Of Mice and Men : Review

In this article, Sofia Waldron reviews this timeless piece of American Literature.

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Written by American author John Steinbeck, “ Of mice and men” is a piece of timeless literature read throughout thousands of classrooms in the U.S. Readers grow to love the beloved relationship of Lennie and Carl and their daily antics on the ranch in the beautiful Salinas Valley of California. The novel takes place during the 1930s, a difficult time for Americans everywhere. Droughts, Labor Strikes, and the stock market crash created a new reality for most and wiped away the past with little to no patience. Similarly, this can be compared to the events Americans, and even the world itself is going through today. This pandemic has wiped away the past and placed us head first in this new reality of face masks, hand sanitizer, and zoom meetings.

One of the many things that I appreciated about the book was to see how quickly connections were made which made me realize the importance of having a connection with somebody no matter how big or small. For example, I thought it was so sweet how Crooks had opened up his space for Lennie to be a part of in Chapter 4. They both had felt like outsiders since the group had left without them and had bonded a bit over that. In Chapter 5, when Curley’s wife had consoled Lennie over the loss of his puppy, and assured him that no one would find out and he could always find another puppy, I thought that it was a very sweet moment.

Despite the many things, I admired there were a few parts of the book that I did not like as much. One of the things I did not like was how the men at the ranch treated Curley’s wife. I truly detested when they would call her names like “tramp” and a “tart” just for wanting to have a conversation with other people. I can only imagine her frustration, only being referred to as someone else’s wife, and being alone all the time because talking to any other person in a male filled enviroment would cause her to be the target of endless promiscuous insults and jokes. I think what’s interesting about this scenario is that this still happens in today’s society. People tend to assume that the only motive between an opposite-gender relationship is romantic when it’s nothing close.

Overall, this novel was a great read. This is one of those novels that opens your eyes to the bigger pictures and allows you to analyze and compare on a more deeper level. I recommend this to everyone, no matter your age or location. I think everyone can find at least one thing to relate to in “Of mice and men.”