Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men, published by John Steinbeck in 1937, is set in the Salinas Valley of California during the Great Depression. In 1936, Steinbeck took a journalistic assignment for the San Francisco News, investigating the migrant working situation in California. The stories and circumstances he discovered are reflected in Of Mice and Men. The novella’s two main characters, George and Lennie, embody the American struggle to survive the Depression, but the novella is timeless because it captures the personal isolation and suffering present in the land of opportunity.

Of Mice and Men is more than a little book about a certain time and place; it covers friendship and sacrifice, not to mention a healthy dose of the bittersweet futility of holding onto dreams. Even as Steinbeck was reworking the text as a play script, he was developing its broader themes and context for his masterwork Grapes of Wrath. Of Mice and Men can be thought of as a sketch for that great painting, though it still stands alone. For its stark and unflinching observations, this is one of Steinbeck’s best-loved pieces – and a significant contribution to his Nobel Prize in literature.

Top Five Reasons You Should Care

1. Of Mice and Men is a frequently banned book. Teachers, parents, and school board members have often taken this novella off the required reading list. Why? If you’ve read it, you can guess. There’s a considerable amount of killing and violence. The characters all swear a lot, talk about sex, and go to brothels once a week. Many characters are racist and ageist and sexist. The book’s ending is beyond sad, and might be considered an endorsement of euthanasia. Not to mention, its message isn't exactly praiseworthy of the American way of life.



2. It asks, and pretty much answers, all the big questions. According to Of Mice and Men:
   - Does prejudice suck? Yes.
   - Are we all prejudiced? Yes.
   - Are we each responsible for the welfare of other people? Yes.
   - Is killing someone ever OK? Yes.
   - Is euthanasia preferable to a living Hell? Yes.
   - Are men and women different? Yes, and then again, no.
   - Is sex scary? It can be. Even when it costs $2.50. Especially when it costs $2.50.
   - Is having a dream a bad idea? Maybe yes, if you’re within certain groups of our society.
   - Is this the opposite of the American Dream? Well, now that you mention it…



3. Of Mice and Men is risky, controversial, and modern. It says that maybe we’re screwed – and not just from global warming, either. It says that our American notions of happiness are messed up, and if we expect perfection, or even fair play, we’re in for a sad surprise. Even in a country where we pride ourselves our supposed ability to "pull ourselves up by our bootstraps," there frequently aren’t enough bootstraps to go around. And even then, those bootstraps often break.



4. It’s sweet. Bittersweet. It’s about two guys who love each other and struggle against the injustices of the world and their own weak natures.



5. It has Lennie in it. That alone is worth the price of admission.



6. And how could we forget – it has its own SNL skit, with Chris Farley man-handling the rabbits.



7. Did you notice this was more than five reasons? Let this be a lesson to you: never trust a strange headline.