George and lennie Flashcards
(13 cards)
INTERDEPENDANCY quotes
- “I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you.” – Lennie
Mutual dependency in a lonely world. Breaks the norm of isolated ranch life.
- “With us it ain’t like that. We got a future.” – George
The bond between them gives them hope. This is rare and idealistic in a hostile world.
- “you never oughtta drink water when it ain’t running”
he cares for his safety and demonstrates his practical care and understanding of Lenny in a society where there’s a lack of of this.
- “hes as strong as a bull”
goes against the grain - doesnt see lennie as competition but sees him as a friend he wants to do well.
DREAMS / THE AMERICAN DREAM
- “live off the fatta the lan’.” – Lennie
This becomes a refrain for hope, childlike simplicity, and the fantasy of self-sufficiency.
- “I think I knowed we’d never do her.” – George
After Lennie’s death, George acknowledges the dream was always a fantasy. Ironic and heartbreaking.
- “Tell how it’s gonna be, George.” – Lennie
Lennie finds comfort in the dream even in his final moments. Shows its emotional power.
- “red, blue and green rabits” - it is dillusional and unatainable.
LONELINESS / RELLIANCE
- “If I was alone I could live so easy.” – George
Shows George’s conflicted feelings. Lennie is both burden and comfort.
- “A guy needs somebody – to be near him.” – Crooks (connected quote)
Supports George and Lennie’s bond as necessary in a lonely, cruel world. even if lennie isnt sufficient companionship
- “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world.” – George
Direct contrast between their friendship and the typical loneliness of itinerant workers.
- “I done a bad thing, George.” – Lennie
Even when Lennie realises he’s done wrong, he turns to George—not morality or religion—showing his complete emotional dependence.
- “solitaire” - he is still lonely.
VIOLENCE / MORAL DILEMMA / TRAGIC ENDING
- “I just done it.” – George
His numb response to killing Lennie. The emotional fallout is immense.
- “You hadda, George. I swear you hadda.” – Slim
Slim gives moral approval to the mercy killing, reinforcing the idea that cruelty can be compassionate in this world.
- “Tell me about the rabbits, George.” – Lennie
Lennie dies hearing about his dream, unaware of the real danger. George gives him peace, not punishment.
- “Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin’ them two guys?” – Carlson
Final line. Shows lack of empathy in this world. Contrasts with George’s pain and Slim’s quiet understanding.
- “what stake you got in this guy”
boss is immediately suspicious - doesnt believe freindship can exist.
Why is Lennie presented as both innocent and dangerous, and what does this reveal about society’s treatment of difference?
Lennie’s childlike mind and immense strength make him both lovable and lethal. His actions, like killing the mouse or Curley’s wife, aren’t born of malice but misunderstanding. This reflects 1930s America’s failure to support those with learning difficulties—seen as burdens rather than people in need of care. Steinbeck critiques a society that doesn’t make space for vulnerability, exposing how systemic neglect turns innocence into tragedy.
Why does George stay with Lennie despite the burden, and what broader message does this reflect?
George’s loyalty shows rare compassion in a world of isolation. In the context of the Great Depression, where economic hardship turned people selfish, George chooses moral responsibility over personal freedom. His care challenges the brutal social Darwinism of the era, where only the strong survive. Steinbeck uses George to ask whether goodness can survive in a world designed to crush it.
“Guys like us… are the loneliest guys in the world.”
“Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you.”
What does George’s killing of Lennie represent in terms of societal failure?
George is forced to kill Lennie not out of cruelty but to spare him from a worse fate—mob justice or brutal institutions. This moment is Steinbeck’s damning indictment of a system that offers no safety net for the vulnerable. George’s act is framed as tragic mercy, suggesting society has made true kindness impossible. It’s a moral paradox: to protect Lennie, George must destroy him.
“You hadda, George. I swear you hadda.” – Slim legitimizes the act.
“I just done it.” – George’s numbness shows the emotional cost.
How does Lennie’s dream of the farm symbolise both hope and delusion?
Lennie’s dream of “livin’ off the fatta the lan’” is more than fantasy—it’s a coping mechanism, a mental escape from his brutal reality. In the Depression era, such dreams gave men like Lennie a fragile sense of purpose. But Steinbeck shows the dream is a lie; in this world, the American Dream is unattainable, especially for the mentally vulnerable. Lennie’s belief in it makes his death all the more tragic.
“An’ I get to tend the rabbits.” – A childlike obsession that symbolises hope.
The dream dies with Lennie.
How does George and Lennie’s friendship contrast with the novel’s broader themes of loneliness and cruelty?
In a world filled with transient workers and emotional detachment, George and Lennie’s bond is radical. Their companionship is rare—built on mutual need, not exploitation. Steinbeck uses them to challenge the accepted loneliness of Depression-era life, hinting that solidarity might be the only moral resistance to a cruel world. But even this bond is doomed, showing how society crushes even the purest connections.
“With us it ain’t like that. We got a future.”
Their hope dies with Lennie—hope is shown to be unsustainable.
How is George’s internal conflict presented throughout the novel, and what does it say about morality under pressure?
George oscillates between frustration and affection for Lennie, revealing a deeply conflicted conscience. He scolds Lennie, sometimes cruelly, but also defends and protects him fiercely. This moral struggle reflects Steinbeck’s view of a broken world—where doing the right thing often feels wrong, and vice versa. In a society with no ethical guidance, George is left to invent his own morality.
“I been mean, ain’t I?” – George’s guilt shows self-awareness.
“God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy.” – Yet he stays.
Why is Lennie’s mental disability significant in Steinbeck’s social critique?
Lennie represents those left behind by capitalist America—disabled, poor, and voiceless. In the 1930s, people with mental disabilities were often institutionalised or mistreated. Steinbeck humanises Lennie, but also shows how society gives him no place. His death isn’t just tragic—it’s political. It shows what happens when a society values productivity over personhood.
“He’s jes’ like a kid.” – Lennie is infantilised but not supported.
“I done a bad thing.” – He’s morally innocent, yet punished by a system that sees no nuance.
How does Steinbeck use George and Lennie to explore the impossibility of the American Dream?
Their dream of owning land reflects the core myth of the American Dream—freedom through hard work. But their status as itinerant workers and Lennie’s condition make the dream impossible. Steinbeck exposes the illusion: in a system rigged against the weak, dreams are just distractions from suffering. The death of Lennie = the death of the dream.
“I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we’d never do her.” – George’s loss of faith.
power quotes:
“streched out his hand imperiously” - maybe enjoys power he holds over lennie due to his lack of agency as a itinerant worker.
“please dont do that - george ‘ll be mad” - does georges disipline of lennie lead to curley’s wife’s death?
