Of Mice and Men
By John Steinbeck
Summary
This story begins with an introduction of the two main characters, Lennie and George. It is evident in the beginning that Lennie has some sort of mental disability. They go to a nearby farm to work as ranch hands, after fleeing the last town they were in because Lennie, meaning no harm, had grabbed a girls dress. They girl had claimed she had been assaulted, so they had to escape town before Lennie's lynch mob found him. At this new farm, George tried to hide Lennies disablility for as long as possible, until the farm owner realized how good of a worker Lennie was. A man named Curley lived on the farm, and he had issues with Lennie immediately. Being a smaller man, he picked on the larger Lennie to prove his toughness to people. One day he started punching Lennie, and after permission from George, Lennie fought back and shatter the bones in one of Curley's hands. Curley then told everyone that his hand had been caught in a machine. One night, while Lennie is in the barn, Curley's flirtatious wife came and talked to him, and something unexpected happens that causes an uproar on the farm, and the deaths of two characters.
Lennie
Lennie is one of the two main characters in this story. He is an extremely large man with a mental disability that kept his mind equivalent to a child's. He is one of the protagonists in the story, even though his disabilities caused him to harm people on accident.
George
He is the other main character, who takes care of Lennie, and is his only companion. He takes care of him because he had promised Lennie's aunt he would. He is also a protagonist in the story, who always is trying to keep him and Lennie out of trouble.
Curley
He is a ranch hand that is a small angry man who likes to pick fights, especially with larger men such as Lennie. He is the protagonist in this story.
Review
I enjoyed this book, because the story line was interesting, and it was written in a way that was easy to understand. The author leads you to connect to Lennie, and sympathize for him and his disabilities. The time period of the story is interesting to me, and the ending is something that is somewhat unexpected, and leaves you really thinking. I would suggest this to anyone who has the ability to read.
Favorite Passage
"There is a path through the willows and among the sycamores, a path beaten hard by boys coming down from the ranches to swim in the deep pool, and beaten hard by tramps who come wearily down from the highway in the evening to jungle-up near water. In front of the low horizontal limb of a giant sycamore there is an ash pile made by many fires; the limb is worn smooth by men who have sat on it." I like this passage because it sets the scene and feel for the whole story, and it gives you a clear mental picture of the setting.
Works cited
"Info User." Mrssomerhalder's Glogster. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2013.
"Creativity Is Learning." Glogster EDU: A Complete Educational Solution for Digital and Mobile Teaching and Learning. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2013.
"Official: Scotland Manliest Nation on Planet." The Tab Edinburgh. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2013.