My first read of John Steinbeck, Of Men and Mice is everything you would expect from such a remarkable author. It’s a sad, heartbreaking American dream that comes into words. The story follows the life of two workers looking for a job on farms in California.
Both George and Lennie had a brother-like relationship. George was the mind of the two as Lennie was not like an average sane person; even though Lennie had a body of a heavyweight fighter, he was not competent and was like a little child. He was obsessed with pet animals since childhood; he used to pet small mice that his aunt Clara gave him.
Big Heart But Small Heart of Lennie
But because of his strength and continuous assessment of the given species, he usually killed most of his animals. After Aunt Clara’s death, George was responsible for looking after Lennie. Things could have gone better for the two as they struggled to make a living in the country. They used to work at fields or different farms, but Lennie always messed things up after some time, so they had to leave.
The Journey Towards Better Life
On their journey to look for work, they arrived at a new farm, but what happened on that farm changed the life of both gents together. Curley was the son of the landlord of the farm. He used to get into people’s skins to get into a fight; he was a small person but had built some strength.
He had a wife, and she was very curious about the daily activities of the farm workers. Everyone on the farm believed that she was a jade. She was a troublemaker in everyone’s eye, and usually, people kept their distance from her. It didn’t take George and Lennie to figure out her character.
So George instructed Lennie to keep their distance from her for the welfare of everyone on the farm.
The Confrontation
One day, Curley got into a confrontation with George and Lennie. Curley smacked Lennie’s face and hit him hard, but as soon as Lennie heard defensive instructions from George, he almost broke Curley’s arm and taught him a lesson. Everyone was glad.
After that incident, George shared his plans to buy land in the country, where he could keep some animals, cows, chickens, and rabbits for Lennie to pet. They had a partner in the firm who convinced them to let him stay with them and assured them that he’d contribute all his savings to both of them.
When Things Were Going Great
Things were going well for them. But one day, Lennie was petting a small puppy, accidentally, that puppy died; and Lennie got scared that George would find it and would not let him keep rabbits on the farm. He was hiding the puppy’s body, but at that moment, Curley’s wife entered the barn, and she caught Lennie. She told him she’d stay quiet as long as Lennie talked to her, but Lennie feared George.
Curley’s wife was talking about aesthetics and body. Accidentally she spoke of her hair. She asked Lennie to feel her hair, and Lennie enjoyed it; it was like petting an animal; it made Curley’s wife very uncomfortable, she screamed, but Lennie got hold of her mouth and asked her to keep quiet.
But she was screaming her lungs out. She made Lennie very angry, Lennie told her to stay calm, but she won’t. And the strength of Lennie was too much for her slim and soft body to hold. He snapped her neck, and there she lay on the barn floor.
The Aftermath
Later, everyone found out about her death. Curley was so angry and wanted to shoot the guts out of Lennie. Lennie was on the run, and George and Curley were after him. George finds Lennie near a stream and tells him that he is not angry; he asks him to look towards the hill and starts talking about the house they will buy and how they both will live happily.
Lennie asked George whether he’ll let Lennie keep his rabbits, and George replied positively. It gave joy to Lennie, unaware that George had a gun pointed at his head from the backside. George was shaking but didn’t step back; he shot Lennie in the forehead, and there was a loud noise; his body lay there, and a dream was shattered.
Story of Broken Dreams in ‘Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men is a thrilling story that captures the failures of people and an event that George foresaw and knew would take place soon. Two dreams were shattered that day; one of Curley’s wife to have an independent life, and the other was George’s own home.
Lost Dream
The only dream that came true was for Lennie, as he was living his goal just before he was shot in the head. There he lay on the ground with a dream, there he stood with tears, and there she lay young and in fear.
Awesome read, enjoyed it
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