Oh God. I want more. I *need* more.

I'm a giant ball of sheer emotion right now, as many people must've been when they finished this story. Dang it, John Steinbeck, how could you do this to us? How could you write something so heart-wrenching, and manage to leave us wanting more?

Maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment...but I can't be the only one who's had such a visceral reaction to this story.

Lennie and George.
George and Lennie.

Two lonely men who live on the fringe of society, desperately clinging to a far off dream that could bring them comfort and stability.

Only a transient, a dirt poor traveler who scrapes their pennies together would know how sad it is to live this way. To live trying to keep your back to the wind, so to speak. To eke out a family from the outcasts, the unwanteds, the forgotten people.

George was given a reason to live, even if that reason was a burden that felt like a cross to bear. His loyalty made him feel responsible for Lennie no matter what, which is the mark of a beautiful soul.

Hope and the death of it.

Or rather, clinging to the last shred of hope lest your dignity dies with it. The loss of dignity or hope is the one thing in life that can cause someone to go 'round the curve of the point of no return, and not look back. To have nothing left to lose is frightening.

And dangerous.

And the responsibility that goes along with that knowledge bravely showed its scarred, ugly face in this touching novella.

The narrative is strong and descriptive as is the case in most books written by Steinbeck. Of Mice and Men flows with dialogue and action. The scenes happen so quickly in the book that it sometimes takes the reader by surprise.

You feel sorry for the men. You want them to achieve what they wanted and you know that will not be possible. The writing is so strong that you empathize with them and that’s how a book should be written. The plot is complex but the writing is not and that’s the wonder of the book. Steinbeck almost structured the novel as a play and may be that is why it has been so easy to convert it to play and three movies I guess.

Steinbeck depicts the impossibility of dreams being achieved and explores brotherhoods in humans – the strengths, the weakness in man and sometimes the angst. Of Mice and Men is a classic in every sense that should not be missed.

[Reading other goodreads reviews of this brings home to me that I really was in the classes for kids they'd given up on. I never read Of Mice and Men as required reading assignment.]

Tell us how it's gonna be...

I've never wanted a book to spontaneously change endings so badly. I yearn for that little place as much as they do. I wanted them to have it desperately. Proof the incredibly sad ending isn't hopeless is that on a reread I could still hope it would end differently. Oh, it does happen, loneliness and cruelty and mass mob hating mentality. The possibility that it won't, that people might come through, is still a chance. Otherwise why bother reading a book such as this one.

Lennie dying alone like a dog haunts me. The dying with honor issue I've read about in other stuff isn't an issue with me. Dignity, yes, because in this case the dying was robbing his life of dignity. Lennie had precious little of it as it was. I know that in those times that kind of thing was not unheard of (or much later than that). Still, depressing as shit. Maybe those kinds of hateful things make some kind of a stain on the atmosphere, like a ghost. (If ghosts exist, I imagine they'd come out of something like that. Why are ghosts usually from like Colonial usa or Civil War times? Not the 1970s?) So the dying and the living are the same as both are long over. It should never have to be that way.

Curly's wife haunts me. I related her to Lennie in their inability to think and mourning what happens without any possibility of understanding why. I see in her other abused women and find it heartbreaking and frustrating and reminding.

Of Mice and Men touched on a lot for such a little story. I find that I think of it for comparions when thinking about things like what we owe other people, and expectations of ourselves and others. George's exhaustion of taking care of Lennie, and how everybody else let him down. It's awful to be completely alone, and awful to have to carry so much yourself. Burdens can also make you feel weighted to something. I don't know, I just think about George sometimes. I catch myself being suspicious of what people want, want, want from everybody and those expectations and then I remember George and how it wasn't all bad having someone else to think about like he did for Lennie. It's scary to rely on anyone else. I get why George wanted his little place.

Read this the first time in a middle school science class by holding the book under the desk and ever so slightly ducking my head to read my lap. (Probably as subtle as kids today text messaging.) I had a hard time keeping it together. (Any time they talked about their little place with Candy made me squirm in my seat in excitement.) (I stopped reading books under the desk after that. Did it all the time in elementary school, but for lighter fare like Ramona Quimby series and Dr. Suess.) [I read it on the sly. The smart kids were forced to read it. Maybe those kids were sneaking in The Outsiders inside their textbooks?]

Of Mice and Men is a tale about the ultimate kindness - it is hard to talk about kindness without turning sentimental but John Steinbeck was the one who really could.

His ear heard more than what was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought.

Simple-minded men of this cruel world live in their own dreamlands and they dream of rainbows.

I was fully not expecting to vibe with this one, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved seeing the exploration of the friendship between George and Lennie & I could've never foreseen where things would end up. I felt it's impact & loved seeing the bold choices that the author made.

This is a short book that we read during my last weeks as the facilitator of my library book discussion group. Let me say, even for a novella, this is an amazing selection for a discussion with a group of people. It is a tragic story that touches on class struggle, race, sexism, alongside the main theme of friendship and loyalty.

George and Lennie are journeying on foot through rural Depression-era CA. They are headed towards a ranch where they hope to get work. George is small and sharp, but can be easily frustrated. Lennie is huge but very simple-minded and impulsive. The two together are trouble. Yet, they also have a dream of the future where they hope to work their own land and have a simple life.

In many ways we hope that George and Lennie can realize their dreams. But, you also know that Steinbeck isn't that kind of writer to make it easy on his characters. He sets too many other things in motion that creates conflict. And through this short novella, there are powerful scenes, relevant themes with much room for interpretation.

Is this the American Dream? What about the imbalance of power? Were the characters more caricatures than characters because the story was short?

Whatever anyone thinks about this story, it makes one think. And talk about it. That in itself makes it good.

I often think of this book when I see mentally ill people on the streets. I must admit that I am jealous of John Steinbeck...what I would not give to be able to write 1/4 as well as he could. One of the books that made me fall in love with the classics.

Published in 1937 this classic Of Mice and Men about two migrant workers during the Great Depression. George is the leader of the pack. While Lennie is a simple minded man that allows George to show him the ways through life on the road looking for work.
I very much enjoyed this classic. Two men trying to survive and make their dreams come true.

'چطور میشه یه کتاب رو انقدر ساده نوشت ؟
و در عین سادگی، نویسنده بتونه با پنبه سرت رو ببره؟'

در باب جورج و لنی

شاید ماها ترکیبی از این دو شخصیت باشیم.
مثل جورج واقع بین ، رنجور ، گاها خسته از اتفاقات بد زندگی ، گاها عصبانی ، مراقب و محتاط .
و مثل لنی خیالات ببافیم . نه رویاهای محال و دست نیافتنی . همین که یه کنجی پیدا کنیم و درش ساکن بشیم . یه حیاطی داشته باشیم ، به حیوانات و محصولاتمون رسیدگی کنیم و شکممون رو سیر کنیم . زندگی ساده ای رو بگذرونیم و از پس اموراتش بر بیایم. و ایا این خواسته ی بزرگی هست؟

این دو شخصیت برای من به قدری واقعی بودن که در وجودم حسشون می کردم. عقلی که مثل جورج من رو با واقعیت دنیا رو به رو میکنه و قلبی مثل لنی که خواستار خرگوشی هست که بتونه تو مزرعه ی خودش ازش مراقبت کنه!همین قدر کوچیک و همین قدر تلخ .

شاید لنی مثل کسایی هست که آرزوی اون بهشتی که ندیده رو داره و جورج،مثل کسایی هست که میگه وقتی که بهشت رو از ما گرفتن،چطور وعده ش رو میدن!

در سکانس نهایی فیلم Alien : covenant ، فضانورد در یخچالی که بخاطر سفر طولانی ای که در انتظارش هست ، دراز میکشه تا به خواب بره . همزمان با رباتی که در سفینه هست حرف میزنه . از کلبه ای که دوستش داره . از خاطراتی که داشته و براش خوشایند بودن. ناگهان وقتی پلک هاش سنگین میشن متوجه میشه که ربات ، رباتی که فکر میکرده نیست . رباتی هست که به شدت براش میتونه خطرآفرین باشه . اما موقعی متوجه میشه که کار از کار گذشته . ربات نیشخندی میزنه و فضانورد به خواب میره.
برای من اون ربات حقیقت تلخ جهان هست . اینکه موقع خیالبافی سر میرسه و با نشون دادن حقیقت ماجرا ، یادآوری میکنه که ممکن نیست از این رنج رها بشی . و اون فضانورد برای من، نشونه ای از ما هست . آدم هایی که در طلب کاخ نیستن ، همین که کلبه ای باشه براشون کفایت میکنه . طمع چیزهای بزرگ و دست نیافتنی رو در سر نمی پرورونن، بلکه زندگی رو در جزئیات ساده میبینن.

و اما باز هم میخوام برای توصیف بیشتر به داستان دیگه ای رجوع کنم . داستان زندگی پنهان والتر میتی . شخصیت داستان کسی هست که در تخیل_حال زندگی رو سپری میکنه . به قدری در زندگیش دستاوردی نداشته که در تخیلاتش یک قهرمان از خودش میسازه . و به قدری این تخیلات قوی هستن که موقع جراحی حواسش به دنیای خیالیش میره و دوباره بر میگرده به زمان حالش ! روانشناسا حتی بعد این داستان سندرومی به اسم والتر میتی ابداع کردن. سندروم والتر میتی به افرادی تلقی میشه که در زندگی خیالی و دلخواهشون زندگی می کنن و کمتر در دنیای واقعی به سر می برن . برای من لنی دچار این سندروم بود . به قدری در دنیای خیالیش غوطه ور بود که متوجه حال نبود . گفته ها باید چند بار تکرار میشدن تا به خاطر بسپارتش و چرا؟چون در عالم خودش بود . چند نفر از ما این حالت رو تجربه کردیم ؟ به قدری اون دنیای خیالی رو شیرین متصور شدیم که از حقیقت فرار کنیم ؟ چقدر در کار غرق شدیم تا افکار آزاردهنده برای مدتی هر چند کوتاه کمتر به ذهنمون هجوم بیارن؟ چقدر بی دلیل خوابیدیم و بیدار شدیم به امید اینکه این جریانات فقط کابوس باشن و بس؟

در باب مترجم

ترجمه به شدت روان بود . سخن آخر مترجم که در انتهای کتاب بود به درک بهتر کتاب کمک می‌کرد . البته باید تشکر کنم که در مقدمه ی ابتدای کتاب ، حرف ها گنجونده نشد، چون تمام ماجرای کتاب لو میرفت .

در باب داستان

جورج و لنی کارگرای مهاجری هستن که از یه مزرعه به مزرعه دیگه عازم میشن . آرزوی داشتن خونه و مزرعه و حیوانات اهلی رو دارن .اینکه دستشون تو جیب خودشون باشه و زیر دست اربابی نباشن .
برای کار جدید به مزرعه ای میرن که با ادم های جدید آشنا میشن . ماجراهای جدید براشون پیش میاد و سرنوشت براشون چه طور رقم میخوره؟
داستان ساده ست اما گول این سادگی رو نخورید . به قدری به موضوعات مختلف در همین متن ساده اشاره شده که میتونین از دغدغه های اون دوره بطور مختصر مطلع بشین .
از این کتاب فیلمی هم دیدم به اسم of mice and men 1992 که پیشنهاد میکنم بعد خوندن کتاب ببینینش و شخصیت ها و داستان به طور دیگه ای در خاطرتون ثبت بشه .

حرف آخر

متشکرم که خوندین ❤ امیدوارم که حق مطلب رو در قبال این کتاب ادا کرده باشم.

I know that this is a reread for me, but I never had Of Mice and Men marked as read in Goodreads. I am pretty sure it was required reading in high school and I know I enjoyed it the first time around. And, as luck would have it, I enjoyed it this time as well.

I can sum it up by saying that Steinbeck can write (and that is an understatement)! I have loved every book I have read by him. The descriptions are vivid, the characters are richly developed, and stories are powerful. Of Mice and Men is no exception. In fact, if you have been wanting to try Steinbeck but find the size of Grapes of Wrath or East of Eden daunting, this is a great place to start.

Even if you have never read this book, you have probably seen many tributes/homages to its main characters George and Lenny; cartoons, movies, tv shows, etc. George is the gruff and scrappy brains of the operation while Lenny is a mentally challenged giant who does not know or understand his own strength. Their relationship is an odd one but kind of beautiful. Without it, this story would just not be the same.

Also, this book has one of the most tragic and gut-wrenching finales in literature

This is a classic that I feel everyone should read. And, I feel like Steinbeck is an author that everyone should read at least once. The writing is just too amazing to miss out on and it is so awesome how consistently amazing Steinbeck was.

I had read this back in high school when it was mandated. I vaguely remembered the story when I started reading it, many, many, many moons later and it is without a doubt a great classic tale.

written by a man