Essay #1

I Will Always Be There For You, So “Lean On Me”
Connecting Of Mice and Men to “Lean On Me”
An Essay by Eliza Griffin
8th Grade English
Pine Point School
September 27, 2011       
Have you ever heard the song “Lean On Me” written by Bill Withers? The lyrics say, “Lean on me when you’re not strong and I’ll be your friend I’ll help, you carry on.” When I heard these lyrics the words reminded me of the characters from John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men. The lyrics also remind me of my own life. This touching song made me really think how much Lennie leans on George, and also how George leans on Lennie.
This song “Lean On Me”, not only relates to the novella Of Mice and Men, but also to my personal life. One of the main characters, Lennie, has a hard time remembering important information, George, the other main character, helps Lennie remember this important information. George is saying to Lennie “ Lean on me when you’re not strong and I’ll be your friend I’ll help you carry on.” Another way George looks out for Lennie, is by reminding Lennie not to talk, because if people hear Lennie speak, they might not hire him, because of his disability. In addition, George also leans on Lennie. For instance, if Lennie did not stay with George, George would not earn the good wages that he does, because Lennie is a remarkably strong and hard worker, but George on the other hand is not as skilled as Lennie; he is more of the negotiator and organizer. Also, Lennie is a true friend to George. George does not have any other friends, so Lennie means more to George than he is aware.  Lastly, I can compare this to my life because I have come to realize that I can lean on my parents. For example, if I am having trouble in school, I know, for a fact, that I can tell them, and they will do their best to help me succeed. In the long run, this makes it easier for me to do my challenging assignments, and to ask for help, and to “ Carry on”.

        Both Lennie and George lean on each other in different ways. George always reminds Lennie not to talk, and Lennie is always a loyal friend to George and never questions his advice. Lennie works hard for George and in his own way they say to one another “Lean on me when you’re not strong and I’ll be your friend I’ll help you carry on.” These lyrics are very thoughtfully written and also are very true, because you often lean on your friends and family in your life and this song demonstrates this very well.