Of Mice and Men in Mineola Library's 2012 FALL Reading Challenge

Mar 15, 2009 Suzanne Moore rated it liked it

Shelves: 1001-2006, 1001-2008, nominations-to-sort, winter-challenge-picks, banned

John Steinbeck makes his characters so realistic and easy to relate to. Lennie and George are ranch hands in constant search of work. The problem they have keeping a position once they find one, is due to the mental state of Lennie. He is strong and more than capable of hard labor, but his child-like mind causes him to react with fear and rage when misunderstood. George is Lennie’s friend and tries to cover his back when things go wrong. He promises Lennie that one day they will have enough mone John Steinbeck makes his characters so realistic and easy to relate to. Lennie and George are ranch hands in constant search of work. The problem they have keeping a position once they find one, is due to the mental state of Lennie. He is strong and more than capable of hard labor, but his child-like mind causes him to react with fear and rage when misunderstood. George is Lennie’s friend and tries to cover his back when things go wrong. He promises Lennie that one day they will have enough money to buy a place of their own and live off the fat of the land … raising rabbits. Lennie loves to feel soft things and catches mice to feel their soft fur. He is mesmerized by a litter of pups and wants to constantly stroke and pet one he has picked out to keep. He inadvertently kills these tiny animals because of his rough handling, and worries that George won’t let him tend to the rabbits they one day plan to raise. When Lennie has a run-in with the wife of Curley (another rancher) he can’t resist her soft hair and ends up breaking her neck. Lennie hides, waiting for George. He knows that they will have to leave again quick, in search of another place to work, because of the BAD trouble he has caused. In the end George finds Lennie and calms him down, telling him to look way out on the horizon and picture the future life they have planned together. Then George shoots Lennie before the angry ranchers catch up to them and take matters into their own hands. George knows this is the only way to peacefully put an end to Lennie’s troubled life.

There are several other characters that interact with Lennie and George. Each one can be studied to show that Lennie wasn’t the only one suffering. There is the black stable boy, Crooks, who is lonely and has a memorable line saying, "A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you."

Then there is Candy, who had to have his dog shot after it became stiff and old. Now that was one sad scene, foreshadowing the end, where George is faced with his difficult decision.
This is a short but ‘meaty’ book that will leave you thinking. There are many similarities between the characters and overlapping situations. Told by a master storyteller, Steinbeck has a knack for painting a picture of humanity, true to the times. ...more

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