Afterthoughts

As a person who has read their fair share of books, John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men has certainly been a book that has piqued my interest from the start until the end. Although short in length, the plot was very in-depth, the characters were abundant in different personalities and roles, and the language was beautifully and carefully woven into the text. I have certainly never read a mature book like this, where the ending was not always happy or justified like in many other books.

Although Lennie was a main character in this novel, he was a character who was not very dynamic at all. Throughout the book, he was constantly a simple thinker who completely relied on George to pull on his leash and lead him around everywhere. George on the other hand has shown change throughout the course of the novel. He was not always such a good friend to Lennie; he used to make Lennie do stupid things because Lennie would listen to whatever he would say, but after an incident that almost caused Lennie's death, George was more careful and protective of his friend's life. I find it very ironic that the person George was most protective of was the person he had to shoot in the back of his head in order to protect him from a worse fate.

It is also interesting to note that Lennie died exactly the same way Old Candy's dog died: the same shot from the same gun in the same place on the head.

All in all, just because the book had racial slurs, profanity and violence does not measure up to the justification of banning the book. The racial slurs are but a historical fact that students need to know about. Profanity will continue to exist as long as humans are living. Unfortunately, violence will also continue to exist. Banning these books are only sheltering students from the real world; masking their knowledge of the world is something that should not be done, because all students will eventually go out into the real world and experience the things found in this book.

One of us, or both of us

George quickly met up with Lennie at their designated meeting spot if anything was to go wrong. I got very worried when Lennie was very apologetic to George and asked George if he was mad. In contrast to his expected reaction, George's character was stone faced, and only his words seemed in character. He asked Lennie to look down the river while he told Lennie again about the piece of land they would own and the rabbits they would tend to. To me, it felt like George had given up. My mind was filled with questions: Would George give up all together and find an end to his partner and himself? What exactly is George planning?

As the rest of the search party got closer and closer, George pulled out Carlson's pistol and aimed it at Lennie's head as he was looking down the river. My heart sunk at this point, but I was not terribly surprised at his actions. George had thought it through in his head. It was either to stick with Lennie and get them both killed, or to kill Lennie himself so that at least he could survive. If I was George, I would definitely regret what I had done because Lennie was more than someone who traveled with him. Lennie was a good friend and had a special bond with George that most people like the hands at the ranch did not have, and that made them special. Now, Lennie is gone and I cannot help but feel that George would have lived a better life if he stuck with his friend, Lennie.

Cold-blooded murder or manslaughter?

Plot details and spoilers below.

The book has reached its climax in part 5 of the 6 sections it contains. With the many accidental killings of animals Lennie has committed in the past, the author could not foreshadow a human murder any more clearer than this. Steinbeck finally gave me a reason to have a liking and understanding of Curley's wife, due to the fact that she tried to befriend Lennie, although Lennie was highly suspicious of her behavior. Soon enough, Curley's wife dove into her past and reminisced. At this point I felt more connected to the "antagonist" of the story. After a nice and friendly chat, Curley's wife decided to let Lennie touch her soft as silk hair because she found out Lennie likes to touch soft things after their chat together. Being Lennie, Lennie grabbed on and would not let go, causing Curley's wife to scream. Lennie, oblivious to his massive strength, lifted her off the ground and shook her about, telling her to be quiet, but she could not her him anymore. Her neck was broken and she lay there dead, while Lennie runs in fear. I immediately felt pity for her because her willingness to be kind and friendlier caused her own death. In addition, because Lennie was introduced in the beginning of the book, I also feel pity besides the fear I feel since he is now being hunted with a shotgun by Curley after finding her corpse.

My thoughts so far

After reading about 2/3rds of the book, I have developed many opinions and reflections for its content. Steinbeck has done a great job of portraying the lifestyles of a common American during the depression era of post World War I. I believe banning this book was too harsh of a sentence, because since he lived during those times, he is not making any purposeful put downs against black people. In a way, when I read this book in the present day, I see it as an enlightenment of knowledge, finding out how life was in the past, and seeing how much it has changed since then. Sure, it may have talked about the characters visiting a brothel, but nothing ever sexually explicit was mentioned or implied. It is just a book that requires a bit more maturity than normal to fully read and enjoy it.

Unjust authority

Crooks, the black stable buck, sits in his bunk, rubbing ointment on his crooked back. With everyone except Lennie, Candy, and Crooks out to the brothel, Lennie visits Crook's seperate bunk, attempting to make friends and keep each other company. Crooks gradually accepts his offer, and both of them chat together, with Crooks finally opening up to somebody after always trying to make his existence on the ranch as small as possible. Soon, Old Candy joins them, with the three talking about the farm Lennie, George and Candy are going to buy and live on. With the secret revealed, Crooks shyly offers himself to work on their farm. Their dreams are interrupted when Curley's wife comes in looking for attention and pushing her authority as the boss' son's wife. Candy and Crooks, knowing she is trying to set up a trap for them, tells her off and tries to get her to leave. She in turn cruelly threatens Crooks because of his color and leaves. The rest of the men come back home, with Lennie and Candy retiring for the night as well. This leaves Crooks back into his unfair, unjust world, as he sits there rubbing ointment on his back again.

The way the author began and ended the scene with Crooks alone in his bunk rubbing ointment on his back really brought the message to me of how he is lonely and isolated even though hes a human being like everybody else on the ranch. He gets treated differently just because of his color, which John Steinbeck clearly points out, trying to bring light to this issue that at times still exists in today's modern society.

A crushed ego

PLOT DETAILS REVEALED BELOW.

Old Candy's dog, after much reluctance, has been taken outside by Carlson. After a couple moments of silence, a gunshot is heard and silence follows. What the author, John Steinbeck, makes me feel lots of sympathy for Candy. I had my own dog before who had to be put down because he got into a car crash with fatal injuries. The author emphasized how Candy just sat on his bunk staring at the wall by mentioning it multiple times. As Carlson came back and started cleaning and oiling his pistol, Candy glanced at it for awhile and turned back to the wall. I feel that the tension between many characters at this point of the book is incredibly thick and heavy.

Suddenly, Curley barges in and apparently his wife is missing again. Slim had gone to care for his mules at the barn when Carlson shot the dog, so Curley immediately suspected him of being with his wife. Predicting a fight, almost everyone goes with Curley to find Slim, leaving the bunkhouse with Old Candy, George and Lennie. During this course of time, George reminds Lennie of what they will do after they earn their "stake." George drops his usually suspicious-of-everyone guard and draws wonderful pictures of a life on their own farm in Lennie's mind. Old Candy listens carefully and offers to pay part of the cost of the farm in return for a spot for him in the farm. I felt much more connected to the protagonists George and Lennie because their ambitions and dreams were revealed.

The work hands come back to the bunkhouse, with Curley's accusation having failed. Knowing he cannot possibly touch Slim, the prince of the ranch, he desperately looks to vent his anger out on someone else. As expected, Curley goes for Lennie, punching his face to a bloody mess. George commands Lennie to fight back, and Lennie crushes Curley's right hand without effort. Tensions around are now at a level never before seen, as Curley builds up more and more thoughts of vengeance and anger.

Guns, racism, and money

PLOT DETAILS REVEALED BELOW.

As George and Lennie make themselves at home at the ranch, many new characters enter the story and are introduced. First up is Candy, an old ranch hand who has a matching old dog that accompanies him. Curley is a man small in stature but has authority from his position as the son of the ranch head. His wife, whom which George labels as "jail bait," is the only female on the ranch and I believe she is practically asking to get in trouble with the other men. Other characters include Slim, the "prince" of the ranch who is respected because of his skills as a mule driver, Carlson, another worker who hates the smell of Candy's dog, and Crooks, the black stable buck who is discriminated upon in the ranch.

The story is starting to foreshadow many possible events that leave me curious. For instance, George meeting Curley was not exactly welcoming as many implied heated words were exchanged through their tone of voice. In addition, Lennie thought Curley's wife was "purdy," which is bad news for George because he knows Lennie will get carried away due to his weak mind. In another example, Carlson insisted greatly on using his pistol to end Candy's dog's misery although Candy protested greatly. In the end, Candy accepted it but not without a grudge.

This novel definitely captures the attitudes of the olden days, where shooting dogs did not bring pictures of guilt and great sadness, where racism was accepted, and where The Great Depression era of this book really shows what people did to earn a living in tough times.

Quite the pair

Although this book is 118 pages, I believe in quality over quantity, and that is something I am definitely getting after having started to read Of Mice and Men. The book opens with beautiful descriptors of the Californian countryside, labeling rabbits as "little gray, sculptured stones." Having no background information of this book, I was quite delighted by the protagonists of the book the author created. George, a small but sharp witted man travels with Lennie, a giant of a man but intellectually flawed. Their destination and purpose are revealed through their dialogue as George reminds the forgetful Lennie of their course of action, which I think is more interesting than a plain narration.

As the duo meet new supporting characters and antagonists at their workplace, a ranch, I can plainly see why this book was banned or challenged. There is a stable buck of a different race at the ranch, and the rest of the workers blatantly call out to him rudely in a racial slur. In addition to the verbal abuse, they belittle him by treating him lower than everybody else instead of as equals.

Although nowadays it is a cliche, Lennie has a particular interest in small animals and loves petting them, making him a "gentle giant." Sometimes, apparently, he is not gentle enough, as he kills the animal by petting it too hard. His uncontrolled strength can be seen as a foreshadowing of upcoming events to come at the ranch.