The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men Often Go Awry

I may have mentioned this before, but my system for choosing which book to read next has sort of been just me going down the line on my bookshelf. Whatever book was next, that's what I read. I did deviate from that a few times to read something new, as many of those first books are familiar classics. This time, however, the next book was one I've always heard of and had a vague idea of the story but had never actually read: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.

I get it. How have I not read this book yet? It wasn't part of my school curriculum (perhaps a result of being in AP English?), and it wasn't one that I had read on my own yet. So, I picked it up and started reading...only to be surprised by the consistent and frequent use of profanity. I got a few pages in and thought, "I don't know if I want to read this."

So, I put it away.

A few weeks later, I was talking with my sister and mentioned how surprised I was about all of the language in that book. Her response was that it is still one of her favorites and that I should give it a chance.

So, I did.

Of Mice and Men is a short and easy read, but it is packed with powerful themes and meaning. I'll be honest-- I didn't catch all of the meaning behind the story at first, but the more I researched and thought about it, there's a lot more to this short book than just a story. Here's a quick synopsis (and note, this does contain spoilers!)

The Story
The story focuses on two men, George and Lennie, who are traveling together to a farm for work. The story takes place during the Great Depression, and the two men are going from farm to farm to work. They mention that they are working in order to fulfill this dream they've created: to buy a house and plot of land where they can work for themselves, keep all of the harvest, and "live offa the fatta the lan'." George is sort of Lennie's caregiver, as Lennie has some sort of mental disability. Lennie is strong and works hand, but he acts more like a child than an adult.

George and Lennie are running from their former town of employment because of something Lennie did that upset the townspeople. You don't know what happened until the very end of the story. The two arrive at their next place of work and meet the other workers. Slim is the leader of the group; Crooks is the African American worker on the farm who has a bad back; Carlson is one of the other workers; Candy is a worker who does mostly cleaning around the house because of his old age; Curly is the boss's son who is constantly picking fights; and there's Curly's wife, who seems to regularly flirt with the other men around the farm.

To keep things fairly short, the story follows life around the farm between Lennie and George, but all only within a matter of a few days. Slim's dog has puppies, and he lets Lennie have one (since Lennie loves soft things like puppies, bunnies, and mice). Lennie regularly pets the puppy, but sometimes he doesn't know his own strength. One night, he's out in the barn with his puppy, and he was playing with it too had, to the point where he accidentally kills it. Curley's wife pops into the barn to check if her husband is there, and find Lennie there. They start talking, and she brings up how soft her hair is. She invites Lennie to feel it. Lennie does, and he likes it so much that he keep petting, but gets harder and harder. Curly's wife tries to get away, but Lennie grabs on to her hair; he doesn't want to let go of the softness. Curley's wife starts to scream and tries to get away. Lennie doesn't want to get in trouble, so he covers her mouth and shakes her to try and make her be quiet; instead, he breaks her neck.

Lennie realizes what happened and runs away to the place where he and George said they would meet if something should go wrong. Someone discovers the body of Curly's wife and alerts the others, and they form a manhunt. George knows where Lennie is and knows it was probably an accident -- just like the last town they came from. But, the manhunt is out to kill Lennie, and George knows that Lennie will keep getting himself into trouble. In the end, George finds Lennie first and ends up killing in while telling him once again how they, together, are going to find their won plot of land and live as free men.

The Meaning 
When I first finished the book, all I could think was, "What a terrible ending!" It's heartbreaking how the story ends, and I didn't like it. Then, I started researching the bigger meaning of the story, and I gotta say, it doesn't make the book any happier. Overall, the themes behind Of Mice and Men are somewhat cynical and depressive. Here are just a few to show you what I mean:

Predatory Human Behavior 
Throughout the book, just about every character, in some way or another, shows or explains their feelings of extreme loneliness and isolation. Everyone feels alone and is seeking some sort of companionship. For Candy, it's his old and dying dog. For George and Lennie, it's each other. For Curley's wife, it's just about anyone who will lend an ear. Everyone is looking for someone to be near him because "a guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick."

You would think that since everyone here experiences some sort of loneliness and is seeking a form of companionship, they would embrace the chance to provide that for each other. However, the story demonstrates how, all too often, instead of uniting in our common weaknesses and desires, we decide to turn on each other and prey on others' weakened states. We put others down in an effort to make ourselves feel better, to numb the sting of being alone for just a moment. And it happens way too often.

Friendships Don't Often Last
This second theme is just as grim as the first. As just mentioned, most characters in this story experience great loneliness, isolation, and depression. They long to come together and have a support group, to have friends and live in a way that they have each other's best interests in mind. They long for and seek a friend who will provide the comfort of knowing someone is there to protect them as they protect their friend.

Only George and Lennie have this sort of friendship and brotherhood in the story. "I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you." However, Steinbeck doesn't capitalize on this fuzzy, feel-good idea of having a friendship like this. Instead, the friendship that George and Lennie have (as well as their goal to have their own land) is jeopardized by Lennie himself. In effect, Steinback is saying that they world is too harsh to sustain such friendships for too long.

The American Dream Is Nearly Impossible To Achieve 
Again, a fairly cynical theme here, but the story in Of Mice and Men demonstrates the sometimes harsh reality of how impossible it is to achieve the American Dream -- especially during the Great Depression era. I full-heartedly believe that with hard work, connections, motivation, and perhaps some financing, most people can achieve their dreams. Granted, it won't be smooth sailing, and there will be a lot of work to keep your dream once you get it, but I've always believed that anyone can do just about anything they set their minds to. Your situation doesn't have to determine where you go or what you do in life.

But, such is not the case in Steinbeck's story. Most of the characters mention how they long for something more than the life they have. George and Lennie have their idea of getting their own home and land. Curly's wife talks of how she previously was trying to become a movie star but instead settled for an unsatisfying marriage. Crooks mentioned how he's seen many men come through hoping for their own land but never get there. "Just like heaven. Ever'body wants a little piece of lan'...Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets to land. It's just in their head. They're all the time talkin' about it, but it's jus' in their head."

In the end of the book, when George ends up killing Lennie, it's not that his dream of having his own landis gone entirely, but part of it is, since his dream involved Lennie. Now, George's full dream will never be realized. And neither will Curly's wife's dream of being a movie star. Or Candy's dream of joining George and Lennie. In short, Steinbeck demonstrates the harsh reality of how too often the American dream is just that -- a dream.

Afterthoughts
While I do appreciate the deeper meanings and themes behind Of Mice and Men, it still might be too much of a downer for me. I will say, though, that I'm glad I read it. It's written very well and presents important things to think about. If you haven't read Of Mice and Men yet, I'd say give a go at least once.  :)