This is my review of my favorite classic by John Steinbeck which I have submitted as a term paper in my major subject English 22: Intro to Stylistics. 
I. AUTHOR
John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck is an American author and Nobel laureate considered as one of the most widely-read writers in the 20th century. His two greatest novels, Of Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men published in 1937 and 1939 respectively have each gained him Pulitzer Prizes as recognition of his significant contribution to the American literature and heritage.
Steinbeck’s writings are primarily direct memories of his life in California during the Great Depression. His experiences however sparked a sense of regionalistic flavor to his narratives thereby giving many of his works a distinct sense of place and realness.
II. SYNOPSIS
The novel began with two migrant men in California, George Milton and Lennie Small, walking to a nearby ranch offering harvesting jobs. George, the smaller man, leads the way and makes the decisions for Lennie, a man who is big in stature yet mentally handicapped. They stopped at a stream for the evening and decided to proceed the next day. George later found Lennie keeping a dead mouse in his pocket. Lennie is the kind of person who loves to pet anything soft but because of what he did back in their previous job (he touched a girl’s soft dress) which caused them to loose their job, George threw the dead mouse on the other side of the stream, but Lennie had recovered it later. George afterwards reminded Lennie that he will do all the talking the moment they arrive to the ranch. He also cautioned him to return to the same place by the river if anything bad happens at the ranch.
When he was taking the dead mouse away from Lennie the second time, George resented the hardships of taking care of Lennie. After suppressing his anger, George relents and promises Lennie that he will try to find him a puppy; then he tells Lennie about their dream of having a little farm where they can be their own boss and nobody can tell them what to do, where Lennie will tend their rabbits, and where they will “live off the fatta the lan’.” Lennie has heard this story so often to the point that he can repeat it by heart. And George emphasizes that this dream and their relationship make them different from other guys who don’t have anyone or a place of their own. They settled down afterwards and slept for the night.
The next morning at the ranch, the boss became suspicious when only George answered all the questions. George then explained that Lennie is not bright but is a tremendous worker. In the ranch, they met Candy, an old swamper with a sheep dog; Crooks, the black stable hand; the boss’ son Curley, who is an amateur boxer and has a bad temper; Curley’s wife, who has a reputation as a “tart”; Carlson, another ranch hand; and Slim, the chief mule skinner. Upon seeing Curley’s wife, Lennie was fascinated with her but George warned him to stay far from both Curley and his wife.
Candy, the aged, one-handed ranch-hand, offered to pitch in with Lennie and George so they can buy the farm by the end of the month. The dream crashed when Lennie accidentally killed the young and attractive wife of Curley while trying to stroke her hair.
A mob, ready to kill, which was led by Curley gathered together. George, realizing he was doomed to a life of loneliness and despair like the rest of the migrant workers, and wanting to spare Lennie a painful death at the hands of the vengeful and violent Curley, shot Lennie in the back of the head before the mob can find him. The shot came while Lennie was distracted by one last retelling of their dream.
III. CHARACTERS
Major Characters
George Milton – The protagonist: a man of average stature, intelliegent, cynical but caring and is a good friend of Lennie . He dreams of a better life, having his own farm and being the boss of his own ranch. He shares this dream with Lennie whom he felt responsible of.
Lennie Small – A mentally disabled man who travels with George. He dreams of "living off the fatta' the lan'" and being able to tend to rabbits. He possesses an immature mental ability, but has the strength of a "bull", resulting to his inability to control or judge his own strength. This results in a series of accidental killings when the objects of his affection try to escape him (e.g. mice, and his puppy).
Minor Characters
Candy – A ranch worker who has lost a hand in an accident and is near the end of his useful life on the ranch. He knows he has little to look forward to, especially when another ranch hand, Carlson, decides to kill his dog because it annoys everyone in the bunk house with its foul odor.
Curley – The boss's son – a young, aggressive character, once a semi-professional boxer. He is incredibly jealous and protective of his wife. He immediately takes a disliking to Lennie upon seeing him due to his incredible size and strength.
Curley's wife – A young, pretty woman, sometimes called a "tart" by the men and mistrusted by her husband. The other characters refer to her only as "Curley's wife". She had dreams of becoming an actress, and is often mean-spirited and bullying towards the ranch hands.
Slim – a mule skinner referred to as "prince of the ranch". He decided to “mercy-kill” Candy's dog. It is Slim who helped Lennie avoid getting fired after Lennie's fight with Curley.
Crooks – The only African American worker on the ranch, referred to as a "nigger" by almost all. Like Candy he is crippled; his nickname refers to a crooked back resulting from being kicked by a horse. He slept segregated from the other workers, but is fiercely protective of his "rights".
Carlson – He wanted to shoot Candy's old and infirm dog because he doesn't like its smell.
The Boss – Curley's father; owner and director of the ranch.
IV. ANALYSIS
Written in the third person limited point of view, Of Mice and Men is a novel which basically tackles about the hardships experienced by the Americans in the onslaught of the Great Depression, the time when the world witnessed a sudden collapse of the world’s economic condition. The American Great Depression is claimed to be one of the most pressing conditions to hit the United States in the course of its history because of the many lives it has claimed due to starvation. Nevertheless, it was at the same period where the so-called “American Dream” little by little seeped into the minds of the Americans of that time to provide them a sense of hope, at the same time, pacify their craving for better opportunities despite the economic downfall.
With these, Steinbeck, coupled with his very own experience managed to shape a story that succinctly yet vividly chronicled the most likely incidents with which the common Americans of that time have felt and experienced too.
At this point, it would be necessary to decipher first what the title is all about as well as where it came from as it foreshadows the events in the story. Biographical records of Steinbeck show that during the time that he was writing the novel, he became really fond of reading the poems of Robert Burns, a Scottish Poet. A line from one poem of Burns which particularly caught his attention is this: "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft aglay." Translated into modern English, the verse reads: "The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry." This cynical statement is at the heart of the novel's action and serves as a foreshadowing prophecy of all that is to come. Indeed, the novel’s two main characters do have a scheme, a specific dream of changing their current way of life in order to have their own place and work only for themselves. The tragedy, of course, lies in the fact that no matter how elaborately the major characters plan their future, regardless of how intensely they hope and dream, their plan did not find fulfillment.
The author had begun the story by describing the setting and by introducing the two main characters, George and Lennie, in a manner that provided readers a thorough detail of their contrasting personalities through their respective dialogues. When they were accepted to work in the farm, it was mentioned that Curley, the Boss’ son immediately developed a negative impression with Lennie in their very first meeting. The scene marked the rising action of the novel’s plot as it signaled or otherwise foreshadowed what may happen in the end. The climax of the story can be seen in the latter part when George, for several minutes mulled over the decision he would take with regards to Lennie’s plight since he had accidentally killed Curley’s wife and since Curley’s gang were fast approaching armed with ammunitions ready to kill Lennie. Afterwards, the falling action immediately followed as George fired a gun shot on Lennie’s head while the gang of Curley approached to see him bathing in his own blood. In the end, Slim consoled George, who was beginning to feel guilty over his decision. He told him that what he did is just and right for both him and Lennie. Slim then offered George to come with him which the latter did not hesitate to accept. The conflict therefore of the story is, in a broad sense, man vs. man.
The story was set in the 1930s in Salinas, California, the same place where the author, John Steinbeck had spent his childhood and adult life. The novel speaks about the ordeal of two migrant men who do not have properties of their own and who just cling to the false hope brought about by the American Dream. But despite the fact that they don’t have anything to call their own, their principal asset is their determination that one day they could acquire a farm wherein no one could boss them around and, for Lennie, a cage-full of rabbits. It can be inferred that these unselfish dreams made them stronger to embark on the challenges that they experience day after day. However, characters like Crooks and Curley served as a constant reminder to both of them that they share the same dream with other people.
The character of George, the hero, in the story significantly embodies an arrogant man who, behind the mask of conceit is someone who cares and is responsible. Lennie, however is the direct opposite of George physically and mentally. Lennie may be dumb, but he speaks of a wisdom which no “sane” man could ever understand. It was Lennie who have caused the character of George to blossom substantially in the story, allowing readers to peer through a better lens of his personality, hence, considered as a foil character in the novel. Nonetheless, the true nature of the character of Lennie is somewhat obscured in the story since the author gave little or no distinct trace as to why he is dumb and have the inclination to pet soft things.
Notable among the other characters, aside from George and Lennie, in the novel is their common desire for a better life, for the American dream which provides a placebo effect on the harshness of fate on them but which obviously yielded to nothing in the end. There is Crooks, with which Steinbeck expressed the bitterness, anger and helplessness of African-Americans as they were previously distinguished as the lowest form of human being and is inhumanely discriminated. The author exposed Crook’s wanting to be treated fairly as humans regardless of racial color and culture but then, he was left disengaged among others in a room purposively given to him left with nothing to do but to go on his life in a society of prejudice and injustice. As for Curley’s wife, she had previously longed to be a well-renowned actress but she was thrown to being a sexual gratifier among men and wife of an amateur boxer. Slim on the other hand is a different case. He exemplifies a person who has already withdrawn from expecting a good life. Steinbeck shaped him as someone who has an eye for loss, failure and despair serving as an arbiter of wisdom among them.
Moving further, the companionship between George and Lennie is another controversial matter in the novel. Lennie considers George as his very good friend but George is in doubt whether he could really call his treatment to Lennie friendship but just pity and responsibility. But as the bright glow of their dream began to dim due to the unfolding of inevitable circumstances, George grudgingly decided to end Lennie’s life, not because of the burdens the latter caused him but because of the thought that such would be the better thing to do because apart from the fact that he does not want to see Lennie be killed by the aggressive mob, he also thought that Lennie has heavily depended his life on him and so, death would be even more painful for Lennie once George left to continue life on his own. He is certain that in the course of their life, time will come that they will have to part ways.
Generally, the tone, or the dominating manner of expression in the novel is eagerness and longing at the middle of so many distresses and disappointments, and in the end, anguish brought about by the society and the people within it. The mood, or the general atmosphere in the novel is predominantly optimism and idealism coupled with grief.
Above all these, it is beyond doubt that the author had ingeniously mixed the most fitting ingredients that made his novel shine a brighter glow in the avenues of literary excellence.
V. INTERPRETATION
Of Mice and Men revolves around the basic premise that no matter how well a person’s plan or dream may be, by nature, what he/she expects to happen is usually far from, if not, terribly different from what will truly happen. Five primary symbolisms which justified the novel’s theme could best serve the purpose of interpreting what Steinbeck is bringing across his readers. They are discussed as follows:
Deformities: Majority of the characters of the novel possessess physical and mental deformities. Candy has a missing hand, Crooks has a crooked spine, Lennie is mentally incapacitated and Curley developed a mangled hand as the novel develops. This fundamentally adheres to the theme that Steinbeck promotes in his novel, that even the physical and mental characteristics of men which are assumed to be in “good condition” after birth sometimes loose their way in the course of a person’s life. The same as a person’s dream, little by little, they loose their way or otherwise replaced as man continue to venture on opportunities that come his way.
Candy’s Dog: The old and smelly sheepdog of Candy had, in a way, gave George the idea of what he could do with Lennie. Candy’s dog really bothers everyone in the bunk because of its foul stench and because of the notion that it is useless for Candy due to its old age. "Got no teeth, he's all stiff with rheumatism. He ain't no good to you, Candy. An' he ain't no good to himself. Why'n't you shoot him, Candy?" (page 49, Bantam Classics). The author, in this part of the novel may have provided a hint to his readers about the looming death of Lennie since he is considered “useless” for George and usually the cause of his misfortunes. And since we have the generally accepted idea that when it’s the head that has the problem, most often than not, everything else would follow through, it can be inferred that there can be no solution to bridge the difficulty. Thus, the author at this part indirectly encourages the idea of mercy-killing since it’s the better, if not the only choice at hand.
Solitaire: All throughout the novel, George is seen to have played the solitaire which obviously is a card game intended for a single player. He does not bother to ask whether Lennie would like to play another game which would involve the two of them since he knows he would only make himself stupid since Lennie would never understand the rules of the game. This signifies that George is bound to a solitary life, playing his own rules of the game. Just the same as any normal living person, no matter how much friends we have, as we grow, we still have to face the music by ourselves because our friends are there to support us, not to give us a one-way ticket to success. In the process, we have to set the rules of the game which we believe could bring us forth to the surest path of our dreams.
Retelling of the Dream: Lennie had, for several times demanded George to retell their dream all over again, which usually caused him to be irritated, not largely because of the idea that he has forgotten all about it but because he likes the sound of it. Again, the same as the dreams of humans, they do falter as man progresses. They seem so nice in our thoughts but people do not usually consider the means and ways that would pave the way of achieving it. It’s usually where people give up no matter how sweet the desired ending would be. Who wouldn’t want an easy yet sure path to your dreams? But sad to say, achieving them is not just a night away but a series of nights with hindrances and difficulties barring the road.
The Death of Lennie’s Pets: Whenever Lennie touches soft animals (particularly the mouse and his puppy), most often than not, as stated in the story, they were accidentally killed by his hard touch. Similar to both George and Lennie’s dream, it is Lennie who always cause the loss of their job, hence, making their dream farther from their reach. Lennie is really fond to pet soft things including the dress of a woman in their previous job and the hair of Curley’s wife which lead to her death. They say bad things come in three, and so, after the death of the mouse and the puppy, the third one, which is the death of Curley’s wife, again due to his hard touch have signaled his misfortune, his own death. Similarly, along the process of working out our way to our desired ending, chances are, inevitable circumstances would hinder us from achieving our goals if we are not very cautious. If we are not strong enough to continue our struggle, the light that shines our path would surely dim until we find ourselves weeping at our loss.
VI. THE LITERARY APPROACH USED
Mythological/ Archetypal/ Symbolic Approach to Literary Criticism
Of Mice and Men is studded with numerous symbolisms which require readers to reflect from time to time what has transpired in the novel. Its title even possesses such kind of quality as it gives a foreshadowing prophecy of the events that will happen in the story. Thus it is more practical to use the Symbolic Approach to literary criticism in interpreting the novel.
Archetypal literary criticism is a type of critical theory that interprets a text by focusing on recurring myths, archetypes and symbolisms (from the Greek archē, or beginning, and typos, or imprint) in the narrative, symbols, images, and character types in a literary work. As a form of literary criticism, it dates back to 1934 when Maud Bodkin published Archetypal Patterns in Poetry. Archetypal literary criticism’s origins are rooted in two other academic disciplines, social anthropology and psychoanalysis; each contributed to the literary criticism in separate ways, with the latter being a sub-branch of the critical theory. Though archetypal literary criticism is no longer widely practiced, nor have there been any major developments in the field, it still has a place in the tradition of literary studies.
A mythological / archetypal approach to literature assumes that there is a collection of symbols, images, characters, and motifs (i.e. archetypes) that evokes basically the same response in all people. Myth critics identify these archetypal patterns and discuss how they function in the works. They believe that these archetypes are the source of much of literature's power.
The work of Carl Gustav Jung, a Swiss born psychoanalyst, is immaterial in its focus. Jung’s work theorizes about myths and archetypes in relation to the unconscious, an inaccessible part of the mind. From a Jungian perspective, myths are the “culturally elaborated representations of the contents of the deepest recess of the human psyche: the world of the archetypes”.
Jungian psychoanalysis distinguishes between the personal and collective unconscious, the latter being particularly relevant to archetypal criticism. The collective unconscious, or the objective psyche as it is less frequently known, is a number of innate thoughts, feelings, instincts, and memories that reside in the unconsciousness of all people. Jung’s definition of the term is inconsistent in his many writings. At one time he calls the collective unconscious the “a priori, inborn forms of intuition,” while in another instance it is a series of “experience(s) that come upon us like fate”. Regardless of the many nuances between Jung’s definitions, the collective unconsciousness is a shared part of the unconscious.
"Symbolic" approaches, however, may also fall under the category of formalism because they involve a close reading of the text. Myth criticism generally has broader, more universal applications than symbolic criticism, although both assume that certain images have a fairly universal affect on readers.
Primarily, it provides a universalistic approach to literature and identifies a reason why certain literature may survive the test of time. It works well with works that are highly symbolic. Nevertheless, literature may become little more than a vehicle for archetypes, and this approach may ignore the "art" of literature.
VII. LINGUISTIC QUALITY
John Steinbeck has the reputation of explicitly including in his perceptions, experiences and notable opinions rather indirectly to his prominent literary works as evidenced by Of Mice and Men and Of Grapes of Wrath. Some critics even regard Steinbeck not as a fiction writer but as a historian who writes a more vivid picture of the events that truly happened particularly in the period of the Great Depression through his narratives and exceptionally-shaped characters which, in one way or another, could have some traces to people who have existed in the period the novels have been written.
In like manner, adding up to the sense of veracity in the novel’s plot, the dialogues of the characters were constructed in a manner which represents the regionalistic fervor of the people of California (i.e. – the use of American Slang) which eventually makes anyone who happened to lift the pages of his novels to feel as if he/she is realistically observing the events in the story and sensing the emotions possessed by the people of the same period firsthandedly. The narratives, in addition, were written in simple terms allowing anyone, practically in all walks of life, to perceive the author’s assertions fully, hence, the story itself.
References
Life of John Steinbeck
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Steinbeck
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1962/steinbeck-bio.html
Symbolic Approaches
http://www.literatureclassics.com/ancientpaths/litcrit.html#myth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archetypal_literary_criticism
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