Steinbeck shows style in a small package in Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is one of those books that was always on the reading list in high school, but somehow never in any of the classes I was in. So I missed it until now.

It’s a short one, only about 100 pages or so, and it’s a quick read. It follows two men, Lenny and George, as they are on the run from one town and looking for work out on the open land. Lenny is a big guy but mentally slow, with the reasoning of a child. George is the brains of the duo, and he is always trying to save Lenny from himself. Lenny has a child-like compulsion to touch and pet things, but always forgets his own strength, so he is constantly killing the mice he picks up to pet. In fact, the two are running away from the town of Weed, where Lenny was hunted for harassing a young girl, though he and George insisted there was no ill intent.

After spending an evening by a lake, the two come to a grain farm where they get hired on to buck barley, and meet and hang out with the fellow workers. To particular interest to the story is an old worker named Candy, who’s been around forever. Candy’s old, decrepit dog can hardly walk anymore, and Candy is convinced to finally put it out of its misery. He can’t make himself do the deed, so he lets another man, Slim, do it, with an old luger Slim had. Afterwards, Candy regrets the action, saying he should have been the one to put down his old friend. Meanwhile, George regales Lenny with stories of their life after the farm, when they will have enough money to buy their own place and Lenny can raise rabbits. Lenny finds joy in playing with a new litter of puppies just born on the farm.

George sees trouble brewing, because the farm owner’s son Curley has a new bride who likes to flirt with the guys, which drives Curley crazy. Curley also has a boxing background, and he likes to show off his dominance in fighting. When Curley antagonizes Lenny, Lenny grabs Curley’s hand and crushes it. Shortly thereafter, Lenny accidentally kills one of the puppies by being too rough with it, and when he is consoled by Curley’s wife, he tries to pet her. She gets spooked and tries to scream, which scares Lenny and he accidentally breaks her neck. Lenny flees back to the lake, knowing George will come there and the two can make their getaway again. George does indeed find Lenny there, and tells him to look south to where they will have their own farm. As Lenny looks off, and George re-tells the story of their future together, he pulls out the luger and shoots Lenny in the back of the head.

Honestly, I’m not sure why this book is so high up on this list, other than maybe Steinbeck’s reputation. His Grapes of Wrath is coming up in the top 10, and that one I probably agree with (I did read that one in high school). This one’s good, but hardly earth shattering good. The characters are deep and developed, even for such a short book. Even Lenny, who on the surface doesn’t have much going on, has layers to get through to understand what makes him up. But it is a simple story with not a whole lot going on. A pleasant enough read, I just quibble about its placement on this list.