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Lisa's Reviews > Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men
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"Yet each man kills the thing he loves..."
Oscar Wilde's prison poem came to mind not only for its literal truth in the context of Lenny and George, but also because it evokes the brutal isolation of the whole cast of characters, each one of them stuck in their separate reality and unable to connect with each other. The young lonely wife has nobody to confide in, and keeps looking for trouble out of sheer isolation. The black man is so utterly alone that he is almost insane, and the barrier of his skin colour is even more impenetrable than the woman's gender. George's loneliness is connected to his responsibility for Lenny, and Lenny himself is in the brutal prison of his intellectual inferiority and herculean strength. Even the boss' son is in a no man's land between privilege and torture.
The dream of sharing a future together keeps the men's spirits alive for a while, and it is contagious. Breaking out of the isolation, enjoying freedom and partnership - those are powerful ideas.
"Yet each man kills the thing he loves..."
The domino effect of Lenny's inability to control his strength or his craving for softness and love makes all dreamers wake up to a nightmare without end. The only solace is finding another human being who understands enough of the pain of killing what one loves to offer a sign of support or friendship in the misery of reality.
Lenny broke my heart, and yet I had to smile at his limited vision over and over again. When I first read this novel, I was a busy teenager, bored and frustrated that school picked my reading materials for me, not willing to enter into the confused minds of men with whom I had seemingly nothing in common. With hindsight, I see myself in a cloud of ignorance, not fully grasping what happened around me, missing a masterpiece in the process - I was very much like Lenny myself, unaware of the bigger picture of what was going on around me. Reading Of Mice and Men now, to prepare a teaching unit for a new generation of fifteen-year-olds, I find myself more in the role of George, gently coaxing, carefully repeating the information I consider crucial, avoiding too much detail out of fear to completely lose the attention of my students. Lenny and George live a life of their own in my head now, and they have transcended their bitter story and become part of mine.
Just what one expects of a great classic!
Oscar Wilde's prison poem came to mind not only for its literal truth in the context of Lenny and George, but also because it evokes the brutal isolation of the whole cast of characters, each one of them stuck in their separate reality and unable to connect with each other. The young lonely wife has nobody to confide in, and keeps looking for trouble out of sheer isolation. The black man is so utterly alone that he is almost insane, and the barrier of his skin colour is even more impenetrable than the woman's gender. George's loneliness is connected to his responsibility for Lenny, and Lenny himself is in the brutal prison of his intellectual inferiority and herculean strength. Even the boss' son is in a no man's land between privilege and torture.
The dream of sharing a future together keeps the men's spirits alive for a while, and it is contagious. Breaking out of the isolation, enjoying freedom and partnership - those are powerful ideas.
"Yet each man kills the thing he loves..."
The domino effect of Lenny's inability to control his strength or his craving for softness and love makes all dreamers wake up to a nightmare without end. The only solace is finding another human being who understands enough of the pain of killing what one loves to offer a sign of support or friendship in the misery of reality.
Lenny broke my heart, and yet I had to smile at his limited vision over and over again. When I first read this novel, I was a busy teenager, bored and frustrated that school picked my reading materials for me, not willing to enter into the confused minds of men with whom I had seemingly nothing in common. With hindsight, I see myself in a cloud of ignorance, not fully grasping what happened around me, missing a masterpiece in the process - I was very much like Lenny myself, unaware of the bigger picture of what was going on around me. Reading Of Mice and Men now, to prepare a teaching unit for a new generation of fifteen-year-olds, I find myself more in the role of George, gently coaxing, carefully repeating the information I consider crucial, avoiding too much detail out of fear to completely lose the attention of my students. Lenny and George live a life of their own in my head now, and they have transcended their bitter story and become part of mine.
Just what one expects of a great classic!
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Reading Progress
June 25, 2014
– Shelved
June 26, 2014
– Shelved as:
nobels
August 9, 2014
– Shelved as:
1001-books-to-read-before-you-die
Started Reading
September 4, 2018
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-21 of 21 (21 new)
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Mél
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Sep 04, 2018 11:08AM
Wonderful review!
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Mél wrote: "Wonderful review!"Thank you, Mél!
Lisa wrote: "Mél wrote: "Wonderful review!"Thank you, Mél!"
Wonderful review. It made me remember the pity I had felt for Lennie when reading this novel and how the behavior of very many of us, in our attempt to reach out to other people and get out of the prisons we are confined in, might be missunderstood.
Deea wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Mél wrote: "Wonderful review!"Thank you, Mél!"
Wonderful review. It made me remember the pity I had felt for Lennie when reading this novel and how the behavior of very many of us, ..."
I agree, Deea! And as I work with teenagers with all kinds of difficulties, I know quite well how brutal reality is when you are a caring human being locked into a body and mind that don't cooperate!
Spectacular.. your reviews have the same impact upon my soul and give me a desire to reread the books that I once ( long time ago ) judged as bad . And so , I think to give this book another chance .
N.KH wrote: "Spectacular.. your reviews have the same impact upon my soul and give me a desire to reread the books that I once ( long time ago ) judged as bad . And so , I think to give this book another chance ."Thank you so much! I hope you give it a chance - it improves ...
Ania wrote: "Beautiful."Thank you, Ania!
Amazing review! Your students are lucky to have you as their teacher
Maricarmen wrote: "Amazing review! Your students are lucky to have you as their teacher"Thank you, Maricarmen!
A fantastic review, Lisa. It's amazing what Steinbeck managed to cram into only 30,000 words, creating an allegorical tale laced with symbolism.
And poor Lennie broke my heart too!
Kevin wrote: "A fantastic review, Lisa. It's amazing what Steinbeck managed to cram into only 30,000 words, creating an allegorical tale laced with symbolism.
And poor Lennie broke my heart too!"
Thank you, Kevin!
I prefer your review to the book itself. Brilliantly written 👏
Mari wrote: "I prefer your review to the book itself. Brilliantly written 👏"Oh gosh, Mari! Thank you!! I love this book to bits.
I enjoyed reading your review almost as much as I enjoyed the book!
Manny wrote: "I enjoyed reading your review almost as much as I enjoyed the book!"Wow, Manny, you made a Tuesday-tired teacher's day today (alliteration inevitable :-)!
This is inspiring me to re-read it, also!
What an absolutely gorgeous review. I only just finished the book so I think I need to let it stew before I give a real review, but this review captures the imagination and inspires me. Thank you for this
Sophie wrote: "What an absolutely gorgeous review. I only just finished the book so I think I need to let it stew before I give a real review, but this review captures the imagination and inspires me. Thank you f..."Thank you, Sophie!
Great review. Brilliant understanding of the book. I didn't think of it exactly the way you put it, and it made me think about my own thoughts when I read it. Almost like you cleared it up for me. Kind of a, oh she is right about what she sees in it, that's what it really was about wasn't it. True. Very good.
