Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men is a 1937 novella by Nobel Prize winning author John Steinbeck.

The story is about Great Depression era migrant ranch laborers who dream of a better future. It is based on Steinbeck’s own life experiences working alongside migrant farm workers in the 1910s on ranches in California.

The title is taken from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse": "The best-laid plans of mice and men / Often go awry”. Burns's poem tells of the regret the narrator feels for having destroyed the home of a mouse while plowing his field.

Like the poor mouse in Burns' poem, the characters in Of Mice and Men see that cold hard reality does not comply nicely with their best laid plans. This book captures the feeling of the suffocating lack of control we all face as human beings.

The main characters of the book are George and Lennie, a pair of field workers who are traveling together looking for a new opportunity. George is described as small and quick-witted. Lennie is described as a gigantic and strong but mentally disabled man. George is Lennie's caretaker and friend, and they have known each other since childhood.

The book opens with the pair wandering the countryside after leaving from the California city of Soledad (which is Spanish for "loneliness" or "solitude"). They eventually find work on a farm.

This job is only a short stop on their path to a much brighter future though. George and Lennie share a dream of owning their own piece of land. They often discuss the details of their dream life on their own land, no longer working for a boss. Lennie is particularly obsessed with the idea of keeping rabbits that he can care for (he loves touching soft things). He gets George to tell him about this heavenly life that awaits them in the future as often as he can.

George and Lennie come into contact with several other people facing their own lonely struggles on the farm. We meet Crooks, a man who is isolated from the others due to overt racism. We meet Candy, a man who's time is running out as a useful worker due to his old age and disability. Both want to feel some respect and dignity. These two men learn of George and Lennie's plan and want to join them on their idyllic dream farm.

Curley is the son of the boss of the farm. He is small and aggressive, and was once a semi-professional boxer. He is extremely insecure about his short stature and he thinks that other men have their eyes on his wife. He takes an immediate dislike to the gigantic Lennie.

Curley's wife is pretty and flirtatious. She often shows up around the guys provoking them with her beauty. We come to find out that she is a lonely character that has had her aspirations of being a movie star dashed. Lennie is attracted to her.

Faced with potential obstacles like Curley and Curley's wife on the farm, George gives Lennie explicit instructions on how to behave and on what exactly to say or not say. George addresses Lennie several times in the book to try to keep him out of trouble. Despite these "best laid plans", things often go wrong once tested in the unpredictable and messy real world however.

Overall, I loved the book. It is a dark read, but the writing is so vivid and the story and characters are so compelling. I found their longing for their dream piece of land to be so relatable. Even in grim circumstances, they had their story of a future heaven to tell each other to keep each other going. The belief that someday you are going to have it all figured out and be delivered from pain and strife is so relatable.

The book's writing is so vivid and readable. He wrote it as a novel-play or “play-novelette”, which definitely comes across. It is elegantly constructed and very cinematic. He sets the scene vividly and then dialogue and action takes over.

Of Mice and Men has been a frequent target of censorship and book bans. Be warned: this is a dark book that deals with mature themes like violence, racism, and death. It features racist language and tragic violence to both humans and animals. The dark theme of the loneliness and futility of human striving and endeavor runs through the book.

This book suggests to me that we need to have the humility to recognize our limitations and our lack of control over the world. It is vital to dream and to make plans for the future, but it is important to recognize that there is so much that is ultimately outside of our control. Each one of us has inherent limitations and the world is so unpredictable that it will always keep us from the perfect fairy tale life that we desire.

This may seem dark and depressing, but I think it is wise to face reality. It makes us more prepared for the uncertainties of life that are coming our way.