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A review by alixbx
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I read this for my 2024-25 Re-Reading Your Childhood challenge. This was required reading in high school, so I did read this back around 2008/2009, thereabouts. Since I am using a reading journal I found on Amazon to reflect on eBook reads (I usually annotate in my physical copies), I'm going to break this down in the 3 Main Parts: Pre-reading Reflection, Essential Review, and Post-reading Reflection (reflections will be abridged).
Pre-reading Reflection:
-I was uncomfortable when I read this in school, but I don't feel that I really appreciated the purpose and message of the text for what it really meant. The gravity of the content wasn't missed, but not understood as deeply as I think it probably should have been.
Essential Review:
-This book was ahead of its time in many ways. That said, it's not a fun book to read, but I do understand why it is required reading. It teaches important lessons, even if they are subtle. My belief is that Steinbeck intended to show softness and humanity in the kinds of people society would look down upon for on reason or another. I believe he absolutely achieved that in this writing, which is remarkable given how short it is compared to many other classics that end up being required reading. Though he wouldn't have intended it at the time, the ending of the book also teaches current day readers how far we have come in our treatment of people of different disabilities and standings in society.
Post-reading Reflection:
-I realize now what I thought I remembered with clarity, I did not. While I had all the right details, I had them in the wrong order, so when I was re-reading it the emotions were intense as I realized the things I had wrong. Even though I knew the ending, I was in tears - the kind you cry when you feel defeated. I also was able to see even bigger of a picture in all that Steinbeck was commenting on through the decisions he made with character interactions, character behaviors, and character decisions. In this way, some characters are really lovable - Lennie, Candy, Slim, and Crooks - and then characters that you cannot stand - Curley, Carlson. Equally, the diversity of characters is there - well off, poor, white, black, male, and female - but when you have a book that uses the "n" word dozens of times, even with it being of the time when the text was published, it is hard to be glad that this black character is portrayed in a positive way with softness when you know how horrible that language used to speak to and about that character. The book is both so of the times and equally ahead of its time, but in different ways. More than every I understand and support this as required reading because good conversations about what has changed and what remains from then to now.
Pre-reading Reflection:
-I was uncomfortable when I read this in school, but I don't feel that I really appreciated the purpose and message of the text for what it really meant. The gravity of the content wasn't missed, but not understood as deeply as I think it probably should have been.
Essential Review:
-This book was ahead of its time in many ways. That said, it's not a fun book to read, but I do understand why it is required reading. It teaches important lessons, even if they are subtle. My belief is that Steinbeck intended to show softness and humanity in the kinds of people society would look down upon for on reason or another. I believe he absolutely achieved that in this writing, which is remarkable given how short it is compared to many other classics that end up being required reading. Though he wouldn't have intended it at the time, the ending of the book also teaches current day readers how far we have come in our treatment of people of different disabilities and standings in society.
Post-reading Reflection:
-I realize now what I thought I remembered with clarity, I did not. While I had all the right details, I had them in the wrong order, so when I was re-reading it the emotions were intense as I realized the things I had wrong. Even though I knew the ending, I was in tears - the kind you cry when you feel defeated. I also was able to see even bigger of a picture in all that Steinbeck was commenting on through the decisions he made with character interactions, character behaviors, and character decisions. In this way, some characters are really lovable - Lennie, Candy, Slim, and Crooks - and then characters that you cannot stand - Curley, Carlson. Equally, the diversity of characters is there - well off, poor, white, black, male, and female - but when you have a book that uses the "n" word dozens of times, even with it being of the time when the text was published, it is hard to be glad that this black character is portrayed in a positive way with softness when you know how horrible that language used to speak to and about that character. The book is both so of the times and equally ahead of its time, but in different ways. More than every I understand and support this as required reading because good conversations about what has changed and what remains from then to now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Major Character Death