My emotional reaction to Of Mice and Men...plus a little analysis.

One of the books I’ve read so far this year was Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. This is a book I feel I should have read in high school and am shocked that I didn’t. Though I know a lot of people who did read this, I unfortunately, was inundated with Shakespeare instead (I am a firm believer that Shakespeare is meant to be watched, not read…).

I picked up this book because it was small and I wanted a quick read between doorstops. First off, for this book I read the forward (Susan Shillinglaw), which I rarely do. I am really glad I did though, because having been out of college for quite a number of years at this point and thus rusty on my literature analysis, it provided a lot of insight to what I was about to read. At this point in my reading life, I think I can spare a few extra minutes reading something in front of a book that will bring me some enlightenment, so going forward I will continue to read introductions. This one in particular, lead me to a better understanding of what Steinbeck was trying to do.

Steinbeck wrote this book with multiple layers, first of which was the format. He decided he wanted a play within a book, essentially. He wrote Of Mice and Men in a way that it could be easily adapted to the stage. Some say this was a success, others disagree. However, I felt it worked. As I read, I pictured the story playing out in the theater, and it flowed easily. Written with easy instruction on entrances and exits assisted with this.  Secondly, at the time this book is set, Americans were in a state of disuse due to the Great Depression. Citizens lived a vagabond life, following work wherever it lead and hopping from place to place simply to survive. Steinbeck apparently stated that he wanted to write a real example of how life was being lived at the time. There was not a lot that I could relate to in the book, but I feel that Steinbeck successfully dropped me into a timeline that was easy to understand and sympathize with. I felt as though I was there. Lastly, it is my interpretation that Steinbeck was not only writing a study on the lives of the day, but on the structure and core of man. The human mind and heart are complicated entities, and our nature is even more so. At any given moment, we can exhibit a multitude of human emotions.

I feel that this is seen most prominently at the end of the novel, but I’ll get to that. Throughout the story, George and Lennie are questioned about their companionship and though they brush it off, it is evident that Lennie is very important to George. At one point, he explains that he used to make Lennie do things that endangered his life, and Lennie blindly followed his orders. When George realized the power he had over Lennie, his heart took over his mind and he ceased his bullying. From that moment on, Lennie was a very important aspect of his life. In addition, throughout the novel George pacifies Lennie’s restlessness with the promise of rabbits. Obviously this is a soothing idea for Lennie, and though George exploits this, it is not out of malice. The protectiveness George has over Lennie is a continued theme that is woven throughout the story. This leads me to the idea that human nature is multifaceted. It is in our nature to love, to anger, to protect, and also to destroy. In watching the story unfold for Lennie, it is easy to recognize that he is unaware of his own strength, and that the result of his love is often disaster. At the death of Curley’s wife, he flees to the hiding spot George designated at the beginning. When George realizes what Lennie has done, I imagine that it was like a wave of cold water crashing over him. I can picture clearly in my mind: his color draining as the realization dawns on him that Lennie has killed someone; accidentally, of course, but still dead. In this moment, he knows what he must do to protect a man he cares for.

This leads me to the idea of destroying what we love in order to protect it. We see it all the time in movies and books: in order to protect someone from a greater suffering, swift action is taken to eliminate that threat. The last few pages of this book were heartbreaking for me, and literally moved me to tears. Once again, I was watching it on a stage in my mind: George sweetly talking about their land and their rabbits to Lennie, calming him and soothing his troubled mind – all the while preparing to snuff out his life in an instant to avoid the torture that surely awaited him otherwise. He takes unbearable action that was necessary to keep Lennie from brutal harm. In the end, it was a mercy. It was destruction in the name of love.

This book was hard for me to read in the end, because I saw so clearly what was going to happen. I also realized there was more to it than simply a tale about men of the day. I felt that it was an exposé on the beauties and tragedies of life and how they walk hand in hand, often unaware of their union. It put me in the uncomfortable position of looking at my own life and what may or may not happen, what may or may not have happened in the past. It gave me a lens to see through, and I didn’t like it. I think it says a lot about an author who can make you do that – who can prompt you to see your own mistakes and victories, and still enjoy the book. Overall, I really loved this little tome. It gave me so much to think about, and it was under 100 pages. It was well worth the time I put into reading it.