What is love? Is it just saying "I love you" to someone or is it something a person shows to another person through actions? According to John Steinbeck, love is something every person needs in order to live a happy life; however, it is also something that can destroy a person's life. Steinbeck demonstrates this idea in his novels, Of Mice and Men, East of Eden, and The Pearl. In his works, Steinbeck uses different kinds of love, including brotherly love, family love, and love of precious things to clarify the idea that love is not always a necessity, if it involves ruining your life over.
             In his novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses the two main characters, George and Lennie, to explore the bond of brotherly love. They lived with one another's best interests in mind, to protect each other, and to know that there is someone in the world dedicated to protecting them. Steinbeck expresses his ideas in many ways, including the use of symbols. In this novel, George and Lennie's dream of owning their own farm acts as a symbol of brotherly love. It demonstrates to the reader that there is a future filled with freedom and pleasure for the two friends as long as they are loyal to the bond they have created. George cares about Lennie so much that George kills Lennie, at the end of the novel, so that Lennie would not have to suffer any harsher consequences given to him by someone else; in this case it was Curley, the boss's son. Accordingly, Lennie's wish to spend the rest of his life with George, enables Lennie to be respectful to George and to do whatever George tells him to do. Lennie loved George so much that he was ready to do anything for George, including staying quiet when he was told to do so. George's love for Lennie forced him to kill Lennie, which later led to George ruining his life because he had just, lost his so-called life partner.
             Steinbeck also explores the topic of love in his novel ...