Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a moving story of friendship set against the backdrop of the United States during the Great Depression of the 1930s. It is a short novella that touches on the real hopes and dreams of working class America of that period. The lives of the poor and disadvantaged are elevated to a symbolic level, and the powerful ending is both climactic and shocking.
John Ernst Steinbeck was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social perception". He has been called "a giant of American letters."
Lennie and George naively dream of a farm, they dream of a haven where they can live in friendship without having to obey any master. They won't have to go to grueling jobs, they can just work for themselves and live for themselves. Running their own farm will mean that they are self-sufficient. George wants that, and Lennie dreams of just petting a few rabbits. This dream also appeals to Plume, an armless old man who is also very gnawed by the unknown and loneliness. He wants someone to protect him and take care of him in his old age. These three share a common dream, but it is only a fantasy.
“Of Mice and Men” is a very dark tale. The atmosphere of some universal loss and hopelessness literally suffocates throughout the narrative. Steinbeck is a master of setting the scene. He begins each chapter with a few paragraphs about the landscape, and despite the rather beautiful views of nature in America, it still feels almost like sitting on a powder keg. The tension doesn't subside until the tragic finale.
“Of Mice and Men” is full of symbolism. George and Lennie are obsessed with the American dream. However, is it ever attainable? Indeed, the American dream does not exist in this book. Only a harsh cold reality awaits the main characters. Hunchback, for all his cruel and understandable bitterness, is right in the end. The farm is just a dream. It is a reminder of the loneliness of the human soul and how we always strive for the impossible. People don't always get what they want and the world is a pretty cruel place.
After the boring Franzen and his Amendments, Steinbeck's novella felt like a breath of fresh air. It made me want to exclaim, “This is what real American literature is all about!”
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