Of Mice and Men Review

Every book I’ve read usually leaves me thinking with something. When I finish it I normally have new questions about the world around. Many books leave the reader with wonders on how the world, or universe is. One book definitely left me thinking, that book was Of Mice and Men. In Of Mice and Men, the reader books aspects; the characters, the conflict, and the themes. Each of these contribute to the books greatness, and help to leave the reader captivated.

The characters in a book can be the things that make a book. Of Mice and Men is no exception. All of the Characters in the book were interesting and real. The main two characters, Lennie and George, represent a brotherhood. They look out for each other, are always with each other, and have hopes for the future that they share with each other. Lennie, a slightly mentally challenged man, is large and strong, yet he is timid and peaceful. George is a shorter, tougher guy, who is like Lennie’s big brother. They make a perfect duo and represent real companionship. Other characters depict people of different social groups, like Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s Wife. Candy is an old man, thought to be useless, and unnecessary. Crooks is a black man who faces racial prejudice in the book. Curley’s Wife is a woman who is repressed by male chauvinism. They each have a story of their own, and in the end, they can all relate to eachother.

However, characters are important, but the story’s conflict is what makes a book. In Of Mice and Men, all of the characters face the conflict of finding companionship. When George an Lennie start working at the farm, people realize that they are very close, which is unusual among the other workers. George and Lennie’s companionship inspires other workers to seek companionship. Candy loses his closest friend, and old dog that the other workers kill because of its deteriorating age. Candy then starts speaking with George and Lennie, and becomes quick friends with them. Crooks, who has been lonely all his life, being the only black man for miles, craves for someone to be his friend. He doesn’t talk to anyone because they reject him for being black. Curley’s Wife doesn’t get to express her true feelings to anyone because people are afraid they will get in trouble by her over-protective husband. They all want to share what George and Lennie have, which eventually destroys what George and Lennie had.

The last great thing about Of Mice and Men was the themes in the book. Of Mice and Men has may themes such as companionship, isolation, hope, and fate. The book follows the true companionship of the two main characters, George and Lennie. All the other major characters suffer from isolation from the other characters, and may even envy George and Lennie’s relationship. The dreams George and Lennie have are revealed to all of the other characters, and, eventually, their hopes are torn down by fate, and that everything they hoped for, and all they planed, hade gone completely awry.

In Conclusion, the characters, the conflict, and the themes in Of Mice and Men are what make the book so incredible. Its so interesting how the story captivates the reader, and how the reader is able to connect with at least one of the characters in the book. The conflict is one that many people face on a daily basis, and the themes are revealing to the facts of life. All in all, the book is one of dreams and fate, and how sometimes we just can’t control what happens in our lives. This leaves the reader to wonder if we really even do have free will, or does the order of universe dictate how our lives turn out in the end.