Motifes ( grade this)

“We ride together we die together bad boy’s for life”(Bad Boys). These are words of brother hood. In Steinbeck book of Mice and Men has a strong focus of the power of brother hood. In the story guy’s play together, protect each other, and unite together to kill together.

Must in the morning, smoke in the evening, and anger at night this is the power of brother hood. From morning to night these men work to have the American Dream. Though out the book the main game that is played is cards. For example when Carlson wanted to kill Candy’s dog everyone was around the card table. When Carlson took Candy’s dog out to shoot him George asked the guy’s “Anybody like to play a little Euchre?”. When the guy’s just want time to fly past or have a talk they do it in a game of Euchre.


“Get him, Lennie. Don’t let him do it.” George was on his feet yelling. George put out his hand and grabbed Slim. “ Wait a minute,” “ Get I’m, Lennie...!” Curley’s fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it. The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on a line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie’s big hand. George ran down the room. “Let go of him, Lennie. Let go.” Lennie watched in terror the flopping little man whom he held. George slapped him in the face again and again, and still Lennie held on to the closed fist. George shouted over and over, “Let his hand go, Lennie. Let him go. Slim help me while the guy still has a hand….” Lennie let him go and fell to the floor. Slim and Carlson ran over to Curly, Slim put his head up and said “ he needs a doctor”. Slim knelt down beside Curley. “ You got your senses in your hand enough to listen?” Curley nodded. “Well you listen, “I think you got your hand caught in a machine. If you don’t tell anybody what happened, we ain’t going to. But you jus’ tell and try and get this guy canned and we’ll tell everybody, and then will you get the laugh.” “ I won’t tell”, said Curley. He avoided looking at Lennie.

Protect and defend, in this part of the story Slim (the leader of the band of brothers) play’s a two sided man, he is protecting Curly from Lennie, so Lennie wont kill Curly, and Lennie from Curly before Curly gets him caned. George is also showing protection for Lennie, because when Curly first started beating on Lennie he told Slim not to interfere in their fight. He was showing Lennie that he should not let people beat on him that he need to protect him self from the world. It was almost like he was showing him that he is not always going to be there to protect him so he needs to learn to protect him self from the world.

Death is the worst way to have to come together in a brotherhood. When Lennie killed Curly’s wife the men joined together to go find Lennie and kill him. George could not just stand there and let them kill Lennie. So he ran off into the woods to find Lennie and kill him before the other men found him. When George killed Lennie his heart broke. He sat stiffly on the bank and looked at his right hand that had thrown the gun away. The group burst into the clearing, and Curly was ahead. He saw Lennie lying on the sand. “ Got him, by God.” He went over and looked down at Lennie, and then he looked back at George. “ Right in the back of the head,” he said softly. Slim came directly to George and sat down beside him, sat very close to him. “ Never you mind,” said Slim. “ A guy got to sometimes.”


Brotherhood is one of the most powerful things you could have with friends. To know that they will always be there for you. Kill with you, play with you, and protect you. If you were to read Of Mice and Men you will learn what true friends are what they will do for you, how they should treat you. If your friends are like Candy and Slim they are true friends. If they are like Carlson and Curly they are not true friends because true friends would never hurt you. They would never went to pick on you because you are slower than others.