The novel, Of Mice and Men, starts off with two workers who are crossing the country on bare feet to find a place to work. George is a cynical, irresolute man and he looks out for his friend, Lenny, like a brother. Lennie is a giant man of incredible strength however, he has a mental disability that makes him slow-to-learn and almost childlike. George and lennie had to flee their previous location since Lennis touched a woman's dress and got accused of rape.
They begin to work on a ranch and they start daydreaming and talking about what they want: a piece of land and farm for themselves. People like them feel very dispossessed and they feel like they are unable to control their own lives. The ranch sort of becomes a microcosm of the American underclass at that time.
The climax of the novel rotates around Lennies love for soft items. He pets the hair of Curley’s wife, and she gets scared. A lynch mob then punishes Lennie, about George finds him first. George really understands that Lennie cannot live in the world and he wants to save him the pain and terror of being lynched, so he shoots him in the back of the head.
The literary power and emphasis in Of Mice and Men lies within the relationship between the two central characters, their friendship and their goal. They are very different but they come as a pack. Their brotherhood and fellowship is an achievement of enormous humanity.
They both really believe in their dream and all they want is a small piece of land that they can say is theirs. They want to grow their own crops, and they want to breed rabbits. This dream further reinforces their relationship and strikes a chord so convincingly for the reader. George and Lennie's dream is the American dream.
Triumph of Friendship: Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men is a story about a friendship that wins over the odds. The novel is also extremely telling about the society in which it is set. Without showing any bias, the novel examines many extreme themes and prejudices at the time: racism, sexism, and prejudice towards people with these disabilities. The power of the writing is that the author, treats these issues in purely human terms. He sees society’s prejudices in terms of individual tragedies and his characters attempt to escape from these types of prejudices.
In a way, Mice and Men is a very despondent novel. The novel really illustrates the dreams of a small group of people and then really paints a picture of how these dreams contrast with reality and emphasizes that its unreachable.
Although the dream never really becomes reality, Steinbeck does leave us, the readers with a positive ending and message. George and Lennie are not able to achieve their dream however, their relationship is a shining example of how people can live and love even in a world of alienation and disconnectedness. Overall, this novel was a complete eye opener and was a great ready and I highly recommend it to anyone of any age.
Written by Samarth Athreya
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