Well, somehow I've managed to read close to 800 books by now, and none of those had been Of Mice and Men. That has been remedied now, and I'm feeling emotionally drained by it. So yeah.

I suppose pretty much everyone knows the heartbreaking story of Lennie and George. I was relatively 'unspoiled' and still knew what happened in the end. I just did not know how or why, but figured out those pretty quickly into the book. And still that did not help the sense of impending doom that was like one protracted gut punch. I think that says something about the masterful writing - where the story takes over so much that you keep reading despite the clear sense of where it is going, without having to rely on suspense or twists - instead, going forward just on the impact of the story itself

"I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog."

I used to work with Special Education kids some time ago. And I have seen first-hand what Steinbeck describes in Of Mice and Men - the childlike vulnerability and innocence often combined with physical strength, just waiting for something bad to happen. The children we took care of - some of which topped my 5'3'' frame by a foot or so and outweighed me by a good hundred pounds (but despite that a few times I had to physically put myself on between them and a smaller child) - had, unlike Lennie, the society that is determined to protect them. They were luckier than poor George's charge. But I could not help but picture some of them, who have forever secured spots in my heart, in place of Lennie Small, feeling nothing but dread and sadness. Lennie, who is as innocent as one gets, and yet as much of a unwilling menace as one can be. And it was soul-crushing.

I think the impact of this story was that it did not have me taking sides. I felt bad for Lennie. I felt awful for Curley's wife who does not even have a NAME in this story. I felt sad for George and what he had to do. And I felt bad for the whole bunch of men who had names and stories, and a woman who got one but not the other.

"You God damn tramp," be said viciously. "You done it, di'n't you? I s'pose you're glad. Ever'body knowed you'd mess things up. You wasn't no good. You ain't no good now, you lousy tart."

And that's where this book lost stars for me. Curley's wife, the unwilling almost-antagonist/victim of this story. The woman who had no name except for the possessive one of her husband whose property - and therefore trouble for everyone else - she was viewed as. It seemed that she was the one getting the blame, not as much the crazy volatile husband of hers. After all, she *asked* for trouble, didn't she? At least that's the nagging feeling I got from this story, from the way her character was handled, from the way it was repeatedly stated that a 'tart' like her meant trouble for a man. Blame-the-victim mentality does not sit well with me, and I can't help but think that Steinbeck did that. And the words, 'Poor bastard' that George utters over her corpse, thinking of Lennie - not about the young woman who was brutally murdered, but of Lennie, the murderer - those made me so sad for the victim that did not get her share of sadness.

This book is definitely a classic with a profound impact on the reader, a short read that is in no way easy. It deserves the fame and recognition that it has enjoyed for quite a few years. 3.5 stars from me (it would have been 4.5 stars, but for the literary treatment of Curley's wife).

I think it's tradition for me to finish a classic and think, "That was good, but I wonder what insights and symbolism I missed out on since I didn't read this for class and have a professor telling me about it." It's also just really hard to review classics in general, because whereas "normal" books I can pick apart the plot, characters, pace, etc., there's something different about these. I feel like I always expect classics to be deep and mindblowing with huge world-shifting themes, but in reality, it's totally normal to be disappointed by them. In this case, I spent most of this book wondering what the point was. I wondered if I was just not connecting to this because it was too short, or because of the very slang dialogue, but by the end of this everything just clicked into place and I actually went into my mom's room to discuss. Touching, tragic, and just..... wow.

Of Mice and Men is set against the backdrop of the Great Depression in 1931 America and tells the tragic tale of 2 friends, Linnie and George, who struggle for a better life. Linnie is a big guy, but.. not so smart, while George is a small, clever, and capable man. After the death of Linnie's aunt, George takes on the responsibility of caring for Linnie, who often gets into trouble despite his innocent intentions. Linnie has a natural affinity for soft, beautiful things and enjoys their texture. This leads to trouble when he touches a girl's dress and later accidentally kills the farmer's daughter-in-law due to her teasing.

It is a small, thin volume filled with the misfortunes of its characters. Candy's silent sorrow over his dog, Crooks' bright childhood and forced gentleness, and Linnie's simple dreams of rabbits and land all paint a picture of unfulfilled lives. George's final act of killing Linnie is a heartbreaking moment of whispered dreams and the end of their shared hopes.

The courage required to end the life of a loved one is immense. George's trembling hands, vacant eyes, lowered hat brim, and falling tears all reflect the necessity of his actions. Slim's words ring true: it was the only thing George could do to preserve his friend's dignity and spare him from torment.

The story highlights the plight of the poor, a group often overlooked and struggling at the bottom of society. Their efforts can be easily undone by a small misstep, making their lives both pitiable and tragic. The precious dream of owning a small piece of land is a secret they inadvertently reveal, driven by a desire to boast about something they have never had and will likely never achieve. Linnie's reaction to soft things symbolizes this longing. Unlike most people who would let go when someone is frightened, Linnie holds on tightly to the things he loves, never wanting to lose them.

In this society, Linnie's innocent desires lead to his downfall. They have never triumphed in this world, their fate as fragile and powerless as that of mice.

“There is no real difference between men and mice.”

4.1 / 5 stars

A powerful exploration of loneliness and helplessness!

The tension and pathos in John Steinbeck's "playable novel", OF MICE AND MEN is palpable. It tells the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two itinerant field workers in 1930s depression era California. Milton, a cynical, intelligent man, by a combination of habit, intent, solicitude, friendship, love and, one might even say, bad luck, has allowed himself to become the surrogate father or brother for his companion traveler, Lennie Small. Small, (undoubtedly a name chosen by Steinbeck for its irony) is a retarded adult with the social skills and gracelessness of a young child, trapped in the body of an enormous and physically powerful man.

Forced to run away from their last job when Small was wrongfully accused of rape, Milton and Small have now found a quiet farm and a crew with which they hope they work long enough to accumulate a stake. They want to buy a small piece of property that they can farm for themselves. Lennie's sole childlike dream for retirement is to live with his friend George and "tend rabbits". But, once again, Small's complete lack of adult social skills and the failure to understand the magnitude of his own strength undermine their dreams when Curley, the owner's mean-spirited and small-minded son draw Small into a fight and his lonely wife uses her attractiveness and feminine wiles to draw him into a conversation that ends in tragedy.

OF MICE AND MEN is a short novella. At only 118 pages, it can be digested in only two to three hours. Written as a "playable novel", the story is told almost exclusively in dialogue with the intent that it would translate easily into a three act play. Such small bits of narrative and exposition as exist in the story actually serve more by way of stage directions and hints as to the scenery backdrop that might be used in the live stage production that Steinbeck envisaged when he wrote it.

But for all its simplicity and brevity, the power and pathos of the themes of helplessness and loneliness embodied in Steinbeck's story is not to be denied. As with so many other classic novels that I've finally had the good sense to read over the last two years, I feel like I've not only come late to the party but all of the other party-goers have already come and gone. Well, I'm sure I wasn't the only one but if you're one of the few people who read and enjoy classic literature in the English language, OF MICE AND MEN deserves a place on your must-read list.

Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

The best laid plans of men and mice often go awry.

Such a short book, only 112 pages, but its powerful.

Not an awful lot happens, the pace is slow, your strolling. Your meet George, Lennie, spend two days together and finish where you started but I'm sure you wont feel the same.

I didnt expect much from this novella, total credit to Steinback, he has created a lot in very few words. In fact I've read much longer books that will prove to be less memorable.

This is a definite cigarettes and whiskey kind of book and well worth reading.

I've been on a Steinbeck kick again, reading and rereading his books, marveling, as usual, at his brilliance and freakish ability to create an entire story with such sparse prose.

I decided to reread Of Mice and Men after not having read it in at least two decades, and I wanted to approach it from a mechanical perspective; study his style, rather than get pulled into the overpopularized story.

Yeah, right. As if you can resist the force of being pulled into one of John's stories. Even the Tin Man would crack at this tale. I WAS knocked out by the mechanics of the story, but I was also crying by page 45, when one sad scene foreshadows the coming of the bigger sad scene.

It is a mesmerizing short novel, crafted by a literary genius, and if you're reading this review as a newcomer to this story. . . wow. . . it gives me goosebumps to think of your fresh perspective.

«Άνθρωποι και ποντίκια,
Τι κι αν σχέδια καταστρώνουν.
Ως και τα πιο καλά, συχνά στραβώνουν»
Ρόμπερτ Μπερνς.

«Άνθρωποι και ποντίκια»,
ένα ολιγοσέλιδο, μεγάλο αφιέρωμα στην λογοτεχνία.
Ανάγνωσμα που Δεν αφήνει κανένα αναγνωστικό απορριπτικό δικαίωμα.

Λεπτομερής, περίπλοκη, αξέχαστη ιστορία,
γραμμένη απο την αμόλυντη πένα του Στάινμπεκ.

Η επαρχία της Αμερικής του 1930 που θέλει να ζήσει,
να επιζήσει, να συνεχίσει να υπάρχει,
έστω και μέσα στην μεγάλη κατάθλιψη της εποχής
και την προκλητική αναδόμηση της κοινωνίας.

Τα πλάσματα της στερημένης ελπίδας χάνονται απολαυστικά μέσα σε μεθυστικά όνειρα κατασκευασμένα απο παραπλανητικές χίμαιρες και ατομικές ουτοπίες.

Πως αλλιώς να το χαρακτηρίσω εκτός απο ένα απλό, λιτό, απέριττο αριστούργημα.

Κάθε πρόταση, κάθε χαρακτήρας, κάθε λυρική περιγραφή της φύσης, δημιουργεί ένα πεζογράφημα λαϊκής ποίησης, ελεγείας, θεατρικής πιστότητας
και αρχαίας τραγωδίας με εξελιγμένες μεθόδους
ύβρις, άτις, νέμεσις και τίσις.

Οι διάλογοι μεταξύ των ηρώων,οι εκφράσεις τους, οι προτάσεις που συντακτικά και χρηστικά δομημένα περιχύνουν με απλούστευση κάθε έννοια, κρύβουν βαθύτερη, βαθύτατη σημασία.

Αμερικάνικο όνειρο, ρατσισμός, σεξισμός, προκαταλήψεις, αμάθεια, αναπηρικές επάρκειες,
υλικές ανεπάρκειες, αδίστακτες αδικίες,
ένδεια κάθε είδους
και πλασματικές διεκδικήσεις με μη αναστρέψιμες αποτυχίες.

Ένα αγρόκτημα στην Καλιφόρνια φιλοξενεί όλα τα είδη της ανθρώπινης φυλής, εχθρικά συμφιλιωμένα τόσο μεταξύ τους όσο και απέναντι στο φυτικό και ζωικό βασίλειο.

Όταν δεν ονειρεύονται απολυτρωτικές διεξόδους, προκαλούν μια μόνιμη κατάρα αφοσίωσης, ευπάθειας, κριμάτων, θλίψης, οργής, κατωτερότητας, απομόνωσης και αθώων, αγνών εγκλημάτων.

A small warning first folks!
Do you know?
Your skin is the largest stuff in your body, if you spread it flat, it can cover two meters on your most expensive marble floor. No matter even if it is Lux TOUCH!
And what do you think about the TOUCH? A ten or twenty seconds gentle stroking or even a small rub anywhere on this two-meter wide hull of your living ship can trigger Oxytocin (a social bonding hormone).
But too much secretion of it may scupper the ship. So be careful!

Now the book ….What a crazy book! A build-out for me ….. And a heart-rending too!

I remember the mention of the Salinas River in the East of Eden. When I opened this book, its mention appeared at once again on the very first line,

n  “A few miles south of the Soledad, The Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank……” n

This river seems to be of high substance in the life of the author. Rivers infuse into you a sense of spread and proliferation, and in my case dread too. When I saw a river the first time from very near, I was weeping, my parents said. I don’t remember, I would have been as small as a 15 kg cement bag, clung to the shoulder of my mum then perhaps! I might have become skeptical about the dubious intention of its approaching billow towards me, but when I grew up and saw the sea first time, I felt the opposite; I wanted to hug it 'in whole'. I felt no fear. The dread was gone.

Gentlemen! Note that by the time I first saw the blue vast sea in front of my eyes, I had neither read the “old man and the sea” nor the John Steinbeck mention of any Salinas river. But now I perceive that sea and rivers are great natural infusing agents that prompt a sense of penmanship even in a common mortal. Forget about the geniuses like Steinbeck or Hemingway!

As I imagined, two lads, George and Lennie, appearing from the brush, through the undergrowth on the first few pages, talking blamelessly in a very engaging manner in their typical dialect, on the bank of a river, lighting their fire pile from dry leaves, warming their cans of beans in the flame cracking up from those twigs, I at once felt the river has yet again achieved its purpose, a tale is born!t

John Steinbeck, whose miraculous narration I had come across with, the first time in his multi-generational saga East of Eden. That time I was pressed to the core…Utterly impressed. Here in this book, he took me this time from the bank of the river to the nomad sort of lives, settling and unsettling into the vast ranches near California, those barley barns, where I found these young fellas, on their respective bunks in a bunkhouse. Someone lay still in the bed, the others playing solitaire flouncing the cards, another pushing his gun under the bunk after cleaning it, and a lazy one sleeping facing the wall drawing up his knees to his chest.

n  “Guys like us that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world they got no family they don't belong no place. They come to a ranch and work up stake and they go into town and blow their stake”n

Their way of talking was naïve, that dialect. Those unprocessed sentences coming out of their mouth. Just awesome!

n  “He ain’t bright, hell of a good worker, though, hell of a nice fella, but he ain't bright”n

And their boss or manager talking to new recruited boys, hoping to make a sound team of workers,

n  “I gotta pair of punks on my team that don’t know a barley bag from a blue ball. You guys ever bucked any barley?”n

And those funny conversations, the swamper talking about the previous occupant of the bed,

n  "Last guy that had this bed was a blacksmith- hell of a nice fella and clean a guy as you want to meet…Used to wash his hands even after he ate.” n

Those who have read this book, don't you think guys the book is about TOUCH, The psychology of TOUCH. Those TOUCH of the mouse inside the pocket of that strong-fat-innocent fellow, Lennie, who keeps tapping its fleecy dead body in the beginning. And George throwing it away, infuriated towards his mate, saying dead mouse is of no use!

“George:-" What you want of dead mouse anyways?”
Lennie:- “ I could patted with my thumb while we walked.”

This fellow Lennie wants to TOUCH whatever is soft and whatever he likes. That's a leaning of his feeble mind. And don’t forget those repeating conversations about alfalfa, about rabbits, about puppies throughout the story. Aren’t they all fleecy fluffy kinds of stuff? Don’t you think whatever turn the story took in the last, was just because of TOUCH?

And who think the title of this book is misplaced, they did not get it right. Perhaps!
Did you not see the “OF” just before Mice and Men. Put “TOUCH” even before “OF” in the title and you may know what the book is about. Run-of-the-mill advice from me!

Were both the protagonists of this book, the sick fellows?
Or the only fellow who was sick was Lennie?
Or was the real sick George?
Was this book about mental sickness or about nomadic life?

No. I think this book was about TOUCH and about MICE… And of course about MEN too!

And while I finished this book, with much unexpected and heartbreaking end, which left me pondering over the situation for quite a long, I felt too much pity for the poor guy, who had too much faith in his mate. I felt after the completion of this novella as if I was coming out of a dense wood after getting lost for some time. And then flashed in my mind, some lines of W.B. Yeats, I read recently.

“The woods of Arcady are dead,
And over is there antique joy
Of old the world on dreaming fed
Grey truth is now her painted toy
Yet still she turns her restless head
But O, sick children of the world
Of all the many changing things
In dreary dancing past us whirled”

This book moved me to some other dimension, I am telling you guys!

I read this book for the second time and it's one of the most depressing books I’ve ever read. Till now, it’s my favourite Steinbeck book.

خیلی کتاب تلخی بود.
و موخره ی آخر کتاب به قلم آقای سروش حبیبی فوق العاده بود.

n  ”We are lonesome animals. We spend all our life trying to be less lonesome.”n
—John Steinbeck

Five mind-blown stars!

When I started Of Mice and Men, I wasn’t sure I’d chosen the right read. The dialogue really was not what I expected and Steinbeck’s straightforward prose cut straight to the core of the matter. However, I stuck with it and the reward blew my mind!

Set in 1930s California, the story follows two destitute men as they roam, taking work where it could be found. George and Lennie had grown up together, and when Lennie’s Aunt and caretaker died, George bore the responsibility of watching over him, a man fully grown and built like a bear, but with the innocent mind of a child. Lennie, due to his ineptness, unintentionally creates situations that lead to trouble, and it was up to George to keep them both from being lynched on many occasions. George, though often frustrated with Lennie, dearly loved his friend. All they had was each other and a fanciful dream of owning their own farm. Life on the road can be desperately lonely, and to have such a good companion was a precious commodity. I was filled with respect for George who did everything in his power to take care of his dear friend.

This is not an easy read by any stretch of the imagination. While it is graced with beautiful friendships and the milk of human kindness, the book also explores the darkest aspects of humanity, and the ugly racism in the book is really hard to stomach. Steinbeck writes with a raw realism that is admirable, but his honest depiction brings the cruelty that we all know exists in the world.

The story came together with such a crescendo that my heart nearly burst from my chest. I won’t spoil this for anyone who hasn’t read it, but the tale touched me so profoundly that I was left staring at the last page for ages before I could bring myself to close it.

I had a hard time rating this book. This is a re-read; the first time I read this was many, many years ago for a high school English class. I don’t remember liking it very much back then but have since read several Steinbeck novels that I truly enjoyed. So, it was time to look at this one again with adult eyes. I was not disappointed! John Steinbeck described the landscape and the characters so beautifully; I could really see everything so clearly.

Of Mice and Men is a simply told, tragic story about the American dream, friendship, loyalty, isolation, prejudice, and loneliness. The childlike Lennie and the quick-witted, father-figure George travel as a pair working jobs to earn enough money to “get a little place an’ live on the fatta the lan’”. At the ranch they meet such colorful characters as the old man Candy who has no other friend in the world but his old dog; Slim, whose “ear heard more than was said to him”; Crooks, the stable hand who was isolated due to the color of his skin; Curley, the scrappy boss’s son; and Curley’s wife, who had “full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages.” Steinbeck makes use of rich symbolism and effective foreshadowing leading us to an astonishing conclusion to this very worthy and heartbreaking novel. I rated this 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. I struggled a bit with the rating when I compared this to other Steinbeck novels I have read. This was very enjoyable, but some of his other books were perhaps a bit more sophisticated. Maybe this feeling is really just a result of the shorter length of this one. Definitely worth the read or re-read if you have not picked it up since your adolescent years!