3 reasons why you should read "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck
I found Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck a very enjoyable book, and here are 3 reasons why:
1. The complex character dynamic between Lennie and George:
Lennie and George, the main characters, have a complicated relationship. Especially how George
feels about it. Lennie is a nice guy and good-natured, but is not very smart and doesn't realize how
strong he really is. He accidentally kills little animals, which are his favorite to pet, and hurts a few
humans too. He never means to, he is just too strong. George is just a normal, kindhearted guy.
He befriended Lennie and stuck with him through all of his life. He dedicates a lot to keeping Lennie
out of trouble. However, this sort of ruins George's life. He could have a nice job, but has to take care
of Lennie. He sacrifices a lot of things for his friend, almost everything. But George realizes that
sometimes he has to live for himself too. But his kindness conflicts with this feeling which creates an
interesting dilemma for George, which I found really interesting.
feels about it. Lennie is a nice guy and good-natured, but is not very smart and doesn't realize how
strong he really is. He accidentally kills little animals, which are his favorite to pet, and hurts a few
humans too. He never means to, he is just too strong. George is just a normal, kindhearted guy.
He befriended Lennie and stuck with him through all of his life. He dedicates a lot to keeping Lennie
out of trouble. However, this sort of ruins George's life. He could have a nice job, but has to take care
of Lennie. He sacrifices a lot of things for his friend, almost everything. But George realizes that
sometimes he has to live for himself too. But his kindness conflicts with this feeling which creates an
interesting dilemma for George, which I found really interesting.
2. The length of the book:
The story is very short, and is guaranteed to not waste your time, as one can probably finish it in just
one day. However, despite the book being short, the book is very complete, full of important lessons
and an intriguing plot. It also is able to make the reader fall in love with the characters and feel for
them as they go through different challenges throughout the book.
one day. However, despite the book being short, the book is very complete, full of important lessons
and an intriguing plot. It also is able to make the reader fall in love with the characters and feel for
them as they go through different challenges throughout the book.
3. The lessons/messages of the book:
The thing I love most about this book is it's many important and deep messages that it crams in into this book. It doesn't shove the lessons down your throat and just hands the lesson to you though, it is integrated into the plot of the book and allows the plot to still flow well. A simple lesson it teaches is to not judge a book by its cover. Of course Lennie is the big, mean, and intimidating looking guy, and George is just a small, weak guy, but he is very strong mentally, and is very hard working. Over the course of the story we see that Lennie is a really nice guy, that is really kind and doesn't even want to hurt people, even when he is attacked. We see as a result of judging a book by its cover that it can lead to problems on page 62-63 when another character named Curley tries to attack Lennie, because he thinks that he's a big jerk that is laughing at him, when he was really smiling at something else, "'Come on ya big ba*****... No big [jerk] is gonna laugh at me. I'll show ya who's yella.'... He slashed at Lennie with his left, and then smashed down his nose with a right." At first Lennie doesn't want to hurt him, but George tells him he has to defend himself, and it doesn't end well at all for Curley, "Curley's fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it. The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on a line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie's big hand." This shows how judging a book by it's cover can hurt you and others as well, like in this case Lennie meant no harm but Curley assumed he was laughing at him. Another lesson in this book is how dreaming big is good. Throughout the story, Lennie and George share with each other this fantasy of owning a very nice flat in the country with a whole bunch of animals and bunnies that Lennie can pet, and the two living a nice life together as friends. Although it becomes a far fetched dream as the story progresses, it's what keeps the two going and helps them keep working and keep on going, even after all the adversity they face.
So those are 3 reasons why you should read Of Mice and Men. Overall I found the book really enjoyable, because of it's short length, important messages, and the interesting character dynamic between George and Lennie. All in all, it was a fun and interesting book to read, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to read a quick book for fun.
I enjoyed reading this blog post. It is interesting how you explained how the length of the book affected how good the book is. I would think that a shorter book does not go into much detail and therefore cannot have complex character and plot development, but here you have proved me to be wrong. I find the characters interesting, and this book seems like a good read!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading you blog post. I liked your use of quotations which helped me understand Lennie's true personality. Of Mice and Men was a book I started reading in middle school, but after reading your blog post and refreshing my memory, I think I might go back and finish it! Good post!
ReplyDeleteGreat job with this post! I definitely agree with Daniel, I thought shorter books would not be well developed, but you explained how the length does not affect the quality. I also really liked how you discussed how George may be small physically, but his mental state is consistent and strong. I will definitely be heading to the library tomorrow to check this one out.
ReplyDeleteI just read Of Mice and Men at the beginning of this year and also wrote a blog post on it. I completely agree with your reasons on why others should read the novel as well. I also found George and Lennie's relationship to be complicated yet sincere, and the book provides us with deep, important messages that are well integrated into the story. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI liked the way that you described the character dynamic. It is very interesting how George refused a good job just to stay with his slightly less bright friend, Lennie. Because this book is short it seems like anyone could read it without taking too much time and get a big return of messages and entertainment. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI think you did a good job explaining how the length of the book, it is still a good read. When first encountering a very short book, some might think that its length would lead to the reader not feeling connected to the characters, but I'm glad that you said that this is not the case, and that the book also contains valuable lessons. I also liked how you explained the relationship between George and Lennie. Good job.
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