John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men is a 1937 novella by John Steinbeck set in California during the Great Depression. The title refers to lines from a Robert Burns’ poem. This book is frequently taught in school literature courses, but has almost as frequently been censored or challenged for vulgarity and offensive language by the characters, making it one of the most challenged books of the 21st century.

The main characters of this novella are Lennie Small, a large, strong man with a mental disability, and George Milton, who is very intelligent but extremely cynical. The two travel through California, hoping to eventually have their own farm. Lennie focuses strongly on the idea of having pet rabbits on the farm, and George often calms him by describing how soft they will be.

When the book opens, the pair are fleeing from a previous job, where Lennie was wrongfully accused of attempted rape when he touched a young woman’s soft dress. Despite being the smaller of the pair, George acts as Lennie’s protector.

Eventually, George and Lennie arrive at a ranch near the town of Soledad, or Solitude in Spanish, where they take temporary jobs. However, they immediately encounter obstacles in the form of the ranch boss’s son, a short man with an inferiority complex who harasses Lennie, and his wife, who is flirtatious toward the large man. Other characters at the ranch include Slim, a kind man who agrees to give Lennie a puppy.

Despite problems at the ranch, the two find that their dream of a farm may become reality when an old hand named Candy offers to pitch in for land as long as he is also allowed to live with them. Another character, Crooks, also hopes to join them on the farm, despite being cynical about their chances of actually achieving their dream. However, Curley, the boss’s son, attacks Lennie, who injures him in self-defense when George encourages him.

Later, Lennie accidentally kills his puppy by being too rough with it, which foreshadows another encounter with Curley’s wife. The young woman comes to talk to him and admits that she is lonely and once dreamed of becoming a movie star. Her loneliness encourages her to flirt with the ranch hands, even though this angers her husband. She allows Lennie to stroke her hair, but becomes frightened and begins to scream when she realizes how strong he is. Startled, Lennie accidentally kills the woman and flees. The ranch hands begin a man hunt, intending to lynch Lennie for the murder.

George meets Lennie at the place where the two camped shortly before coming to the ranch. He tells Lennie the same story about the rabbits that he has used to comfort him in the past, then shoots him in the back of the head in order to spare him the lynch mob. The book ends with Curly, Slim and Carlson finding the two moments after the shooting, with only Slim able to understand why George killed his friend.

Of Mice and Men is notable for its focus on the predatory nature of human existence, idealized friendships and the impossibility of many dreams. It contains a relatively limited, two-dimensional portrayal of women, in which they cause only trouble. Other themes include loneliness versus companionship and strength versus weakness.