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Excellent story, a well written classic. Unfortunately, Lennie finds trouble which leads to the death of a young girl.
The book is set in Depression Era California where Steinbeck grew up. Classic story of two nomadic laborers who's goal is to own their own farm.
Steinbeck shows the unselfishness of George as he takes it upon himself to care for Lennie, mainly to keep him out of trouble. George is the brains while Lennie is the brawn.
Each makes up for the other's weaknesses. It is at this point George must decide whether to protect Lennie as he always does or cut his losses.
I was made to read this for English and thoroughly disliked every moment of it. I thought the plot was boring and it wasn't nearly as good as everyone appears to believe it is. The only reason I am not giving 1 star is because when I look back on the story I can sort of see it being realistic, but then again every time I hear mention of this book I pretty much get nightmares.
I am sure that there are not many of you out there who haven't read this story. The hatred stemming form the ignorance of the men who surround him and the females who encounter him. What George does possess is a strong devotion to care for Lennie to the best of his ability. The story is a tragedy.
This farm assignment coming on the heels of a minor incident in another town when Lennie was falsely accused of rape for holding onto a girl's dress for too long and not letting go. Their dream, to one day have enough money to purchase a small farm of their own. This obviously scared her and the story enlarged. Lennie dreams of the day when he is on his farm with George and can raise and pet rabbits because they are sturdier than mice. Our protagonist, Lennie, doesn't have a place in his world with so much judgment, misunderstanding and hatred surrounding him. They will maintain the farm and "live off the land" with their crops and animals.
So, they are unable to ever stay in one place for too long. By today's standards, he may be considered a "Gentle Giant." George, on the other end of the "structure spectrum" is clever, however short tempered. As the new litter is introduced into the farm, the old, blind, and feeble mutt who lived in the barn was put down via a pistol. Lennie has an intellectual/mental impairment that renders him child-like and unaware of his own strength and size. Lenny and George take their work permits to a farm that should've had the right means for them to earn enough money to start their dream.
In this dream, they will live in peace with nobody to mess with Lennie.The ReviewI recall reading this book in high school and feeling very sadden by it. arguably one of the greatest American writers of all time. When introduced to Lennie, he has carried a dead mouse in his pocket during his travels with George. The Story LineLennie and his traveling companion, George, are on the road in the Salinas, California area looking for work. George takes best efforts to keep Lennie away from the woman at the farm they arrive to work at as he senses that she is "up to no good." The workers at the farm are very rich characters and the reader is able to envision them all with ease. At the farm, a dog has a litter of pups and Lennie is promised one. This becomes a foreshadowing parallel to what lies ahead for the men at the farm.
On the Sher's "Out of Ten Scale:"This book is a classic. I really enjoyed re-reading this story and viewing it from the eyes of an (gulp)almost-40-year old woman versus my young, inexperienced high school ones. However, due to Lennie's size and impairment, he unintentionally creates mistakes and issues wherever they tend to travel. I believe it does us well to re-visit the classics to give us a new perspective on the new works of today.For the genre Fiction:American Classic, I am giving this book a 10 out of 10. Lennie's fascination is with petting soft things. Lennie explains that he didn't mean to pet the mouse with such force and hadn't intended on hurting it. Steinbeck is an American Classic.
It's a story with so much depth that you could discuss it forever.
The power of friendship, the woes and dreams of all men, and the outside forces that combat with all of us are present in this epic novel. They finally end up at a ranch where they meet some interesting characters.
Lennie a tall, strong, slow, gentle giant, is looked after by his friend George, a short, clever little man. This is a wonderful, beautifully written story of two loyal, polar opposite friends.
George sticks by Lennie and looks after him nonetheless. They make their way together all over the country searching for jobs and trying to achieve their dream of owning their own piece of land.
Lennie does some "bad things" and keeps losing both of them their jobs. There is the taunting, head-strong Curley, his harlequin wife, the tall authoritative Slim, the lonely Crooks, and the tired out Candy, all excellently portrayed by Steinbeck.
Beautifully written with a surprising yet appropriate ending, a must read for all.
Slightly mentally disabled, Lennie is a large but kind-hearted man with the mannerisms of a child. In the land of opportunity, everyone strives to achieve the ultimate goal: to live the American dream. John Steinbeck gives his readers the reality of the road to the American dream. One of the greatest elements of Steinbeck's novel is his character Lennie Small. The obstacles that George and Lennie face on the ranch and the heartbreaking ending definitely illustrate such realities.Despite the novel's ending, Of Mice and Men is a great book to read. George and Lennie dream of owning their own farm and being their own bosses, but they need to work for the money to buy land first.
Personally, he is one of the only characters who can provoke emotion from the reader, whether it is pity from Lennie being scolded by George and bullied by Curley, or utter sorrow from the final events of the novel.Steinbeck accomplishes to tell the "other story" of pursuing the American dream. Of Mice and Men's protagonists George Milton and Lennie Small are no different. His unshakable, child-like faith in one day owning a farm is the drive of his and George's hard-work. While working on a ranch, they encounter troubles with the boss' son, Curley, a hot-headed and aggressive man. These troubles climax with Lennie's accident and merciful end. Unlike many stories where there are happy endings, Of Mice and Men incorporates some harsh realities of making it big in the land of opportunity.
I would personally recommend readers of high school age or above to read this great tale of two men and their struggles to success.
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