Book Review: Of Mice and Men

Author John Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men in 1937; a well-known story written simply yet portraying deep meanings, expressing major themes, and demonstrating tragic circumstances, the plot of the story, the characters involved, the simplistic vocabulary and structure used, and the symbolism applied create a story that will leave readers in tears and without headaches. Not only is this book less than difficult, but the events are chilling and heartbreaking, involving the reader in a profound way.
The story begins as two men, George and Lennie, who have struggled with numerous hardships in their lives, are preparing to work at a new ranch (since they were forced by unfortunate events to abandon the previous one). Lennie, despite being tenderhearted, is not bright – a mental disorder is implied. George, through a promise to a friend, has become Lennie’s friend and caretaker. Although he sometimes loses his temper and expresses his wish to pursue a life free of the burdens, George cares deeply for Lennie. Dreams of a new life with simple pleasures and happiness give Lennie hope and even influence George from time to time as he repeats them to Lennie. New friends the men find in the other workers become thoroughly involved as the plot continues. Since Lennie, a massive and physically powerful man, cannot keep mice as pets (he always kills them because he loves to stroke them but is too forceful to do so), George decides it will be acceptable for him to care for a puppy instead. It should have been evident that warnings would not be enough. Even though he is gentle in nature, Lennie has difficulty remembering instructions and understanding some situations, and they often times lead to trouble. When things go too far, Lennie is helpless. For his friend, George is forced to deal with an unexpected situation in a way he never could have imagined.
Since John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, it is obvious that his childhood home and personal experiences influenced his writing, especially in this case. Having worked as a hired hand, the plot of this story and its characters came straight from Steinbeck’s own life. Dealing on an intimate level with desperately poor California wanderers, as was a pattern in Steinbeck’s work, the novel is based during the Depression-era and confronts the economic conditions of the times with the situation of the victimized workers George and Lennie. The work is sometimes criticized for being too sentimental, depicting an overly moralistic lesson, and using a terribly deterministic plot. Although some thought that the point of the novel became more significant that the people involved in the story, Steinbeck was still thought of as one of the greatest authors of his time and even won a Pulitzer Prize.
Cruelty and uncontrollable circumstances may have ended George and Lennie’s story in tragedy, but their steadfast love and compassion is still a heartwarming theme of the novel. No matter what was going on the two still cared for each other and were only concerned for one another. In the most difficult of conditions, they did what was best for each other, in George’s case, and tried to make it up to each other, in Lennie’s case. In a lonely world, they each had a friend who would always be there.
Some themes used in this novel are as follows: the predatory nature of human existence, fraternity and the idealized male friendship, and the impossibility of the American dream. Loneliness and isolation cause the characters in the book to become vulnerable which causes most of their actions. Human nature forces the characters to helplessly search for companionship and to eliminate those who appear weak. Relationships between friends also play a large role; it seems to me that, although they really aren’t, George and Lennie seem like brothers. Life is never perfect, and it never will be; at the end of the story, it is clear that this is true no matter how hopeful one is. Things just happen. The corruption caused by women, Curly’s wife; the search for companionship in loneliness; and the struggle between strength and weakness help to develop these major themes as motifs.
George and Lennie’s farm, Lennie’s puppy, and Candy’s dog are all symbolic in this story. The possibilities of freedom and protection from the type of life they were living was represented by the dream farm. Strength and predatory powers are shown through the puppy’s accidental death and the unavoidable fate death is shown through Candy’s dog’s own cruel demise. These symbols provide concepts that achieve the purpose of the book.

Sources
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/micemen/context.html
I used this website for information about the themes of this book. It really helped me to understand why the author wrote it and its major points as well.
http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/prose/ofmiceandmen.htm
This site provides virtually every piece of information I could think of. It thoroughly explains the characters, events, and concepts of the book, and it gives links at the top to different parts of the page so nothing is difficult to find.
http://www.ciao.co.uk/John_Steinbeck_Of_Mice_and_Men__34051
This site contains over 30 well-written and thought out reviews of this book. It also has links to be used for studying purposes.
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/johnstei.htm
The author is the main focus of this site. It is almost a timeline as it goes through his life in relation to the books at the time he wrote them. His intentions with each book are made much clearer.
My own opinion
I thought that even though this book did not contain a ton of flowery language and difficult sentences and vocabulary, that everyone should read it. This is not only because it is a classic. The simple way it is written and the amount of dialogue makes the mood and roles of characters quite impactful. It is not difficult to understand but still provides an immense deal of description about events, settings, and characters. The story tears at my heart and reminds me of certain aspects of life I sometimes forget.