Book Review: Of Mice and Men

I recently mentioned that I’ve spent some time lately reading some older and more famous books. I’m particularly keen to re-read books that I remember strongly from when I was young. I love John Steinkbeck’s books and Of Mice and Men particularly stuck in my mind.

Author

John Steinbeck was an American writer and novelist who won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature for his realistic and imaginative writings. I’ve read many of his books and have loved them.

Of Mice and Men

This is a short novel that tells the story of two travelling workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, during the Great Depression in America. It was cute that Steinbeck gave Lennie the surname Small as he was anything but small. The book isn’t very long but it’s long enough to deal with some big ideas, like friendship, loneliness, dreams, and the way people treat those who are different.

George and Lennie travel together looking for work on farms and ranches. George is small, practical, and quick-thinking, while Lennie is physically very strong but has an intellectual disability. Lennie depends on George to guide him and keep him out of trouble. Their friendship is unusual because most of the workers they meet travel alone.

One of the most important parts of the story is the dream that George and Lennie share. They hope that one day they will save enough money to buy a small farm of their own. Lennie is especially excited about looking after rabbits. He loves petting small animals. Often though, he accidentally kills them by petting them too hard. But this dream gives them something to hope for when their lives are difficult. However, as the story continues, it becomes clear that achieving this dream may not be as easy as they imagine.

I found the relationship between George and Lennie to be the most interesting part of the book. George sometimes becomes frustrated with Lennie because Lennie often causes problems without meaning to. At the same time, George clearly cares about him and feels responsible for him. Their friendship makes the ending of the novel especially powerful and sad.

Steinbeck also shows how lonely many of the characters are. Candy is worried about becoming too old to work, Crooks is isolated because he is black, and Curley’s wife feels trapped and ignored. Each of these characters wants companionship or a better life, but they have very little control over their situation. This gives the novel a strong sense of sadness, even during its quieter moments.

The language in Of Mice and Men is relatively simple, although some of the dialog reflects the way people spoke at the time and I can imagine that some might find it takes a little getting used to. The book also contains racist and offensive language, which some modern readers might be uncomfortable with. However, this language helps show the prejudice and inequality that existed in the world Steinbeck was describing.

Summary

This is a memorable and moving book. It is easy to read, but the ideas behind it are quite deep. The story shows how important friendship and hope can be, especially for people living difficult lives. If you like realistic stories with strong characters and an emotional ending, you can’t go wrong.

It’s just an outstanding book, and I’m so glad I read it again after all these years. It’s clearly time for me to read more Steinbeck now.

10 out of 10

2026-08-30