Even mice would want to read this! (Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck)

Member Name: mattconnect

Product:	Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
Date:	09/06/09 (55 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great concise writing, deep messages, reflect historic and cultural events and emotive

Disadvantages: need to read more than once to fully understand

John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is a short yet compelling novel, written during the Great Depression in America, following the tale of two men: George and Lennie, who aim to fulfil their dream of owning their own little ranch.

George and Lennie gets a new job at another ranch, after escaping events at Weed. Lennie is a large man, compared to the small and thin figure of George, yet mentally, George is the one with the common sense. Lennie's mentality is not explained in depth, but one can make a good guess and is apparent that he isn't bright.

The tale follows how these two men aspire to obtain the American dream, explore the views of racism, sexual discrimination and social class. These are the main key themes Steinbeck successfully explores in his book, and manages to bring out many questions of discussion and causing a great impact into the literary world.

Personally, having studied this for school and reading it about 5 times have not deterred me from appreciating this as a work of expression. Whilst it might appear boring at first, the concision shown in the short space proves Steinbeck as a great author. The messages that come through are also one you can relate to and is very emotive if you were to have personally experienced or seen the effects of the Great Depression at the time.

It has also been banned in some schools for inappropriate content relating to racism and sexism, but shielding away is not the answer, as what is in this book represents truthful treatment and is part of history, one cannot avoid.

For under £5, you can get your hands on this brilliantly crafted novel, and read one of the classics of today.

Summary: a great thought provoking read