Emily Waugh- Of Mice and Men Convo

Of Mice and Men Conversation
George (Of Mice and Men) and Eli (Night)

George: Eli, I’m wondering if I did the right thing. I thought so at the time but, I not certain anymore.

Eli: What’s going on George?

George: Well, you heard about what happened to Lenny back up north, right?

Eli: Yeah, you told me about the incident with that girl and the dress.

George: Well, Lenny and I headed south to find another job. We couldn’t stay there after he messed up like that. They were after both of us! People have just never understood him, and hell, sometimes I didn’t either. But, I looked after him, just like I said I would. And it was kind of nice having someone around, even though he was a pain in my side.

Eli: What happened?

George: Lenny messed up at this new farm we were working at. This woman who was always there kept showing up. And we all knew she was trouble. I told Lenny, “You stay away from her! Don’t ever talk to her,” but she kept trying to talk to him. She must have scared him…and God, he was so strong! He snapped her neck by accident.

Eli: My God, George, that’s awful. What did you do?

George: I did what I had to do. I went to find Lenny. I had to find him, or that
egotistical, little husband of hers would have gone after him. He would have been so scared. So, I found him in the woods and told him everything was okay. I knew everyone was already on the way and they would have hurt him. So, I took care of things myself… I shot Lenny.

Eli: George, that’s a terrible burden to bear. But, I know of the burdens that were on you while Lenny was with you. As much as I hate to admit it, my father was the same burden to me while we were in concentration camps. He became very old and I had to make sure he was going to survive each selection and keep up with the rest of the prisoners. But, at the same time, I had to make sure I was going to survive as well. It was a terrible situation that is so hard to describe.

George: Eli, how did you keep your father going?

Eli: When he was sick, I sacrificed my food rations for him. But, I soon realized that they were being wasted on him. He was dying and I was not. And as awful as that sounds, I was the one that needed to stay strong to survive. My dad did end up passing though.

George: I am so sorry. How did you feel when it happened?

Eli: Nothing, I felt nothing. I was so numb at that point in my life. I became a part of that concentration camp while I was trying to survive. I couldn’t have saved him this time. I had tried so hard before but, this time it wouldn’t have mattered.

George: I know what you mean. I protected Lenny for so long. His troubles became my troubles. Anytime he messed up, we would pack up and keep moving. We’d go off to find a different job.

Eli: And like with my father, I would get mad at him for getting himself into trouble in the camps because I was struggling to keep him alive. Every time he got in trouble, he became weaker and weaker.

George: How have you dealt with losing your father like that?

Eli: Well, after the war, that is when I could really think about it. It was a terrible thing, but it was out of my control. It’s hard to say how I even survived. I thought about escaping and death so many times. But, I have just accepted that he was a good man and that I was helpless in the situation.

George: Lenny was going to be killed anyways, and I didn’t want him to be scared. I just wanted things to be okay. I know what I have done may not have been the best thing to do but, I am able to live my life now. And, I won’t be personally affected by someone else’s actions like that.

Eli: I think the important thing to do now is to just move forward. You helped him for so long George. But, I think the time has come to help yourself.