Post by Chicago Jake on Sept 17, 2008 15:13:35 GMT -6
I never read this in high school or any other time, but finally got around to it: "Of Mice and Men" by Steinbeck.
A short (about 100 pages) simple parable about loneliness and hope: Two migrant farm workers, a small crafty one (George) and a large, retarded one (Lennie), are best of buddies and take care of each other as they drift from job to job. They dream of buying a small piece of land and being their own masters. But their dream is doomed, of course. This is not a spoiler; the title itself gives it away. The book is both poignant and sad, and all of the characters are flawed.
Many reviewers (and I believe Steinbeck himself) have said that the story is about "the impossibility of the American dream." But I think it is more appropriate to say that it is about the power of hope and vision, and how it is more important to have plans and hopes for the future than it is to ultimately achieve them.
My only quibble is that all the characters speak in an uneducated dialect. This is extremely annoying to read. I would have preferred just a few mispronunciations in the dialog to give the impression of their status, but otherwise let it flow more naturally.
The other thing I like about this book is that it finally explains a line I heard long, long ago on a Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon. Boris Badenov has created a gun that fires "goof gas," which turns its victims into morons. It has no effect on Bullwinkle (because, as Boris explains, "no brain, no effect!"), but its effect on Rocky is immediate: Rocky turns to Bullwinkle and says, "Tell me about the rabbits, George!"
I finally got the reference!.......Jake
A short (about 100 pages) simple parable about loneliness and hope: Two migrant farm workers, a small crafty one (George) and a large, retarded one (Lennie), are best of buddies and take care of each other as they drift from job to job. They dream of buying a small piece of land and being their own masters. But their dream is doomed, of course. This is not a spoiler; the title itself gives it away. The book is both poignant and sad, and all of the characters are flawed.
Many reviewers (and I believe Steinbeck himself) have said that the story is about "the impossibility of the American dream." But I think it is more appropriate to say that it is about the power of hope and vision, and how it is more important to have plans and hopes for the future than it is to ultimately achieve them.
My only quibble is that all the characters speak in an uneducated dialect. This is extremely annoying to read. I would have preferred just a few mispronunciations in the dialog to give the impression of their status, but otherwise let it flow more naturally.
The other thing I like about this book is that it finally explains a line I heard long, long ago on a Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon. Boris Badenov has created a gun that fires "goof gas," which turns its victims into morons. It has no effect on Bullwinkle (because, as Boris explains, "no brain, no effect!"), but its effect on Rocky is immediate: Rocky turns to Bullwinkle and says, "Tell me about the rabbits, George!"
I finally got the reference!.......Jake