Of Mice and Men Paper

Love can be defined as either a noun or a verb, and by many, it is described as indescribable. The Oxford English Dictionary could craft 7 different definitions of the verb and these only scratch the surface of what is felt in reality as dictionary definitions do not always capture emotions. Books and movies sometimes are able to capture the essence of what love is whether between family, friends, or lovers. Love is not the same for everybody but through shared experiences people can understand and relate to each other. By reading the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, we as people witness the experiences of George and Lennie, and Candy and his dog, who love each other as friends and family. These shared experiences help create a community and allow people to relate to one another.

In Of Mice and Men, one example of love is between George and Lennie as friends and family. When the two characters are introduced in the beginning of the book, they are described as opposites, George is “small and quick” and “every part of him defined” while Lennie is “shapeless” and he dragged his feet “the way a bear drags his paws,” (Steinbeck 2). A common saying about love is “opposites attract” which is applicable to George and Lennie. Although in stature they are not alike, Lennie tries to be like George and after watching him, “imitated George exactly. He pushed himself back, drew up his knees, embraced them, looked over to George to see whether he had it just right. He pulled his hat down a little more over his eyes, the way George’s hat was,” (Steinbeck 4). In this instance, Lennie idolizes George in a similar way that kids do to their icons and attempts to be like him. Steinbeck integrates different symbols throughout the book, one of these symbols is the ketchup that Lennie wants during their first night. The ketchup symbolizes all that they want but cannot have because they do not have enough money. When Lennie asks for ketchup the second time, George gets mad but he responds with “I was only foolin’, George. I don’t want no ketchup. I wouldn’t eat no ketchup if it was right here beside me,” Lennie said to attempt to explain himself. George says, “If it was here, you could have some.” Lennie said, “But I wouldn’t eat none, George. I’d leave it all for you. You could cover your beans with it and I wouldn’t touch none of it,” (Steinbeck 12). Lennie is giving George the ketchup, which he doesn’t have the ability to give away in the first place. Often, people try to be kind and give away money or items they don’t even have for themselves as an act of love or affection which is similar to the interaction between Lennie and George.

Another relationship of love in Of Mice and Men is between Candy and his dog. The love between Candy and his dog is similar