giant his size is the total opposite to his personality which is very innocent and kind. George is smaller in size but is very authoritative and caring although at times impatient and demanding. These character traits are clearly shown throughout the book especially on pages 8 and 9 when Lennie goes back to fetch his mouse.

"But Lennie made an elaborate pantomime of innocence. 'What mouse, George? I ain't got no mouse.'"...
"You know god-damn well what. I want that mouse"

It's at points like this in the book when you feel most sorry for Lennie as he doesn't really understand what he is doing and George is not very patient person which comes across when he loses his temper and shouts at people. I also get the impression that he likes to dominate other people as it makes him feel more in control which could be triggered due to his small height.

So in conclusion, i feel that John Steinbeck has used a good range of written techniques and vocabulary to portray two different and interesting main characters to keep the reader focused and connected to the book.