4 Reasons To Read Of Mice and Men by Sam Newman

 4 Reasons To Read Of Mice and Men

The book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck was published in 1937, and (like his other books The

Grapes of Wrath and Cannery Row) deals with migrant and poor workers in California during the

Great Depression, who dream of owning land. Of Mice and Men is a story of two friends: George

and Lennie. George is short and clever, whereas Lennie is large, strong, and developmentally

delayed. The pair travels around doing seasonal jobs like bucking barley for $50 per week (about

$890 today). They share filthy sleeping quarters with half a dozen other men.

Here are four reasons why you should read Of Mice and Men:

1. The relationship between the two main characters:

This book is about how George and Lennie always look after each other even though they

are not relatives. Not only does their relationship provide interpersonal caring and a sense of

belonging for them, but also because they have been together for a long time, they are close

to perfecting mutualism (i.e., George finds them jobs, manages their money, coaches Lennie

on how to act in social situations, and keeps them safe when Lennie accidentally hurts

someone; whereas Lennie is strong and a very productive worker, offers physical protection,

and is a faithful companion to George). Their relationship is best summarized by the following

excerpt:

George: “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no

fambly. They don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then they

go into town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re poundin’ their tail on

some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to. … With us it ain’t like that. We got

a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit-in no

bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets

in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us.” ...

Lennie: “But not us! An’ why? Because . . . . because I got you to look after me, and you got

me to look after you, and that’s why.” (13-14)

2. The main theme of feeling unwanted:

One major theme of the book, as exhibited by the characters Candy, Crooks, Curly, and

Curly’s wife; is the problem of feeling unwanted. Near the beginning of the book, there is a

man who works with George and Lennie named Candy. Candy is an old man who lost his

hand in a work accident and can no longer buck barley. Candy’s only friend is his stinky, old

dog. One night the men in the bunkhouse tell Candy that they want to put down his old dog,

and despite Candy’s protests they eventually take the dog out and shoot it in the back of the

head (which they claim is for the better). Candy starts to cry, both because he will never see

his dog again and because he is afraid that he himself will be disposed of/fired next for

becoming too old and useless (see point 2 in my other blog post https://bestengiishblog.blogspot.com/2020/02/what-if-your-family-member-became-giant_17.html). 

Other characters also display the theme of feeling unwanted. Crooks is a black worker on the

farm who is required to sleep in the barn next to a pile of manure, apart from all the other

men. He is not allowed to hang around the other workers or to play cards with them because

of racism. The character Curly is the boss’s son, who is physically small and does not make

friends easily. He is a stereotypical bully who picks on bigger people (like Lennie) in order to

feel better about himself, but nobody likes him. Curly’s wife (whose actual name is never

even mentioned in the book) also feels unwanted and has no one to talk to. She is the only

woman on the farm, her husband Curly is always working, and whenever she comes to the

barn or bunkhouse to try to talk to someone they call her “tart” or “tramp”. Because she is a

woman they can only see her as a sex object, do not care about her personality or feelings,

and keep shaming her and telling her to leave before Curly finds out she is there. This theme

of feeling unwanted resonates through most of the characters in the story, and makes Lennie

and George’s relationship even more special by contrast.

3. The desire to keep believing in a better future.

In this book, George and Lennie face many hardships. Despite their extremely difficult

circumstances, they still have dreams. George and Lennie plan to work and save up enough

money (by avoiding bars and brothels) to eventually buy and share their own ranch and “live

off of the fat of the land”. In the book, Candy and Crooks join in on the dream to buy a ranch,

with Candy offering his life savings (around $300) and Crooks offering to work for free. Just

the fact of having a goal makes George, Lennie, and the other characters not depressed

because they have something to look forward to.

4. The Writing Style: 

Of Mice and Men is written colloquially, meaning that its words are misspelled to a point that when

you pronounce them, they sound like how they are spelled (it imitates the dialect of migrant workers

who did not have a chance to go to school). For example, in the novel, they use words like “purdy”

(pretty) and jus’ (just). I have found that this style of writing keeps me more engaged because it

transports me to the West around the time of the Great Depression. Reading this book made me feel

like I was sitting in a crappy barn smelling manure!