Title: Of Mice and Men

Author: John Steinbeck

*Status: (2002) Challenged as required reading at the high school in Grandville, Michigan because the book “is full of racism, profanity, and foul language.” (2002) Banned from the George County, Mississippi because of profanity. (2003) Challenged in the Normal, Illinois Community High Schools because the book contains “racial slurs, profanity, violence, and does not represent traditional values.” An alternative, Steinbeck’s The Pearl, was offered but rejected by the family challenging the novel.

ThePlot: Of Mice and Men tells the story of George and Lennie. They are two migrant farm workers in Depression-era California. George is a small man with "sharp, strong features." Lennie is a large man with a face described as "shapeless". The two have been let off a bus miles away from their destination, a ranch where they are set to begin working. During the journey, we learn that Lennie has a mental disability and is dependent upon George for protection. While George complains about having Lennie as a companion, it is also clear that he feels a deep bond with him and is protective of him as a friend. We also learn that Lennie loves to pet soft things. Since he is unaware of his on strength, he tends to accidentally kill them. They share a common fantasy of owning their own farm and keeping rabbits for Lennie.

When they report to work, George does all of the talking and tells the boss that they are cousins and that Lennie was kicked in the head as a child. Once they begin work, they meet Candy, an old handyman. They also meet Curley, the boss's malicious son who tries to have fun at Lennie's expense. He is an aggressive ex-boxer who has gotten more dangerous since he married his very flirtatious wife. Knowing Lennie's weakness for soft and "purty" things George warns Lennie to keep his distance from Curley and his wife. Meanwhile they meet Slim, a mule hand and their direct overhead. Slim immediately notices the rarity of their friendship. George confides in Slim that he and Lennie had to flee their last job because Lennie touched a woman's dress (because it was soft) and was accused of rape. Slim offers Lennie a puppy.

Candy overhears George and Lennie's plan to buy land and wants to go in with them. He offers his life savings if they will allow him to live with them. The three make a pact to keep their plan a secret.

Lennie accidentally kills his puppy and Curley's wife tries to comfort him. She shares her life's disappointments with him. When he tells her how he likes touching soft things, she allows him to feel her hair. He accidentally kills her and flees. When the other men discover what has happened, George meets up with Lennie in their designated meeting place. They decided that if anything went wrong, they would meet at a pool of the Salinas River. George tell Lennie a story about the farm they are going to own as a lynch party approaches. He kills his friend by shooting him in the back of the head. When the lynch party arrives, only Slim understands that George shot his friend out of mercy.

My Take: It was an enjoyable read. There were times that I thought it was overly simplistic in it's moral observations. But, overall, the characters and their motivations of friendship and loyalty rang true. It's understandable why it is assigned in so many classes. It's short, it's written by a famous author, and it's loaded with thematic symbolism. And, I can understand people being hesitant about reading it. There is something about assigned reading that can suck all of the joy out of a good book. But, if you haven't read it since 9th grade English class, you really should give it another chance.

*Information courtesy of Social Sicences and Humanities Library.