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1) One of my favorite books, “Of Mice and Men,” is a novel that reflects on the negative side of today’s society. The plot of the story is mostly based on the life of the poor.
George, who is little on the outside but firm on the inside, looks after his best friend, Lennie. The two characters in the novel, “Of Mice and Men,” remind me of Timon and Pumba from “The Lion King.” George often acts as if Lennie is an annoying person to him and says that “if [he] was a relative of [Lennie’s], [he’d] shoot [himself.]” Timon, from the animation, “The Lion King,” looks down on Pumba and irritates him all the time, like George does. However, on the inside both Timon and George care for their partners and looks after them whenever they are in danger.
Lennie, who is fairly large in size and mentally disabled, is totally different from George. This might be the reason why those two got along so well. Compared to George, Lennie is very naïve and childish. Lennie is similar to Pumba in a way he reacts to his partner, George. On the animation show on Disney Channel, “Timon and Pumba,” Pumba is so susceptible that he believes in everything Timon says. Pumba, so similar to Lennie, dreams about finding a rotten log full of bugs. Lennie always dreams about the “American Dream,” which is living with George with his own rabbits. I also noticed that both Pumba’s and Lennie’s dreams were very ingenuous and simple. This evidence also helps the readers to easily find out that both characters are so gullible that little things could be very important to them.
Curley’s wife, whose name was never mentioned throughout the novel, is the only female character in the book. She represents the female sexuality in the society of men. She reminded me of Mayella from “To Kill a Mockingbird.” She shows the evil-purposed type of temptation women could operate on men. Hiding her sexual harassment she had put on a black man, Mayella accuses him of her own crime. The only difference is the way the authors of two novels depict their characters. Steinbeck of “Of Mice and Men” portrays the “tart” as a victim because of her loneliness and wants for a healthier life, however Lee does not.
2) At the beginning of the novel, George scolds him for having a dead mouse in his pocket. This scene obviously shows that Lennie desperately wants a pet on his own. He also says that “[he] wish’t [they’d] get the rabbits pretty soon”(Steinbeck, 10). This particular scene shows that Lennie has a dream of buying his own house where he could have his own pet. This scene is fairly pivotal because he does not give up on that dream until the last moment of his life.
Most readers could have looked over the next scene I chose. George and Lennie are “an unlikely pair;” however, Lennie is obedient to the things George taught him and imitates every move of George’s. When the two arrive at their new work place, “George lifts his tick and looks underneath their bed. He leans over and inspects the sacking closely. Immediately Lennie gets up and does the same with his bed”(19). This shows Lennie’s “unswerving” obedience towards George.
The ending of the novel could have cried many readers out. In the last scene, George shoots Lennie on the head, which is a surprisingly reversal event. It has not changed their tightly packed relationship however this shows that ideal dreams do not come true so easily and that the environmental obstacles could possibly lead people to a tragic end.
3) A: “Of Mice Men” exposes the reality of the poor, especially uneducated laborers, are often hurt severely by the society. There should be more opportunities and care given for those people.
B: The major conflict in the novel starts off when Lennie accidently murders Curley’s wife. At this point, both readers and the characters in the book notice that Lennie and George’s “plan to own an acre of land and a shack” has gone to nothing.
C: George should have stayed with Lennie after his unintentional crime. Lennie, childlike compared to his tremendous size, was absurd after commiting the murder. George should have run away “with” him in order to protect his partner.
4) A: This novel gives a great example of a pure friendship and the harsh reality of the poor laborers. I was mostly touched by the George’s sensitive care and support for Lennie after all the coldness he has shown to Lennie previously. I was touched by the way they formed a “family,” clinging together facing the alienation within the society.
B: I have read before about how bad-conditioned Korean society was in the early 1900’s. I believe it was similar to that of the late 1800’s in America. The novel itself could have reminded many Koreans who went through that particular time period.
C: Thousands of copies of John Steinbeck’s novels are spread through out the world and are read by many other ethnic groups. As mentioned above, the awful condition and the tragedies the two characters went through have touched many people’s heart. This could possibly give an opportunity for many people over the world to realize the severity of most laborers’ reality.
5) I was most impressed by the unexpected ending of the novel, “Of Mice and Men.” No reader could have expected a tragic ending. I found the way the author analyzes and finishes the story very extraordinary.
However, I was also outraged by the tragic ending. Steinbeck could have ended his book with a happy ending; however he chose it to be a tragedy. He had power to give hope to many laborers in the low class, who probably have sympathized with the main characters in the book. Perhaps Steinbeck ruined the dreams of the poor.
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