I remember reading this at school at being completely uninterested in the story. I remember the teacher droning on about basic plot allegories before we read each section; she would tell us what certain things “meant” before we had even seen them. She would explain how this portrays a vital part of American culture and a vital element of human nature. All in all we were told what to see in the book before we even began reading.

Perhaps she should have just let us read it first, and see what we took from it before being told how to read it. I hated it at the time. I hated being told that passages meant certain things when clearly criticism is just speculation. This wasn’t effective teaching: it was being told how to think. She should have prized open our minds and made us engage with it more. When I approached it again years later I did so with more of an open mind, I was determined to find more in the book than I’d been taught to see.

And I did. Lenny and George naively dream of the farm; they dream of a retreat where they can reside in friendship without having to answer to any master. They wouldn’t have to go to work; they can simply work for themselves. Running their own farm would mean that they are self-sustainable. They could grow crops for themselves and choose when they laboured: they would be free. Well George wants this. Lenny just wants a few rabbits to pet. The attractiveness of the dream draws in Candy, who is very old and very lonely. He doesn’t want to end up like his dog: put down because of his years. He wants someone to protect him and care for him in his advanced years. The three become united by this shared dream but it is nothing but fancy.

“Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head.”



Indeed, the American dream doesn’t exist in this book. Only harsh cold reality awaits the protagonists. Crooks, for all his cruel and understandable bitterness, was right in the end. The farm is just a dream. It is evocative of the loneliness within the human soul, and how we will always long for the impossible. It’s impossible because there is no sunset over the rainbow. Life doesn’t quite work like that. People don’t always get what they want. The world is a cruel unforgiving place here. This is embodied by Lenny; he is vulnerable and emotionally weak. He is completely unaware of the vicious strength he possesses. He never truly understands the situation. He almost walks through the world blind. The world he sees is different to that of everyone else’s.

So this is a story about the outsiders, about the unloved and misunderstood. This a story about those that long for an alternative to the drudgery of standard human existence, but have their expectations cut short. This is a story about how we judge people based upon their appearance and how we label them unjustly. This is a story that Mary Shelley would have loved, a story where a character with an innocent heart is destroyed by the world he should have been accepted by.

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С препрочитането на „За мишките и хората“, открих много нови неща и задълбочени послания в тази кратка и мрачна книга на Джон Стайнбек! На пръв поглед обикновената, макар и любопитна история на психопата Лени далеч не е най-важното, заради което тази чудесна творба си заслужава вниманието!
На нейния фон, големият писател всъщност изгражда цялостна, ярка и многопластова картина на живота и обществените нрави от началото на 20-ти век. Тежкият фермерски начин на живот, расовите предразсъдъци и насилието сред хората, утопичните мечти на работниците... това са част от важните теми, засегнати в книгата. Преди сякаш не бях обърнал внимание на Крукс, но вече ми е най-любимият герой от „За мишките и хората“! Освен единствен чернокож, той е и единственият четящ човек сред персонажите...
Книгата несъмнено представя силата на приятелството, но също така и самозаблудите, породени от него.



„Колко съм ги виждал аз такива — скитат по пътищата и по фермите с вързопи на гръб и все имотец им в главата. Един ли е, двама ли са... Дойдат, поработят, па си отидат; и все петимни за парче земя. Всеки за туй си мисли. Ама ни един не си е купил. То е като рая. Аз доста книжки съм попрочел, та знам: парчето земя е като рая — не можеш стигна до него. Но от главите им не излиза.“

"Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin' them two guys?"

Wow. What a compelling and impactful read. Goodreads, I had planned a review of some sort, but nope, no can do on this one. I would have a field day in a discussion group with this book. There are just so many avenues your thoughts can venture down. My mind was all over the place! Good lawd, trying to narrow it down to highlight something that resonated or stirred me the most eventually led to discovering myself knee-deep in Buddhism research. I would explain how I got there, alas, I cannot. My fear is once I begin talking about it, I won’t be able to stop, I’ll remain entangled in a web of thought!

Note: Study Guide tidbit: The novel's title is inspired by a fragment from the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1757-1796) poem "To a Mouse": "The best laid schemes o’ Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley". It stated: The title suggests that humans and animals are fundamentally similar (an impression which is strengthened by the alliteration of "mice" and "men", which symbolically unites the two species) and that, despite our pretensions, we are still all animals deep down.

(Book 608 from 1001 books) - Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men is a novella written by author John Steinbeck. Published in 1937.

Of Mice and Men tells the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job opportunities during the Great Depression in the United States.

عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «موشها و آدمها»؛ نویسنده: جان استاین‌بک (اشتاین بک)؛ انتشاراتیهای: (اساطیر، امیرکبیر، کانون معرفت، زرین، مدبر، علی فرهنگی، سعیدی، چکاوک، گلبرگ برزین، جنگل، در دانش، گلمهر، گویش نو، ماهی، و ...)؛ ادبیات؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: سال 1974میلادی

عنوان: موشها و آدمها؛ نویسنده: جان استاین‌بک (اشتاین بک)؛ مترجم پرویز داریوش؛ تهران، امیرکبیر، چاپ دوم 1340، در 104ص؛ چاپ سوم سال1356، چاپ چهارم 1362؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، کانون معرفت، 1345، در 184ص؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، زرین، 1362، در 202ص؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، اساطیر، 1366، در 137ص؛ چاپ بعدی 1389، در 136ص؛ شابک 9789643314675؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، مدبر، 1370، در 167ص؛ چاپ بعدی 1388، در 172ص، شابک 9789646631670؛ چاپ دیگر انتشارات علمی فرهنگی، 1394، در 139ص؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی - سده 20م

مترجم: ولی الله ابراهیمی؛ تهران، سعیدی، 1348، در 175ص؛ چاپ بعدی 1363، در 203ص؛

مترجم: مهدی خوانساری؛ تهران، چکاوک، 1362، در 195ص؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، پگاه، 1369، در 195ص؛

مترجم: گلبرگ برزین؛ تهران، گلمهر، 1381، در 137ص؛ شابک 9647438060؛ در 137ص؛

مترجم: الهام تابع احمدی؛ اصفهان، جنگل، 1382، در 79ص؛ دو زبانه، شابک 9646089857؛

مترجم: محمدصادق شریعتی؛ تهران، گویش نو، 1387، در 87ص؛ دو زبانه، شابک 9789649616841؛

مترجم: پریسا محمدی؛ کرج، در دانش، 1387، در 102ص؛ شابک 9789641740940؛

مترجم: سروش حبیبی؛ تهران، ماهی، 1388، در 154ص؛ شابک 9789642090594؛ چاپ دوم 1392؛ چاپ پنجم 1395؛ شابک 9789642091522؛ در 160ص؛

مترجم: مینا فراهانی؛ تهران، فرهنگ زبان، 1389، در 84ص؛ دو زبانه، شابک 9789648794670؛

مترجم: ایمان قادری؛ تهران، ابرسفید، 1391، در 227ص؛ شابک 9786009254507؛

مترجم: احسان قادری؛ تهران، ابرسفید، چاپ دوم 1393، در 216ص؛ شابک 9786009254507؛

مترجم: مهدی افشار؛ تهران، به سخن، 1394، در 160ص؛ شابک 9786007987018؛

مترجم: فرزام حبیبی اصفهانی؛ تهران، زاویه، 1395، در 154ص؛ شابک 9789649562032؛ چاپ دیگر، نشر هرم، 1395؛ شابک 9789648882674؛

هشدار: اگر این کتاب خود میخواهید بخوانید، از خوانش ریویو خودداری فرمائید؛

در این داستان «جرج میلتون»، و «لنی اسمال»، دو دوست هستند، که روزگار خویش را در اسبداری‌ها، می‌گذرانند؛ آرزوی دیرین آنها این است، که روزی جایی را بخرند، و در آنجا «خرگوش» پرورش دهند؛ «لنی» از کودکی، از نوازش چیزهای نرم، خوشش میآید، و زور بازوی بسیار دارد؛ او چندان باهوش نیست؛ دچار دردسر میشود، به ویژه هنگامی که زن پسر ارباب، «کرلی»، از او میخواهد تا موهایش را نوازش کند؛ «لنی» ناخواسته زن بیچاره را می‌کشد، و از ترس می‌گریزد؛ «کرلی» خشمگین، با مردانش، در پی یافتن و از پای درآوردن «لنی»، راهی میشوند؛ «جرج» هم، به رغم سوگندش، برای پشتیبانی از «لنی»، به گروه میپیوندد؛ و ...؛

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 28/05/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 09/05/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

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.

|| 4.0 stars ||

I AM IN TEARS!!

They all deserved so much better…! They all lived with so much sadness, so much hopelessness, so much loneliness, so much unfairness…

But oh, especially Lennie…My heart really broke for the big guy. He didn’t understand a thing that was going on, and he really just wanted to play with the mice, and the rabbits, and the puppies… That’s the only thing he ever wanted. He didn’t need anything else.
He had the purest of hearts, but he simply didn’t know his own strength and for some reason people couldn’t just leave him be… He was genuinely just scared and confused when he did what he did, and he really didn’t deserve what happened afterwards…
But I also understand why George had to do what he had to do. Nobody could have really helped Lennie back then and he would have been too much of a danger to others…
It’s so tragic, though. God. I’m still upset by it.


n  John Steinbeck books:n
Of Mice and Men - 4.0 stars
The Pearl - 2.0 stars

‎داستانی بسیار زیبا و خواندنی و البته خلاقانه از <جان استاین بک> که یادش گرامی باد
‎دوستانِ گرانقدر، داستان در موردِ دو دوستِ صمیمی به نامِ <ژرژ> و <لنی> میباشد که برایِ کار در مزرعه ای استخدام شده اند... <لنی> هیکل و اندامِ بسیار بزرگی دارد و از هوشِ کمی برخوردار است و به قولِ معروف شیرین عقل میباشد و حافظهٔ ضعیفی دارد، ولی با تمامِ این تفاسیر، قلبِ بسیار مهربانی دارد و زورِ بازویش بسیار زیاد است و از نوازش زیبایی ها و بخصوص حیوانات، لذت میبرد... ولی <ژرژ> اندامِ کوچک و قدِ کوتاهی دارد، ولی بدنش متوازن است و همیشه از <لنی> مراقبت میکند... قرار است این دو پولهایشان را جمع کنند و برای خودشان خانه و تکه زمینی خریده و برای خودشان کار و زندگی دست و پا کنند
‎با ورودِ این دو همسفر به مزرعه، اتفاقاتی برایشان رخ می دهد... پسرِ ارباب یعنی <کورلی> بسیار عقده ای است و از آنجایی که اندام کوچکی دارد، نسبت به کسانی که قد و قوارهٔ بزرگی دارند حساس است و همیشه باید به نوعی به همه گیر بدهد و البته قهرمانِ بوکسِ سبک وزن ها نیز میباشد... <کورلی> پا پیِ <لنی> بیچاره میشود... علاوه بر اینها <کورلی> زنی دارد که همیشه دوست دارد لایِ مردها و کارگرها بپلکد و بدنش را به آنها نشان دهد و البته زیر پایِ سرکارگرِ مزرعه <اسلیم> نیز نشسته است تا با او بخوابد... <اسلیم> مردِ خردمندی است که حواسش نیز به این دو دوستِ تازه وارد هم میباشد و از آنها حمایت میکند
‎دوستانِ عزیزم، بهتر است خودتان این داستانِ زیبا را بخوانید و از سرانجامِ این دو دوست و پایانِ داستان آگاه شوید
‎من در زمانِ خواندنِ این کتاب، مدام در حال دلسوزی برایِ شخصیتِ با مزه و مهربانِ این داستان، یعنی <لنی> بودم و با خودم میگفتم اگر <لنی> دوستِ من بود اجازه نمی دادم هیچ کسی آزاری به او برساند
---------------------------------------------
‎در هرحال امیدوارم از خواندنِ این داستان لذت ببرید
‎<پیروز باشید و ایرانی>

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 decided to up my rating with one star as I still think about this novella more than 2 years after I read it.

I will definitely remember this book because of the ending. It was brutal and heartbreaking.

3.5 ⭐
این تمِ غالب جارى در نوشته‌های جان استاین‌بک؛ یعنی زدن بی‌رحمانه‌ی سیلیِ سنگین واقعیت -در قالب پایان‌هایی تراژیک- به عالم هپروتِ شخصیت‌های بی‌نوای داستان‌هایش را همیشه دوست داشته و دارم... حس می‌کنم می‌فهممش، از جنس زندگیه.
در «موش‌ها و آدم‌ها» این‌ بار اما در فرم رمان-نمایشنامه، با همان آدم‌های بختْ گمراهِ آشنایی سروکار داریم که خوشبختی از ابتدا به آن‌ها پشت کرده بود. همان‌ها که برای زندگی بهتر به هر دری می‌زنند و هر بار زندگی از روی غیظ، دندان کین خود را محکم‌تر به هم می‌ساید.

بر آستانه تسليم سر بنه حافظ
که گر ستيزه کنی روزگار بستيزد

Of Mice and Men was published in 1937, John Steinbeck's second of three books that would focus on the working and laboring agricultural itinerant class of California during the Great Depression, the third being The Grapes of Wrath published in 1939. Of Mice and Men is the story of loyalty and friendship between two men rooted in kindness and hope and their dreams. In the Introduction by Susan Shillinglaw to the copy I read, it is asserted that "Steinbeck's greatness as a writer lies in his empathy for common people--their loneliness, joy, anger, and strength, their connection to places and their craving for land." John Steinbeck's title of the book was taken from a poem by Robert Burns suggesting the transitory quality of even the best laid schemes as it tells of an unfortunate field mouse whose home is flattened by a plow:

n  

"But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain;
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain
For promised joy."

n
Of Mice and Men is the story of the friendship between Lennie and George. As they are making their way to the next agricultural job they are described in the opening chapter in this way:

n  

"Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons. Both wore black, shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders. The first man was small and quick, dark of face with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely."

n

As the novella unfolds, we learn of the depth of the friendship between George and Lennie and their shared dream of having their own place, earning a stake to contribute toward realizing their dream of their own little house and a couple of acres and a cow and some pigs "an' live off the fatta the lan'." As we come to know more about George and Lennie, there is a heavy and ominous feel to this heartbreaking book making it clear why John Steinbeck is such a beloved author.

ADDENDUM: A few nights ago we watched the film adaptation Of Mice and Men when I realized that the dialogue was identical to that of the book. Then I remembered that John Steinbeck had written this novel in such a way that it could be adapted to the stage as written. In the Introduction it talks of a letter to his agents in April 1936, where Steinbeck said Of Mice and Men, "is neither a novel nor a play but it is kind of a playable novel. Written in novel form but so scened and set that it can be played as it stands."

Dear Mr Stienbeck,

It's 1 am, I'm sitting in my favorite reading chair, my cat, Boots, is lying next to me, The window is open and the sweet smell of the evening rain is blowing in, my tea sets on the window sill unfinished and cold, tears streak my cheeks, and your book, your beautiful book, Of Mice and Men, rests in my lap.

I went to bed early with the hopes of getting a good night's sleep, only to have those hopes dashed, like so many others in my life, as I was still awake around 11 pm. I decided a cup of chamomile and some reading might help me get to sleep finally. I put the kettle on and walked to the bookshelf, I made a mental note that the shelf is getting low on suitable reading material and to visit the library soon. I studied the few remaining books on the shelf, no, no, no, maybe, no, no, yes!!!! Steinbeck never disappoints!!! The kettle starts to whistle. I pour the tea and settle into my chair with Boots.

I never planned on reading the whole story in one sitting. I never meant for my wife to come out of the bedroom and see me crying like a baby. I never planned on staying up till 1 am, when I need to be up for work at 4 am. I never planned on my tea going cold, and undrunk. Like so many of my best-laid plans though, it all went wrong. Within the first few pages, I was hooked. The first tears were shed early when George took the dead mouse from Lenny. I quickly recovered and was overjoyed when Lenny stood up to that asshole Curley. My happiness peaked when Lenny got the puppy and I thought it would be smooth sailing to the end. Oh how wrong I was! The tears flowed pretty steadily after that. First the puppy, and then that tramp. I was full-on sobbing, nose running, gasping, crying like a baby when George pulled the trigger.

Thank you for all your wonderful writing, and the emotional whirlwind you took me on with this one.

Forever a fan,

Jesse