Of Mice and Men

A Book Review by Scott Hughes

John Steinbeck released Of Mice and Men in 1937. Set in California duing the Great Depression, it tells the story of two migrant ranch workers.

John Steinback did a great job naming the novel. Steinback took the title from a line in a poem by Robert Burns. In the poem, Robert Burns says that the best-laid plans of mice and men go oft awry. Unfortunately, this accurately depicts the events and the characters in Of Mice and Men.

The two men, George and Lennie, work hard and plan to save up enough money to one day buy their own ranch, so that they can live off the fat of the land. The two men face harsh times, but luckily they have something others do not: each other. Steinback wrote Of Mice and Men with loneliness and alienation as major themes. Lennie, a big man with the mind of a child, and George, a small and quick man, have a little family going. However, no matter how well they lay their plans, it seems they may still meet with tragedy.

This thrilling story grips readers, who usually cannot put the book down until they finish it. With Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck more than hit the mark by writing a book that even 70 yeas later still deserves a spot on everyone's bookshelf.

You can buy Of Mice and Men.