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Book Review Introduction “Of Mice and Men” is a short novel written by John Steinbeck. It tells the story of two workers, George Milton and Lennie Small who travel together in search of work and dream of a better life together. It is set during the Great Depression in California that shows the harsh reality of migrant workers during that crucial time. Characters George Milton: A hardworking and quick-witted migrant worker who dreams of owning a small farm alongside Lennie. Lennie Small: A physically strong but mentally disabled character who is a companion of George. He is gentle at heart and has a liking for soft things but often causes trouble due to his misunderstanding of his own strength. The Boss: The owner of the ranch where George and Lennie work. He is described as a man with a tough exterior but kind interior, not shown very often in the novel. Candy: An old ranch worker who has one hand and a fear of losing his job because of old age who later joins George and Lennie’s dream of buying a farm. Curley: The son of the owner of the ranch who has a very high ego often picking fights with people who are physically bigger than him to prove himself. Curley’s Wife: A major female character who dreams of becoming a movie star and feels lonely and unhappy on the ranch. Her real name is not revealed throughout the novel. Plot The novel begins with the two main characters, Lennie and George, arriving at a ranch in Soledad, California during the Great Depression. They are migrant workers looking for employment and dreaming about earning enough money to eventually buy a farm. George is smart while Lennie though physically strong, is mentally disabled and often gets into trouble due to various misleading actions causing George to look after Lennie. At the new ranch, they meet several workers such as Candy, Slim, Curley, Curley’s wife and Crooks. George and Lennie after a quick briefing about their bedding and their boss begin working. Overtime tension grows between the misunderstood Lennie and the egoistic boss’s son Curley who often tries to provoke Lennie. Despite such hardships, George and Lennie still continue working with thoughts about their dream farm and Candy, one of the workers even offers some money to help them out with their dream. Yet again misfortune strikes as Lennie’s strength stirs up trouble again. After Curley attacks him, Lennie in self defense ends up crushing Curley’s hand. Later on, Lennie unintentionally kills a puppy while petting it too hard. One day, after the accident with Curley his wife shows up at their barn. She expresses all her emotions to Lennie, spilling all the grief and hope she had been burying and in the process allows Lennie to touch her hair. Due to his excessive use of strength Curley’s wife screams and at a moment of panic, Lennie breaks her neck trying to quiet her. After realizing what he did, the frightened Lennie runs away to the riverside hiding place which George had told him about early on in the case of an emergency. Soon the ranch workers discover the dead wife and form a group to hunt Lennie down. George eventually finds Lennie before everyone else and aware about the brutal acts of torture that awaits Lennie, George talks about their dream and the farm one more time before sadly shooting him from the back to a painless death. The novel ends sadly, presenting the destruction of the deep bond of friendship between George and Lennie and how migrant workers back in the day were nothing more than replaceable tools to the owners. Critical Analysis This short novel holds very heavy emotions that only someone who is an empath could understand. The author gradually opened the dark sides of the Great Depression showing that workers, especially migrant workers were nothing but mere tools who were replaceable at the blink of an eye. The story line I would say is heavy and tragic. Instead of an unwanted murder, a new escape to a side of California where both characters grow with mutual understanding and maturity, especially Lennie to a certain point where they finally achieve their dream of buying a farm would’ve been much better. Even though this ending does contradict the original ending, I believe it would be much better. Recommendation I would recommend this to teenagers and young adults due to the heavy rollercoaster of events that take place while nearing the end. I do not think pre-teens or youngsters should read this book as they are usually more vulnerable and emotional. The novel itself is worth reading as it is short and teaches us a lot of important lessons about life including taking decisions that are emotionally heavy for the individual but is done with a good purpose in mind.