Editors’ note: Sharon High seniors enrolled in Honors Advanced Print & Digital Journalism are writing reviews of books available in the Sharon High School Library catalog. Henry Chen shares his thoughts about a famous American literary classic, Of Mice and Men.
What happens when dreams collide with the harshness of reality? In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck captures this tension within a commentary on friendship, loneliness, and the fragile nature of hope. Despite Steinbeck’s vivid imagery and touching themes, I was left with more questions than emotional responses.
Published in 1937, this novella sealed Steinbeck’s reputation as a master chronicler of the human condition, following works like Tortilla Flat and The Red Pony. Though relatively short, its emotional weight and sharp critique of the American Dream have made it a lasting classic.
The story follows George Milton and Lennie Small, two migrant workers navigating Depression-era California. Their shared dream of owning a small farm—a place where they can “live off the fatta the lan”—aligns them with countless other drifters. This dream becomes their lifeline, but as the novella unravels, there is an increasing sense that it may be nothing more than an illusion.
Steinbeck sets his story in a harsh, unforgiving world: the dusty ranches and bunkhouses of California serve as a backdrop behind the fragile connections of their inhabitants. Moments of vulnerability between the characters can resonate deeply with the reader, heightening Steinbeck’s portrayals of emotional isolation.
Leading readers back in time through the Depression Era’s struggles with vivid imagery and atmosphere, Steinbeck depicts the Salinas River valley as an idyllic scene at the novel’s opening: “A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight.” This tranquil setting symbolizes hope, contrasting the characters’ grim realities. The dialogue also feels authentic, capturing the working-class vernacular of the time.
Despite its strengths, “Of Mice and Men” was a frustrating read for me. As beautiful as Steinbeck’s prose is, and as well-engaged his themes are, the characters—George in particular—fail to deliver the emotional complexity I had anticipated. The tragedy feels preventable, and it is within this very aspect of negligence on George’s part that the story loses much of its impact.
That said, the novella does succeed in delivering some incisive critiques of the American Dream. The dreams of the characters are always tantalizingly out of reach, however trivial they may be, and failures in their realization reflect systemic failures. Steinbeck captures this sentiment when he writes, “Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land.” This stark realism is a sobering reminder of the barriers faced by those on the margins of society, making the themes painfully relevant even today.
For those drawn to vivid settings and themes of loneliness and hope, the novella may resonate, but readers seeking agency and unpredictability might find it as unsatisfying as I did.
Cover image from Penguin Books.