John Steinbeck

Des souris et des hommes

clara

(The mouse, powerless against Lennie’s strength, represents the lack of control one has over life’s circumstances. Hence the dead mice represent the shattered dreams)

Trouble with mice is you always kill 'em.

nikki

Of Mice and Men

Dani

Because Lennie can never pass from his state of innocence, he must be destroyed. Lennie represents that part in George, possibly in everyone, that remains childlike. It is important that George, himself, must destroy Lennie and that Lennie literally dies with the dream. Before his death, Lennie repeats the dream like a catechism and urges George, “Le’s do it now,” after which George pulls the trigger. Lennie dies with the dream.<br /><br />Lennie becomes a metaphor for the death of innocence within a selfish society that cannot comprehend him or his relationship with George. To illustrate this point, Steinbeck allows the character Carlson the final word, “Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin’ them two guys?” Carlson embodies an apathetic society that cannot understand a relationship based upon trust and love rather than avarice. Carlson insists upon killing Candy’s dog because “He don’t have no fun.” Like the society he epitomizes, all of Carlson’s judgments deal in the superficial. For Steinbeck, that is a world that cannot sustain innocence.

Drifters in search of work, George and his childlike friend Lennie, have nothing in the world except the clothes on their back - and a dream that one day they will have some land of their own. Eventually they find work on a ranch in California's Salinas Valley, but their hopes are dashed as Lennie - struggling against extreme cruelty, misunderstanding and feelings of jealousy - becomes a victim of his own strength. Tackling universal themes of friendship and shared vision, and giving a voice to America's lonely and dispossessed, Of Mice and Men remains Steinbeck's most popular work, achieving success as a novel, Broadway play and three acclaimed films.

Theodore Wellman

"Les deux hommes levèrent les yeux car le rectangle de soleil de la porte s'était masqué. Debout, une jeune femme regardait dans la chambre. Elle avait de grosses lèvres enduites de rouge, et des yeux très écartés fortement maquillés. Ses ongles étaient rouges. Ses cheveux pendaient en grappes bouclées, comme des petites saucisses. Elle portait une robe de maison en coton, et des mules rouges, ornées de petits bouquets de plumes d'autruche rouges."

Des Souris et des hommes

This story is very well written. The character development done by the author is amazing. The themes of loneliness, ambition and nature of a dream are well portrayed.  The ending made me bawl my eyes out 😭

Manahel Imran

Read this bc I am trying to read every book in my apartment. Didn't love

Annie Millman

personal collection, bought from greenlight bookstore fort greene

Patricia K

pamela enojas

ayoni

I absolutely adored this book. I did cry at the end though. WHY LENNIE WHY? I loved the plot and the impossibility of the dream and the characters and how LENNIE MEANT NO HARM. It is safe to say I was bawling at the end of the book. This is one of the few classics that I loved.

Anna 

Chloé

like most read this in school. its probably good but everytime i think of it i just think, "MAYBE CURLYS WIFE IS WEARING RED CAUSE SHE LIKED THE FUCKING COLOUR"🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

I decided to read this again for the last day of March! “Of Mice and Men” is very close to my heart. 4 years ago, I picked this book up, not knowing anything about the author and the story itself. But what I also didn’t know at the time is that this is THE book that will make me get back into reading again, plus, it’s the first classic I have ever read (as I know of).

I love this book no matter what anyone says and for that, I reread it whenever I can. It’s short, but dark, with themes of the American dream, race, and the working class. In my opinion, it’s definitely not one of those books that you can speed through. I recommend that you take your time to contemplate exactly what the author was thinking.

To this day, I think about Lennie and George’s friendship (and cry about them).

I decided to read this again for the last day of March! “Of Mice and Men” is very close to my heart. 4 years ago, I picked this book up, not knowing anything about the author and the story itself. But what I also didn’t know at the time is that this is THE book that will make me get back into reading again, plus, it’s the first classic I have ever read (as I know of).

I love this book no matter what anyone says and for that, I reread it whenever I can. It’s short, but dark, with themes of the American dream, race, and the working class. In my opinion, it’s definitely not one of those books that you can speed through. I recommend that you take your time to contemplate exactly what the author was thinking.

To this day, I think about Lennie and George’s friendship (and cry about them).

Of Mice and Men is a poignant tale of the extraordinary friendship between two itinerant workers in the harsh depression years of 1930s America. George and his large, simple-minded friend Lennie share a dream that one day they will have some land of their own. But when the two men find work on a ranch in California s Salinas Valley, their dream is tested to the limit. --back cover

Rahmat Junaid

The compelling story of two outsiders striving to find their place in an unforgiving world. 

Drifters in search of work, George and his simple-minded friend Lennie have nothing in the world except each other and a dream--a dream that one day they will have some land of their own. Eventually they find work on a ranch in California’s Salinas Valley, but their hopes are doomed as Lennie, struggling against extreme cruelty, misunderstanding and feelings of jealousy, becomes a victim of his own strength. Tackling universal themes such as the friendship of a shared vision, and giving voice to America’s lonely and dispossessed, Of Mice and Men has proved one of Steinbeck’s most popular works, achieving success as a novel, a Broadway play and three acclaimed films.
--back cover

to have a piece of home within you; to have mice friends and pup friends and for it all to be taken away because caring and loving is the hardest job and a goddamn chore to some. 

Syasya Diyana 

Chaitanya Baranwal

This novella is heartbreaking, all right. What really struck me is not any exquisite writing, but the fear of impending doom that urged me to read more. Before dark things actually happened, I could get a sense of it, a tingling in the back of my neck. I had to move forward, to confirm what I knew was going to be true. Yes, it's depressing and heartbreaking. But in the end, mixed with a sense of emptiness, is a feeling of relief that the ending was better than it could have been.

rhegan🧋

** spoiler alert **
           
wait lennie 💔💔💔

I first read this novel when I was in high school, then re-read it again now. I realized that this novel has so much violence for us to read in high school, when we were underage. Our teacher did not even give us a heads up about the content. But nevertheless, this novel is gut wrenching and depressing. Just like that, you lost your friend because you chose to pull the trigger.

Jessica Biwang

Belle

** spoiler alert **
           I read this for school. I wasn’t too into it but it was a fun read. really sad abt Lennie’s death🥲 had to scream for a good hour. 3.5⭐️

George

re-reading it after hs and it's still as good as I remember it being

kiwi

I.. did not expect this book to make me so emotional! Short/fun story with amazing ending

I really wanted to love this book, but i just couldn't. I get the idea and message, but just something about the book didnt make me emotional or invested in the story. Story is great just not my cup of tea.

Sometimes I feel self-conscious about the amount of classics I have yet to read. But this one didn’t exactly encourage me to whittle away at the list. 

Emiley Jones

Jaden Nelson

Read with class for Johnson's 10th grade English-I love Steinbeck's books and this was no exception. It had most of the elements that I like in his book, but I think I would have liked it more if it this very short book hadn't been so dragged out/over analyzed. Great little novella.

Drifters in search of work, George and his simple-minded friend Lennie, have nothing in the world except each other - and a dream. A dream that one day they will have some land of their own. Eventually they find work on a ranch, but their hopes are doomed as Lennie - struggling against extreme cruelty, misunderstanding and jealousy - becomes a victim of his own strength. Tackling universal themes, friendship and a shared vision, and giving a voice to America's lonely and dispossesed, Of Mice and Men remains Steinbeck's most popular work.

Honestly, what the f was that? I didn’t have any clue on how this book was going to end but this was for sure NOT the ending I wanted. 

Valentina

Meagan Fischer 

A classic for a reason, and accessible from a young age for precocious readers.

Des souris et des hommes

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