John Steinbeck's of Mice and Men (Max Notes)

From the beginning of the story you fall in love with the compelling characters. This book tells the story of two good friends, who share a common dream of earning enough money to own a small piece of land and living there in peace. One of the friends has a mental retardation(Lenny) and the other takes care of him by making sure he stays in line(George). This story takes place in during the depression where people in the larbor party moved around from place to place looking for work. George and Lennie are always moving from place to place because of Lennie tendency to get into trouble. Throughout the story you become attached to the characters as if you knew them first hand. You begin to relate to the problems and want to help them with their dream. If you are looking to read a book which you will remember forever consider Of Mice and Mem.

The book will always be a classic, for it rings with such authenticity. Like The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men portrays the struggles of California farm laborers in the 1930s. The workers often travel from farm to farm, working sixteen-hour days---bucking wheat, picking cotton, picking fruit---always as employees but never as employers. The men are victims of their society and one nourishes little hope for them. They yearn for things they cannot have, such as social positions, money, land; but they never get them (at least they never hold on to them). Their dreams remain unfulfilled. As a result of their hardships, they become bitter and hardened. Steinbeck's characterizations are superb, and each person is a unique and vital element in the story. The dialogue resonates with truth, the setting and the descriptions are sharp and picturesque, and the symbolism is effective in its foreshadowing of the poignant and gruesome climax. Only criticism I have of the book is Steinbeck's tendency to "tell" rather than "show." He had such talent with description but he insisted on preceding his dialogue with such things as "Candy went on excitedly..." and "'I ain't so sure,' said George skeptically." Other than these distracting "tellings," the book was touching and will certainly remain as one of my favorites.

This is a book that I was recently "forced" to read in school. Traditionally, I am not a fan of having to read anything (especially something that was written fifty years before I was born). But this ended up being the best book I've ever read (okay, so maybe it's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). The best thing about this book is that it's not too long (so that those who arn't crazy about reading won't feel like giving up), and it's not hard to understand, like some of Steinbeck's other stuff. If you want to read a book by him, this is a great first choice. Read it before you pick up anything else by Steinbeck. And the ending...un-freaking-believable!

I thought Steinbeck did an outstanding job of conveying the theme of the importance of friendships and the pain of lonliness in this novel. Steinbeck also used excellent, realistic dialogue that made you feel as if you almost knew the characters.

I loved this book, but I really hate this page because I am looking for cliff notes on this book, and this is the site that came up, and there are no cliff notes!