Of Mice and Men

Rating:
Summary: A Short But Great American Masterpiece
Review:
The story starts with George and Lennie running away from their previous town of occupation, where Lennie, in his childlike manner, wants to touch a girl's red dress but doesn't let go, resulting in shouts of rape, mass chaos, and the pair of them getting chased out of town (you don't learn all this immediately, though.) They find work at a nearby ranch, which is where most of the story takes place.

One of the things that immediately stuck out to me about this book is Steinbeck's writing style. Heavily focused on dialogue, the overall terseness and efficient use of words is only interrupted occasionally when Steinbeck describes a new scene, where he goes into great detail. Otherwise, all you see on paper is exactly what you need to understand the story; this prevents it from dragging too much, and it allows the story to progress more quickly without spending forever on the same topic. This results in a natural flow of events that won't leave you reading the same thing re-stated 10 times; as a result, you'll want to read more because you know good things are always around the turn of the page. To almost put it in a blatantly simple manner, this reads like a very complex bedtime story.

Probably the thing that sticks out most to me is the incredibly well portrayed characters. Steinbeck takes a very Hemingway-like approach in both quantity and quality of characters; he keeps the book very condensed in terms of plots, sub-plots, complex characters, etc ...(it's barely 100 pages), which means you won't be scratching your head after every chapter going, "What on earth just happened?" It's a testament to his writing style that each character is so individually portrayed in a span of barely 100 pages, yet I didn't feel like anything was missing; I could visualize every one of the characters in real life. He does an excellent job of fleshing out the characters simply through what they say, not having to rely on superfluous dialogue or extraneous details to get their personalities across.

Finally, the ending of Of Mice and Men is very powerful. It illustrates a theme that must have been particularly prevalent in them minds of most people during the Great Depression: "When do we draw the line on tolerance and do what has to be done?" Although the entire book is impressive in its lucidity, the ending is particularly impressive because it brings extreme tragedy to the novel without a change in style; it's perfectly believable, yet not something you really want to believe. Part of it is due to the memorable characters (I assure you you won't forget Lennie after the ending of the book), part of it is just Steinbeck's genius. Pick up a copy of this classic book! Another novel I need to recommend -- completely unrelated to Steinbeck, but very much on my mind since I purchased a "used" copy off Amazon is "The Losers' Club: Complete Restored Edition" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, highly entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.


Rating:
Summary: Only the strong survive
Review: Much of John Steinbeck's fiction is set in the region where he was born and grew up, Salinas. Published in 1937, "Of Mice and Men" was the previous work before his Pulitzer Winner "The Grapes of Wrath". Set in Salinas, the novella is set against the backdrop of Depression-era America. The main characters, Lennie and George, are workers victimized by social and economical conditions of the period.

Steinbeck's works always received mixed reviews. He was hailed and the best writer of the 30s and 40s and received a Nobel Prize in 1962, but his critics say that his writings were superficial, sentimental, and overly moralistic. When it comes to "Of Mice and Men", many say that the narrative suffers from one-dimensional characters besides the extremely deterministic plot - that in the end its lesson turns out to be more important than the characters. Despite all these drawbacks, "Of Mice and Men" is still a minor masterpiece from one of the best North-American writers.

The predatory human nature is what feeds the pages of this book. Existentialism is the subtext when the all the characters struggle to survive in a inhospitable environment. Almost every characters admit at one point having had a profound sense of isolation and loneliness .By stating this, the writer proves that being powerful in eventual and dependable. Some characters are stronger than others most of the time, and the strength depends on to whom it is aimed. "Of mice and men" suggests that the most powerful kind of strength comes from the other's weakness.

Another strong point raised by Steinbeck is the impossibility of the American Dream. Every character in the book dreams of a different life. They want the freedom to follow their own desires. The two main characters dream of owning a farm, that would enable them to sustain themselves and would protect them from the inhospitable world.

To prove his point, the writer uses many symbols, most of them related to animals, like the mice that Lennie insists to keep. But the animals are always weaker than men. The puppies, for instance, represents the idea that only the stronger survives - in this case men.

But in the end, dreams have fallen apart. The characters are different and are supposed to have realized that dreams only exist in another sphere. In the real world there is no place for them. This is the same thematic that Steinbeck would bring in many of his novels, like "The Grapes of Wrath" and "East of Eden". "Of Mice and Men" is a short book and a relatively easy reading, but very rewarding.


Rating:
Summary: Of Mice and Men Review
Review: Of Mice and Men was a really good novel. The author did a great job. I think the author's purpose for writing this book was to point out that even though you love someone so much, when they do something wrong it is still wrong. You just have to make the decision. I agree with this message because it can pertain to anyone. From friends, to family and relationships, this message is understandable and in people's lives more than you know it. I think the literary elements the author handles best are the characterization, and the conflict of man vs. man. The characters in the novel are so real and dramatic. The authorhas a great point-of-view, which is in 3rd person. By using a narrator, you can see everyone's thoughts, feelings, and perspectives on the situation throughout the novel. The genre chosen for this novel, to me, was drama. it is a very good genre because you want to know what is going to happen next. this book was like i said, really good, but it wasn't perfect. There were too many curse words and so much criticism that it was just kind of mean. Lenny and George are the main characters but I think the author should've explained the relationship between them better. He should have also pointed out George's point-of-view on the "sticky" situation a little more. Overall, this novel is great and everyone should get the chance to read it. For those reasons I give it 4 stars. Hey, it's a book to read and not forget, but too much reality for perfection.

Rating:
Summary: Best book about friendship
Review: The story starts with George and Lennie running away from their previous town of occupation, where Lennie, in his childlike manner, wants to touch a girl's red dress but doesn't let go, resulting in shouts of rape, mass chaos, and the pair of them getting chased out of town (you don't learn all this immediately, though.) They find work at a nearby ranch, which is where most of the story takes place.

One of the things that immediately stuck out to me about this book is Steinbeck's writing style. Heavily focused on dialogue, the overall terseness and efficient use of words is only interrupted occasionally when Steinbeck describes a new scene, where he goes into great detail. Otherwise, all you see on paper is exactly what you need to understand the story; this prevents it from dragging too much, and it allows the story to progress more quickly without spending forever on the same topic. This results in a natural flow of events that won't leave you reading the same thing re-stated 10 times; as a result, you'll want to read more because you know good things are always around the turn of the page. To almost put it in a blatantly simple manner, this reads like a very complex bedtime story.

Probably the thing that sticks out most to me is the incredibly well portrayed characters. Steinbeck takes a very Hemingway-like approach in both quantity and quality of characters; he keeps the book very condensed in terms of plots, sub-plots, complex characters, etc ...(it's barely 100 pages), which means you won't be scratching your head after every chapter going, "What on earth just happened?" It's a testament to his writing style that each character is so individually portrayed in a span of barely 100 pages, yet I didn't feel like anything was missing; I could visualize every one of the characters in real life. He does an excellent job of fleshing out the characters simply through what they say, not having to rely on superfluous dialogue or extraneous details to get their personalities across.

Finally, the ending of Of Mice and Men is very powerful. It illustrates a theme that must have been particularly prevalent in them minds of most people during the Great Depression: "When do we draw the line on tolerance and do what has to be done?" Although the entire book is impressive in its lucidity, the ending is particularly impressive because it brings extreme tragedy to the novel without a change in style; it's perfectly believable, yet not something you really want to believe. Part of it is due to the memorable characters (I assure you you won't forget Lennie after the ending of the book), part of it is just Steinbeck's genius. Pick up a copy of this classic book! Another novel I need to recommend -- completely unrelated to Steinbeck, but very much on my mind since I purchased a "used" copy off Amazon is "The Losers' Club" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, highly entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.



Rating:
Summary: A Book of a Lifetime
Review: This is a wonderful story, superbly written, which centers around two men during the depression. One of them is "slow" and very lovable. It is a short book and a quick read.

Bottom line: Everyone should read this book. An easy and enjoyable way to get a classic on your reading list.