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Of Mice and Men 107729 Views


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Description:

Break out the tissues. Of Mice and Men isn't an easy one to stomach.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:07

Of Mice and Men, a la Shmoop:

00:11

With friends like George, who needs enemies? We've all seen things that look like they

00:19

don't belong together . . . . . . or couples that seem more than a little

00:25

odd . We may even look at our own parents . . .

00:29

. . . and wonder what the heck they ever saw in one another.

00:37

Same goes for friendships. George and Lennie, the two main characters

00:41

of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, are about as different as two friends could possibly

00:45

be . . . . . . but they've got each other's' backs.

00:51

They've travelled the country together . . . . . . worked together . . .

00:53

. . . and endured the hardships of the Great Depression together.

00:57

So, if they're such BFFs . . . . . . and George loves Lennie so much . . .

01:02

. . . how could he possibly bring himself to take his friend's life?

01:08

Well, he must have been furious when he heard about what Lennie had done to Curley's wife.

01:17

Maybe he reacted out of anger, seeing as how his own job and dreams of owning a farm were

01:21

circling the drain. Haven't we all had moments where our rage

01:25

gets the best of us? Maybe George just snapped.

01:33

It could easily be a simple case of temporary insanity.

01:37

Then again, maybe George thought Curley and his gang might be coming after him too . . .

01:45

. . . and killed his friend to make sure he couldn't make any more trouble for him.

01:52

We all know what it's like being friends with someone who gets us in trouble.

01:57

Maybe George just simply had enough. But here's another thought.

02:04

What if he took his friend's life because he did love him so much?

02:09

Lennie, who is mentally challenged, couldn't have understood the consequences of his actions.

02:20

George knew Curley's lynch mob was coming . . .

02:22

. . . and knew what they would do to his friend. Maybe he was trying to protect him the only

02:30

way he knew how. Telling Lennie of better times. Filling his

02:33

mind with happy thoughts, so when George pulls the trigger, his friend would leave the world

02:38

on his own terms. Doesn't that prove he cared about his friend?

02:58

Or was he only trying to make it easier on himself?

03:03

What's your verdict? Did George do the unthinkable to punish his

03:06

friend for ruining his life . . . . . . could it be that he really went off

03:09

the deep end. . . . . . or did he commit the ultimate act of

03:12

love by saving his friend from an angry lynch mob?

03:16

Shmoop amongst yourselves.

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