d firm, even in the final tragic moments of the story. Another quality trait George has is motivation. He has the drive of a one-track mind, focused on achieving his goals. All of the characters share the same dream, the American Dream, of having something for yourself, or “Living off the Fat of the Lan’,” as Lennie often tells George. But the other characters lack the motivation to reach these goals until George and Lennie arrive. George has this motivation, and in turn, the others feed off of it. Therefore, George’s roll goes beyond caretaker of Lennie. George brings promise to the other characters.Lennie gives the story spice and gives the reader something to expect, without knowing the exact specifics of what is to come. There is still surprise in Lennie’s actions although they are expected. “Lennie’s purpose is to carry the familiar element of violence…”( Geismar, 258). The violence in Lennie is, however, innocent. His lack of intelligence creates a certain amount of forgiveness for his actions. Lennie frees George from loneliness, but imprisons him from achieving his goals and living his dreams.But the story is about more than just the dream itself. These characters possess real personality traits known to Steinbeck. Kevin Atell wrote, “But Of Mice and Men is not simply about dreaming in general, for the nature of the dream at the center of this story is specifically related to Steinbeck's critical understanding of a specific aspect of society in his contemporary California. (Attell, n.pg.)” These characters could have come from Steinbeck’s very community. Of the other characters, one thing is commonly shared, and that is the emotion of loneliness. In the end, George, also, learns the awful truth of loneliness. To save Lennie from a lynching, George shoots Lennie in the back of the head. At last, he will have the freedom that he needs to achieve the goals of h...
