Of Mice and Men in Around the Year in 52 Books

Dec 17, 2023 Maggie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: coming-of-age, guardian-1000, boxall-1001, fiction, classics, usa

George and Lennie are workers who move from ranch to ranch to earn money. George is small and sharp, Lennie is a giant, dull-witted, and innocent as a child. They share a dream, dreamt up by George and held onto by Lennie, of owning a house, raising animals and harvesting crops, and living off the fat of the land. And for Lennie, it includes tending rabbits. They find a ranch where they meet trouble in the form of Curley, the ranch owner’s quarrel-making son, and his pretty and flirtatious wife. George and Lennie are workers who move from ranch to ranch to earn money. George is small and sharp, Lennie is a giant, dull-witted, and innocent as a child. They share a dream, dreamt up by George and held onto by Lennie, of owning a house, raising animals and harvesting crops, and living off the fat of the land. And for Lennie, it includes tending rabbits. They find a ranch where they meet trouble in the form of Curley, the ranch owner’s quarrel-making son, and his pretty and flirtatious wife.

I won’t spoil the rest of the story, but it probably isn’t a spoiler to say that this is not a happy story. The characters march steadily on towards a tragic end. It is made all the more tragic by the unlikely, deep, loyal, and beautiful friendship that George and Lennie share. Lennie, though physically big and strong, has the thought process of a toddler and the memory of someone with dementia. George, though often frustrated with him, sees through his flaws to his kind heart and protects and loves him even when Lennie doesn’t realise it. Their friendship had me rooting for them, and the ending had me sobbing uncontrollably as the inevitable tragedy unfolded.

Almost every character in this story is yearning for something. George yearns for land. Lennie yearns to tend rabbits. Candy yearns for security in his old age. Crooks yearns for respect and independence. Even Curley, the main antagonist, yearns to be physically powerful, and his nameless wife yearns for a love she does not have. This book was written in the Great Depression when the American Dream was much talked of but rarely attained. Hope is a powerful driver of men, and the realisation that one is never going to attain one’s dreams is devastating.

Steinbeck uses scenery powerfully in his writing. The book starts and ends at the Salinas River with the mountains and sunset in the background. The trees are the same, the mountains are the same, the water continues lapping, but the heron that is part of the tranquil landscape at the start becomes a predator at the end. Through scenery, tension and quietness are conveyed, and emotions are heightened. The length of the novella also concentrates and intensified the elements of the story, and the plot elements of Lennie petting mice and puppies, and Candy’s old dog being shot by Carlson, come back to haunt us in the end.

This was short but one of the most powerful books I have read this year. ...more

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Jul 28, 2014 Kiley rated it liked it

Quick read, good story.

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Jan 12, 2014 Dawn rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015-reading-challenge

This was my "finish in a day" #2015ReadingChallenge book. I read this in high school - still a depressing book, but I have a better appreciation for the writing this time around. ...more

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