A hero is defined by the Collins dictionary as "the main male character, who generally has good qualities." Some good qualities found in many heroic figures include fighting for a noble cause, reflecting on society's ideals, and performing courageous acts. As one of the main characters in the novel, George Milton possesses these characteristics. He displays these traits throughout the time he spends with Lennie. George is the hero of the novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original EssayOne of the characteristics of a hero exemplified by George is to fight for a noble cause. He fights to give Lennie a better life, even if it makes his own life worse. George sacrifices his time and well-being to give Lennie the best life he can provide. He always finds himself protecting Lennie. George said, “Well, listen. Lennie, if by any chance you get into trouble like you always did before, I want you to come here and hide in the brush…hide in the brush until I come and get you” ( Steinbeck 15). This quote shows how much George wants to make sure Lennie is safe when something goes wrong. When George mentions how Lennie has caused problems in the past, we can see how his life has been affected. George is constantly trying to recover from Lennie's mistakes, which makes his life more difficult than it already is. Additionally, George fights for Lennie's life when Lennie killed Curley's wife. George said, “Can we maybe bring him here and they’ll lock him up?” He's crazy, Slim. He never did this out of malice” (Steinbeck 97). In this quote, George uses Lennie's mental disability to lessen the sentence for killing Curley's wife rather than being killed by Curley himself. George fights for Lennie's life as he tries to convince the other ranch hands to find another alternative to punish Lennie for his unintentional actions. While fighting for Lennie's life on various occasions, George demonstrates the characteristics of a hero. Another characteristic of a hero that George exemplifies is reflection on the ideals of society. George and Lennie are constantly trying to figure out where they fit in society and in life itself. George says, “Guys like us who work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world. They have no family. They don’t belong anywhere” (Steinbeck 13). In this quote, George reflects on the stereotypes of ranch hands during the Great Depression. It describes the model of society in which workers like George and Lennie have no reason to live. George compares this to his and Lennie's lives. George goes on to say, “With us, it’s not like that. We have a future. We have someone to talk to who cares about us. We don’t need to sit in a bar and blow our jack just because we don’t have anywhere else to go” (Steinbeck 14). This quote describes how George sees himself and Lennie differently than how society might see them. They attempt to change the lifestyle of poor ranch workers during the Great Depression. George shows how he and Lennie have a purpose in life and a bright future ahead of them. By reflecting on society's ideals in his own life, George demonstrates the characteristics of a hero. Finally, another characteristic of a hero that George exemplifies is performing courageous acts. Towards the beginning of the novel it is mentioned.