George and Lennie: Their Relationship and External/ Internal Differences

     In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the characters George and Lennie are portrayed as opposites, both in personality and physical features.  George and Lennie, the protagonists, must walk for miles to get to a ranch where they will work.  George is described as being "small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features.  Every part of him [is] defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, and a thin and bony nose" (Steinbeck 4).  Behind him walked Lennie, who was described as his "opposite."  Lennie is "a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little the way a bear drags his paws" (Steinbeck 4).  George's restless eyes and shrewd disposition  illustrates his cold and calculating nature; as opposed to Lennie, whose big eyes indicate that he has an innocent nature similar to a child.  In addition, George seems to be Lennie's leader or guardian figure, as he is leading him down the road.  Furthermore, when Lennie sees a pool of green water, he "…flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool, drank with long gulps, snorting water like a horse" (Steinbeck 4) George takes a more sensible approach to decide if the water is safe to drink, observing that it "looks kinda' scummy..." and "it don't really seem to be running" (Steinbeck 5).  While Lennie is impulsive and does not consider the water to be dirty, George logically assesses the situation.  This further supports the idea that Lennie has the mentality of a child, while George is his parental figure.  A thirsty child who had been walking a great distance would not have stopped to consider the water was unclean like George, they would plunge in and drink anyway, like Lennie.  If Lennie had an adult's mindset, George would not have needed to explain to him why the water was unsafe.  
     Some of Lennie's other behaviors also support his childishness.  Lennie is obsessed with collecting mice to care for, but consistantly kills them by smashing their skulls.  When George demands Lennie "give [the mouse] here!" (Steinbeck 7), Lennie's "closed hand [almost instantly] obeyed" (Steinbeck 7).  When George rebukes (ding!) Lennie by calling him a "crazy ba*****," Lennie replies timidly, like he is afraid to defend himself.  This is often the behavior of children who are being reprimanded by an adult.  After the mouse is taken away, "Lennie's lip quivered and tears started in his eyes" (Steinbeck 10).  George immediately rushes to comfort him, promising to let him keep the next mouse he finds as a pet.  Crying is a mechanism children often use to obtain wanted items from their parents, and Lennie tends to bawl whenever things do not go his way.  
    Although Lennie and George have a parent-and-son relationship, they are both extremely loyal to each other.  George gets aggravated by some of Lennie's peculiar behaviors and often calls him a "crazy bastard," but still rushes to comfort him when he gets upset.  Lennie, although sometimes hurt by George's insults, remains loyal and wants to make George happy.  When they were eating their supper, George explodes after Lennie asks for ketchup with his beans. "'...if I was alone, I could live so easy.  I could get a job 'an work, 'an no trouble.  No mess at all, and when the end of the month come I could take my fifty bucks into town and get whatever I want... 'And whatta I got,' George went on furiously. 'I got you! You can' keep a job and you lose me ever' job I get.  Jus' keep shovin all over the country all the time. An' that ain't the worst.  You get in trouble.  You do bad things and I got to get you out.' His voice rose nearly to a shout. 'You crazy son-of-a-b****.  You keep me in hot water all the time'" (Steinbeck 12).  Because George acts as Lennie's guardian, he is responsible for finding shelter and a stable job that can keep them togther.  Even after this outburst, Lennie insists he was joking about the ketchup and that "I don't want no ketchup.  I wouldn't eat no ketchup if it was right here beside me... I'd leave it all for you.  You could cover your beans with it and I wouldn't touch none of it" (13).  This symbolizes that, no matter what happens, Lennie would always "have George's back."  He would sacrifice his own happiness for the sake of George's well-being. Lennie even offers to run away into the woods so George could live a worry-free life, but George surprisingly refuses. This reveals that, despite their differences and unique relationship, George and Lennie would always remain loyal, even if it meant sacrificing their happiness.