Two days ago there was a move by Education Secretary Michael Gove of UK , to drop the American classic OF MICE AND MEN , written by John Steinbeck from the revised GCSE English exam syllabus .
What a disgrace !
I read this book at the age of 11—and my school librarian teacher ( Kendriya Vidyalaya Calicut ) asked me if I am capable of understanding this book.
I told her “Piece of cake !”
Two years ago we had a school reunion . You can read about it-
Punch into Google search-
OLD ALUMNI MEET VADAKAYIL
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14-16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Of Mice and Men is a novel written by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it tells the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in search of new job opportunities during the Great Depression in California, United States.
They were kicking out this classic book , in favor of a stupid Shakespeare’s play.
Probably the stiff upper lip of the Limey , took preponderance.
“Of Mice and Men” has been a frequent target of censors for vulgarity and what some consider offensive and racist language. So what, the undiluted true depiction is what makes this book great.
Lennie Small is a mentally challenged but physically strong man who travels with George Milton , and is his constant companion. He dreams of "living off the fatta' the lan'" and being able to tend to rabbits.
His love for soft things conspires against him-- he is unaware of his own great physical strength, and eventually , this becomes his undoing. George Milton is quick-witted man who is dimwit Lennie's guardian and best friend.
And then much later in life I saw a Malayalam movie SOORYA MANASAM where Malayalam megastar Mammotty did the honours for Lennie , the retard.
Instead of stroking soft rabbits like Lennie, Mammotty talks often about his favourite dish PUTTU AND KADALA which he loves to eat.
Below: In the Malayalam movie George is substituted by Lennie's mother.
Below: A song from the movie.
Tharalitha raavil mayangiyo soorymanasam
Vcazhiyariyathe vithumbiyo megha nombaram
Ethu vimooka thalangalil jeevitha nouka itherumo
Doore doore yayen theera millayo
(tharalitha)
evide shyaama kanana rangam
evide thoovaluzhiyum swapnam
kilikalum pookalum nirayumen priya vanam
Vcazhiyariyathe vithumbiyo megha nombaram
Ethu vimooka thalangalil jeevitha nouka itherumo
Doore doore yayen theera millayo
(tharalitha)
evide shyaama kanana rangam
evide thoovaluzhiyum swapnam
kilikalum pookalum nirayumen priya vanam
hridayum nirayu mardrathayil
parayu sneha kokilame
doore dooreyayen theeramillayo
(tharalitha)
unaru moha veenayil unaruu
swaramaay raga saurabhamaniyu
unarumee kaikaklil thazhukumen keliyil
karalil vidaru maashakalal
mozhiyuu sneha kokilame
doore dooreyayen theeramillayo
(tharalitha)
This is what the Malayalam script looks like-
തരളിതരാവില്‍ മയങ്ങിയോ
സൂര്യമാനസം
വഴിയറിയാതെവിതുമ്പിയോ
മേഘനൊമ്പരം
ഏതുവിമൂകതലങ്ങളില്‍
ജീവിതനൌകയിതേറുമോ
ദൂരെ..ദൂരെയായെന്‍ തീരമില്ലയോ
(തരളിതരാവില്‍ )
എവിടെശ്യാമകാനനരംഗം
എവിടെതൂവലുഴിയുംസ്വപ്നം
കിളികളുംപൂക്കളും
നിറയുമെന്‍ പ്രിയവനം
ഹൃദയംനിറയുംആര്‍ദ്രതയില്‍
പറയൂസ്നേഹകോകിലമേ
ദൂരെ.....ദൂരെയായെന്‍ തീരമില്ലയോ
(തരളിതരാവില്‍ )
ഉണരൂമോഹവീണയിലുണരൂ
സ്വരമായ്രാഗസൗരഭമണിയൂ
പുണരുമീകൈകളില്‍
തഴുകുമെന്‍ കേളിയില്‍
കരളില്‍ വിടരുമാശകളായ്
മൊഴിയൂസ്നേഹകോകിലമേ
ദൂരെ...ദൂരെയായെന്‍ തീരമില്ലയോ
(തരളിതരാവില്‍ )
John Steinbeck lifted the title -- it is taken from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse", which read: "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley." (The best laid schemes of mice and men / Often go awry.)
STOP PRESS:
THE NEWS HAS POPPED OUT 30 MINUTES AGO—
The book "Of Mice and men" of John Steinbeck have been scrubbed from the syllabus for GCSE English literature exams, and replaced by Meera Syal's BULLSH#T BOOK “Anita and Me”.
So she is being rewarded for Iran baiting – she had written about the religious persecution of bahais in Iran.
"Anita and me" revolves around Meena, a British Punjabi girl (herself), and her relationship with her English neighbour Anita as they grow up. This near autobiography tells us how Meena (the author ) refuses to be the chaste, obedient "good Punjabi girl" that her Indian relatives want. In this book Anita, accuses Meena of being a lesbian.
You may wonder why I have said that withdrawing this book “ Of Mice and men “ is a mindless act.
Telling a child to watch a movie and then write a review is a great way to check out the child’s perception.
You can check out the capability of the child to get past the onion layers and arrive at the core. Very few perceptive people can get to the core of a great classic .
It is NOT worth getting to the core of Meera Syal’s pedestrian book “Anita and me"
I have written two movie reviews myself.
Let me see how many people on this planet can write a better review.
Punch into Google search-
PYAASA, HINDI MOVIE REVIEW OF 1957 VADAKAYIL
and
LIFE OF PI, MOVIE REVIEW BY A SEAFARER VADAKAYIL
You can check out the perception and WISDOM of a great celebrated high IQ, intellectual by narrating a simple story to him, and telling him to write the moral of the story- as many as he can.
By the way we have these literary fests in Jaipur etc where STUPID MORONS pretend to be great intellectuals . If you record the proceedings and listen to what bullsh#t comes out of their moth eaten faces, only then you will realize what I mean.
Let me put one of my posts about moral of a small story.
Punch into Google search-
SUPER PANCHATANTRA VADAKAYIL
Slimy Mani thinks you have to read Hamlet in the morning and have a tete e tete with Shashi Tharoor in the evening , to be an intellectual--- TEE HEEEE !
This was when he created all that controversy when he ridiculed Hansraj College and Kirorimal College for NOT producing his type of intellectuals..
Above: Probably our great self confessed intellectual Mani, can add a moral to Super Panchatantra , to save his own life ?
Before I launch into the story line, I must give a brief introduction of the main character , a dimwit named Lennie.
Lennie, in Steinbeck's scheme, is the symbolic essence of the American worker, the man who labors endlessly and asks for nothing because he never quite realizes all he's giving.
In Archie comics you must have read about the Moose- Dilton combo on the beach. Well Lennie is Moose –sort of . Moose is NOT a retard, Lennie is one.
Lennie Small, is a man of large stature and great strength but limited mental abilities— upar ka thalla bilkul khali hai , uska !
Below: They made a Hollywood movie-- Lennie the lumbering simpleton , is to the right .
George ( Senise ) is Lennie's ( Malkovitch ) protector, having promised Lennie's aunt he would take care of Lennie after she died.
Since Lennie is mentally challenged , George has got to walk him through every day life. George mistakenly believes that he can protect Lennie from himself because Lennie will do anything George says .
Lennie is totally devoted to George like how a dog is devoted to its master, and he tries his best to follow George's commands to the T.
There was this time when George told Lennie to jump into the river , and he did so without ado, and nearly lost his life. Since that incident George, though quick witted , was wary of what he could tell Lennie.
There is a black man named Crooks who is not allowed in the bunkhouse with the white ranch hands, an example of American racism in those days . Crooks had to make himself comfortable in the barn with the ranch animals. Lennie has NO idea why Crooks sleeps in the barn.
But strangely Lennie always remembers his dream of co- owning his own farm with George . Lennie knows the words of the dream by heart, and he can finish the sentences even though he does not remember where he and George are going tomorrow or figure out anything else on his own. George's voice, echoing this dream, seems almost like a prayer.
He emphasizes that the dream makes them special; they are different from other wandering migrants who have no family and no home. They have each other, and some day they will have a farm of their own where they can "live off the fatta the lan'."
George never really believes in this farm, but Lennie embraces it with childlike enthusiasm. Every time he makes George tell their same story again and again , his enthusiasm ingnites the mind of George. Lennie's innocence keeps the dream alive. Without Lennie, George would be just like the other hands, wasting money on booze and whores , but with Lennie, George has a strong sense of responsibility.
Lennie's interpretation of this oft repeated dream is that he will get to tend them rabbits — soft, furry animals that will provide him with that feeling of security. This farm is a place where he won't be scared or running, because he has "done a bad thing." Lennie's voice fills with unbridled joy because safety means soft things and tending the rabbits.
Lennie's greatest feeling of security comes from petting soft things. When the rest of the world gets complicated and scary, petting soft things somehow helps Lennie feel safe. In petting dead mice, Lennie is doing something that makes him feel safe. Society as a whole would disapprove of what he is doing, but Lennie is NOT bright enough to see wrong in his actions.
When George says that Curley's wife seems like a "tramp," Lennie responds that he thinks she is "purty," causing George to warn Lennie to keep away from her.
Despite being a dimwit , Lennie feels in his gut, the churning of a potent mix , the menace coming from the mean bully Curley and the seductive temptation of his gorgeous wife.
Lennie, who feels things instinctively, as an animal does, says, "I don't like this place, George. This ain't no good place. I wanna get out”. See how well Steinbeck has fleshed out his characters .
While Lennie acts with great loyalty to George, he has no comprehension of the idea of "loyalty." For that reason, he often does not mean to do the things that get him into trouble, and once he does get into trouble , he has no conscience to define his actions in terms of guilt.
Lennie only defines them in terms of consequences while lamenting : "George is gonna give me hell" or "Now George won't let me tend them rabbits.".
Sometimes Goerge gets pissed off with lennie. When Lennie hears that they are going have beans for dinner, he wants ketchup to go along , to which George responds that they do not have any. At night, as George and Lennie are eating beans for dinner, Lennie keeps asking for ketchup.
George gets hot under the collar and tells him that whatever they do not have is what Lennie always wants to have, and he is sick and tired of all this . This leaves Lennie puzzled, as he does NOT remember their earlier conversation.
But Lennie always remembers the farm they would own and the rabbits hopping around in the farm.
George eases tensions by telling Lennie his favorite story , allowing Lennie to complete his sentences about their future farm . Lennie would get terribly excited and implore “And will there be rabbits, George?”
“Yeah, Lennie. There'll be rabbits.” George would respond . Their last conversation before George shoots Lennie on the back of his head , to save him from painful death in the hands of a mob , would be the same .
The book starts of with Lennie causing trouble because of his penchant to stroke soft things . When Lennie touched a girl's fluffy dress, the girl screamed. Lennie got so scared that George had to hit him with a fence post to get him to let her go. The girl hollered that she had been raped, and so Lennie and George hid in an irrigation ditch and slunk away at night.
Lennie somehow is able to differentiate the level of bad things he can do to make George angry. He knows that it is a bad thing , that he killed the soft pup by stoking too hard , and he knows that it is a worse thing to kill Curley's wife, when she allowed him to stroke her soft hair.
This is evidenced by his decision to run to the bushes near the river , where George would seek him out. However, he doesn't fully comprehend the implications of human death, as evidenced by his taking the dead pup body with him so that George wouldn't see it as well.
Lennie's simple reasoning is that the body of Curley's wife is bad enough; the body of the pup would compound the wrong done —and he did NOT want both dead bodies to be in the same place for George to see .
Characters:
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George Milton: Lennie’s guardian after the death of his aunt.
Lennie: The dimwit , strong as a bull.
Candy: An aging ranch handyman, Candy lost his hand in an accident and constantly worries about his future, with an old sheep dog , now blind and old.
Curley: The Boss' son, a young, mean character, once a semi-professional boxer. He does NOT trust his wife and imagines that she opens her legs for the ranch hands. He wears high-heeled boots , and seeks to compensate for his small stature by picking fights with larger men.
Mae: A young, attractive woman, who is loves to makes her husband Curley jealous by flirting, to get his attention.
Crooks: The black stable-hand, gets his name from his crooked back. He is bitter and cynical, as he is isolated in the barn because of the color of his skin.
Candy's dog: A blind dog who is described as "old", "stinky", and "crippled", and is killed by Carlson. The death of Candy's dog foreshadows Lennie's fate by quirk of fate .
Carlson: A ranch hand, he kills Candy's “stinking” old dog with his gun. He is practical, and represents the lack of sentiment among yanks of this time period.
Slim: A respected ranch hand whom Curlie suspects of laying his pretty wife behind his back.He is a skilled mule driver and is at peace with himself.. A quiet, insightful man, Slim alone understands the nature of the bond between George and Lennie.
Aunt Clara: Lennie's Aunt, who raised Lennie; she is recently deceased. She appears in Lennie's head after he kills Curley's wife, scolding him. She was a kind, patient woman who took good good care of Lennie and gave him plenty of mice to pet.
Story line:-
The novel opens with George Milton and Lennie Small, walking to a ranch near Soledad in California's San Joaquin Valley, where harvesting jobs are for grabs. . Both men carry blanket rolls — called bindles — on their shoulders . They both wear similar clothes ,and the larger man imitates the smaller.
George and Lennie escape from the previous ranch , hop on board a train, and obtain work passes from a new town. A bus was supposed to transport them to a new ranch for work, but the bus driver drops the duo 10 miles off.
George, the smaller man, leads the way and makes the decisions for Lennie, the hulking retard.
They stop at a stream for the evening, deciding to go to Tyler ranch in the morning. When Lennie drops near the pool's edge and begins to drink like a hungry animal, George cautions him that the water may not be good. This advice is necessary because Lennie cant figure out any possible dangers.
Lennie, who loves to pet anything soft, has a dead mouse in his pocket. George takes the mouse away from Lennie and reminds him of the trouble Lennie got into in the last town they were in — he touched a girl's soft red dress and caused her to holler—“rape”.
George then reminds Lennie not to speak to anyone in the morning when they get to the ranch and cautions Lennie to return to the exact spot by the river if anything bad happens at the ranch, while he was not present.
When he has to take the dead mouse away from Lennie a second time, George bitches at the hardship of taking care of Lennie. Because Lennie forgets things very quickly, George must make him repeat even the simplest of instructions.
George tells that if he did not have Lennie he would be done with a huge responsibility. He could go to town, drink when he wanted, have a girlfriend, shoot pool, and, in general, have a life.
Lennie sobs and offers to leave and go live in a cave. Seeing Lennie looking forlorn George makes up and promises Lennie that he will soon get him a soft puppy to cuddle .
He tells Lennie about their dream of having a little farm where they can be their own boss and nobody can tell them what to do, where Lennie will tend their rabbits, and where they will "live off the fatta the lan'."
He tells Lennie about their dream of having a little farm where they can be their own boss and nobody can tell them what to do, where Lennie will tend their rabbits, and where they will "live off the fatta the lan'."
Lennie has heard this story so often he can repeat it by heart. And George emphasizes that this dream and their relationship make them different from other guys who don't have anyone or a place of their own.
They settle down and sleep for the night. . Before George falls asleep, Lennie tells him they must have many rabbits of various colors.
They settle down and sleep for the night. . Before George falls asleep, Lennie tells him they must have many rabbits of various colors.
The next morning at the ranch, the boss Jackson becomes suspicious when George answers all the questions and acts as a mouth piece for Lennie . George explains that Lennie is not too bright but is strong as a bull and a great worker.
They meet Candy, an old swamper with an old sheep dog –(his right hand is simply a stump because he lost his hand in a ranch accident): Crooks, the black stable hand; the boss' mean son Curley, who is an amateur boxer and has a bad temper; Curley's wife, who has a reputation as a "tart"; Carlson, another ranch hand; and Slim, the chief mule skinner.
Candy tells George that Curley's wife is pretty but she has "got the eye," and she flirts with Slim and Carlson.
Upon seeing Curley's wife, Lennie is fascinated with her and George warns him to stay away from her and Curley.
The die is already cast .
"I don't like this place, George. This ain't a good place." But George reminds Lennie that they must stay long enough to make a stake for their farm.
That evening, Carlson complains bitterly about Candy's dog, which is old, arthritic, and smells. He offers to kill the dog for Candy, and Candy reluctantly agrees to let him do so.
Candy's greatest fear is that once he is no longer able to help with the cleaning he will too be "disposed of." Like his old dog, he has lived beyond his usefulness.
Candy's greatest fear is that once he is no longer able to help with the cleaning he will too be "disposed of." Like his old dog, he has lived beyond his usefulness.
Later, after the others have gone to the barn, hoping to witness a fight between Slim and Curley over Curley's wife, Lennie and George are alone in the bunkhouse. Lennie wants to hear the story of their farm again, and George retells the dream.
Candy overhears and convinces George and Lennie to let him in on the plan because he has some saved money for a down payment. George excitedly believes that, with Candy's 400 dollars , they can swing the payment for a ranch he knows of; he figures one more month of work will secure the rest of the money they need. He cautions Lennie and Candy not to tell anyone.
Candy overhears and convinces George and Lennie to let him in on the plan because he has some saved money for a down payment. George excitedly believes that, with Candy's 400 dollars , they can swing the payment for a ranch he knows of; he figures one more month of work will secure the rest of the money they need. He cautions Lennie and Candy not to tell anyone.
The ranch hands return, making fun of Curley for backing down to Slim.
George and Lennie's dream is foreshadowed when Curley thinks that Lennie is smirking at him. Curley is pissed off and picks a fight with Lennie, brutally using Lennie as a punching bag. George seeing Lennie bleed shouts at Lennie and exhorts to give back as good as he got.
Lennie crushed the bones of Curley's hand. Taking Curley to a doctor, Slim secures Curley's promise to say his hand got caught in a machine so Lennie and George won't get fired.
Lennie is afraid he has done "a bad thing" and that George won't let him tend them rabbits no more. George explains that Lennie did not mean to hurt Curley and that he aint in no trouble.
Lennie tells Crooks about the plans to buy a farm, and Crooks says he would like to join them and work for nothing.
Mae sees Lennie's bloodied and bruised face, and she figures out who crushed her husband’s hand.
The gears of fate now turn fast .
A frenzied Mae confronts her husband , the guy with a walking Napoleon complex. She taunts him, calling him "a punk with a crippled hand!" . She knows her husband visits the whore house every Saturday night , screwing lesser women, and is bitter.
Curley senses that Mae is unhappy , lonely , sex-starved, bored and locked into a loveless marriage, and a ranch life she does not really care for. Mae knows her beauty is her power, and she has used it to flirt with the ranch hands and make her husband jealous.
The aggravated Curley sreams at her, telling her their marriage is over, and that she is gonna be kicked out of the ranch due to her wanton “ I am available” behavior, and endless throwing herself at the ranch hands.
She continues to laugh maniacally until her laughter turns into sobbing, realizing she is now done for.
Before she can leave, Mae enters the barn to pet a few of Slim's puppies, where she spots Lennie crying alone, after he killed his puppy by stroking it too hard.
When Lennie tries to leave knowing he should not be talking to Mae as ordered by George, she stops him from leaving and forces him to talk to her. Because there is a horseshoe tournament going on until dusk, Mae plans to talk with him uninterrupted.
Mae explains to Lennie of what she wanted to be before Curley shattered her dream. . Her "best laid plans" involved a stint in the movies with all the benefits, money, and pleasure that would provide.
All the while Mae is jabbering, Lennie, is trying hard to figure out how to get rid of the dead pup so that George won't know.
When Lennie tells Mae that he loves to stroke soft things, Mae offers her hair for Lennie to stroke , telling him not to "muss it up." Mae starts to resist and scream in pain when Lennie strokes her hair too hard.
Thinking she will shout rape, like the woman with the purty red dress , of the ranch at Leed , from where he and George has to run for their lives, Lennie tries to silence Mae. He is unaware of his own brute strength and inadvertently breaks her neck.
Below: If Mae shouts RAPE, like the woman in the soft red dress at the last ranch, that would be the end of the "farm" dream.
Lennie panics and paws the hay to partially cover her. Hearing the clink horseshoe game outside, he understands that someone will come in sooner or later and discover the bad thing he has done.
Knowing he has done something really bad, he runs to the hiding place by the stream. He remembers George’s words at this hour of deep distress .
Lennie is by the deep pool of the Salinas River, waiting for George. He talks to himself, repeating that George will be mad and will give him hell. From his memory, he creates his Aunt Clara, who stares disapprovingly and scolds him because once again he did not listen to George.
Then Aunt Clara disappears and is replaced in Lennie's mind by a giant rabbit, who takes over from where Aunt Clara's left off -- of scolding Lennie and tells him he cannot tend the rabbits and that George will beat Lennie with a stick.
Lennie protests that George has never "raised his han' to me with a stick." But the rabbit persists, and Lennie puts his hands over his ears and calls out in sheer desperation for George.
Lennie protests that George has never "raised his han' to me with a stick." But the rabbit persists, and Lennie puts his hands over his ears and calls out in sheer desperation for George.
Candy finds the dead body of Curley's wife and goes for George; both men immediately know what has happened. Candy knows that Curley will organize a lynching posse, and George says he is not going to let them hurt Lennie.
Candy asserts that he and George can still have their farm, but George realizes that it will never happen. Now George has no dream, and he will end up working like the other ranch hands and spending his money in a poolroom or "some lousy cat house."
Without Lennie, the dream is gone and perhaps it was a pipe dream , which never really existed except in the words that made Lennie's happiness complete.
George asks Candy to wait a few minutes before he calls the others; then he slips into the bunkhouse and steals Carlson's Luger. When Curley comes and sees his murdered wife, he vows to kill Lennie slowly and painfully. George joins the men searching for Lennie.
As they spread out, George alone goes straight for the riverside spot where he finds Lennie.
Coming silently through the bushes, George asks Lennie what he is yelling about. Lennie describes his fears of George leaving and confesses that he has once again done a bad thing.
Strangely silent, George explains that it does not matter this time.
Strangely silent, George explains that it does not matter this time.
Lennie knows he has done "a bad thing" and expects George to scold and lecture him. George, however, is so overcome with remorse that he cannot scold Lennie, but must save him from Curley's cruelty and painful retribution .
He tells Lennie to look across the river and imagine their little farm. George describes it, as he has done many times before, and while Lennie is smiling with pleasure and envisioning the rabbits he will soon get to pet and tend.
When Lennie realizes that George aint gonna beat him he cries- "An' I got you. We got each other, that's what, that gives a hoot in hell about us."
Lennie cries out "Le's do it now. Le's get that place now,"
George replied, "Sure, right now. I gotta. We gotta," and shot Lennie on the back of his head . George shoots him as Carlson shot Candy's dog, and like the dog, without a quiver, Lennie dies.
Earlier in the novel, Slim told Candy it would be better to put his dog down, better for their "society" as a whole. Candy had no other merciful options for his dog, and George sees no other options for Lennie.
The others arrive, and George leads them to believe Lennie had Carlson's gun which George wrestled away from him and shot in self-defense. Only Slim , always the sane voice of reason, comprehends the truth, and he takes George off up the footpath for a drink.
Only Slim realizes that George killed Lennie out of love. Curley and Carlson look on, unable to comprehend the subdued and sombre mood of the two men.
Slim, tries his best to cheer up a disconsolate George ."An s'pose they lock him up an' strap him down and put him in a cage. That ain't no good, George."
Slim, tries his best to cheer up a disconsolate George ."An s'pose they lock him up an' strap him down and put him in a cage. That ain't no good, George."
"Of Mice and Men" is a recollection of a simpler way of life that was swept aside by the realities of the Great Depression and all the momentous social changes that followed.
George is father, mother ,brother and mentor to Lennie. The two men are a mismatched couple, making do with what fate has dealt them.
George is father, mother ,brother and mentor to Lennie. The two men are a mismatched couple, making do with what fate has dealt them.
Of Mice and Men was adapted for the silver screen several times.
The first adaptation was in 1939, two years after the publication of the novella, and starred Lon Chaney Jr. as Lennie, with Burgess Meredith as George, and was directed by Lewis Milestone. It was nominated for four Oscars.
The Hollywood movie of 1992, is directed by Gary Sinise, who was nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes. Sinise also played George in the film, and the role of Lennie was played by John Malkovich.
Of Mice and Men takes place during America's Great Depression, which lasted from the Stock Market Crash of October 1929 until 12 years later when World War II began.
By the time Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men, the itinerant ranch hands were beginning to be replaced by machinery, and their way of life was fast disappearing .
Of Mice and Men is a dark tale, a parable of men journeying through a world of pitfalls and heart wrenching inhumane experiences.
This novel has been banned from various US public and school libraries or curricula for allegedly "promoting euthanasia", "condoning racial slurs", being "anti-business", containing profanity, and generally containing "vulgar" and "offensive language". Oh boy !
Check out how easily John Steinbeck draws you into the vortex of a unique journey of these two men — Lennie and George — as we witness their dreams, their hopes, and their courage.
George's words echo the prophesy of Crooks when he imagines what his life will be like without Lennie: "I'll work my month an' I'll take my fifty bucks an' I'll stay all night in some lousy cat house. Or I'll set in some poolroom till ever'body goes home. An' then I'll come back an' work another month an' I'll have fifty bucks more."
Gone is the dream, blown away by the winds .
Gone are the complaints about what he could do and how well he would be on the journey of if he did not have Lennie around his neck like a millstone. Now he will be alone, like everyone else. George does NOT realize it was Lennie who sprouted the farm dream and nourished it almost like a self fulfilling prophecy.
As Lennie often says to George, "I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you …." In this way, they are not like the other ranch hands, who "are the loneliest guys in the world."
I ask my readers— judge this book ( of great literary value ) only after you read it.
You will NOT be disappointed.
You will NOT be disappointed.
A quote from the CORE :
“I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog.”-CURLEY
Grace and peace !
CAPT AJIT VADAKAYIL
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