Work With Hope
In Coleridge’s poem the there are two lines that stick out to me in particular. They are, “Work without hope draws nectar in a sieve / And hope without an object cannot live.” These two lines sort of sum up the whole idea that Coleridge is trying to get across in his short two-stanza poem.
The idea that we are constantly working to achieve a certain goal is how most of us justify the meaningless work we have to do in our lives. Knowing that we might be able to achieve our dreams is enough for most people to work hard.
What if someone knew they were never going to though, what if where they are is where they will always stay? Do you think they would work as hard or even at all? In the case of George and Lenny they did.
I believe that George made up that goal of having a farm not only for Lenny, but for himself as well. He needed to give himself something. Honestly, I think he knew the whole time that him and Lenny would never see their own farm. He lied to Lenny and himself for the sake of being able to bear the traveling labor life.
The lines Coleridge wrote, “And WINTER, slumbering in the open air, / Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring! / And I, the while, the sole unbusy thing,” also ties into “Of Mice & Men”. The “winter” in this situation would be Lenny, slumbering in the open air with a smile and dreaming of Spring. Having no worries and just waiting for what comes next. The “unbusy thing” would be George, always watching over Lenny and taking care of him. He’s the one carrying the responsibility of both of them on his back.
George and Lenny were a very memorable character set. They are two friends who love each other and would do anything in the world for one other. I think Coleridge kind of touched on that in his poem. Not the feeling of unconditional love specifically, just the feeling of an unconditional emotion no matter what it might be.