Strength In Romeo And Juliet

Words: 1596
Pages: 7

Sustainable Strength: Relationships in Romeo and Juliet and Of Mice and Men
Relationships are hard. Bringing two complete strangers together to form a union, two people that have different views, values, hopes, and goals requires a unique alignment of dreams. Relationships are forged with an immense amount of strength; both parties must have that strength and the comfort to resolve obstacles that would otherwise break up the relationship. A relationship like this is found in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men as the reader follows long-time friends George and Lennie as they navigate the dust bowl in pursuit of a common dream. Throughout their journey their relationship is tried, tested, and proven. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet,
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Lennie shows all of his trust and loyalty consistently throughout the novel, but George realizes the magnitude of his loyalty when he tells Lennie to jump into the river and Lennie knows he cannot swim but jumps in anyway, almost drowning in the process (44). Due to George and Lennie being long-time friends they learned how much trust both parties invested in the relationship, over the extensive amount of time together Lennie and George have shown each other how they have put everything in this relationship. Furthermore we see Lennie’s extensive knowledge of George when he taunts George “If you don’ want me I can go off in the hills an’ find a cave. I can go away any time.” But like Lennie expects George responds “No—look! I was jus’ foolin’, Lennie. ‘Cause I want you to stay with me” (14). Lennie knows some of George's limits and George knows Lennie's limits, knowing someone's limits takes a lasting amount of time to completely understand as George and Lennie do. George has a special kind of knowledge on Lennie, things that take a long amount of time to conclude to. These comments are made to other characters for example Slim, when Slim makes the observation that “It jus’ seems kinda funny a cuckoo like him and a smart little guy like you travelin’ together.” George comments “He ain’t no cuckoo,” “He’s dumb as …show more content…
These are qualities that a true relationship is built on and one should strive for. George and Lennie’s relationship is based on true and genuine love, in contrast to Romeo and Juliet’s relationship which is only based on lust. If one is seeking a successful relationship one should base it off of George and Lennie, due to their relationship withstanding the test of time. Quality relationships are difficult. Bringing two complete strangers together who have so many different qualities is near impossible, however true relationships like George and Lennie’s accomplish