OF MICE AND MEN
Of Mice and Men
“Of Mice and Men” by John Steinback prescribed for Edexcel GCSE Literature, is one of those novels that reminds all of us, the humanity, that we all are same: from China to United States; from South Africa to Norway. The heartrending novel, set in the period of “Great Depression”, reminds us it is mainly the varying circumstances, especially the prevailing economical or warring circumstances that makes us tainted, writhing & wriggling with any or many of the vices of spectrum of human vices: in an ascending scale it could be indifference of man to his brother; sinking sympathy towards the suffering of others; total lack of empathy; no sense of the value of a human life; senseless murder.
Such is the indifference of man towards his fellow men, during the Great Depression, a bus driver would be callous to an extent as to drop his passengers at a location still several miles to his destinaation: “Its just strech down the road, you better get down”. And those were Americans, not third world populace living under tyranny and poverty.
Then again “Of Mice and Men” is also a paradox: amidst all chaoes, one man’s will to save his helpless friend. It is the concept of deep friendship or ‘philia’ as Aristotel termed it, in a time friendship wasn’t a commodity at all, in abundance.
In my mind’s eye, I see this little novel as a excellent Introductory Piece of Literature for those who begins to study litrature. There could hardly be a better work of literature, for us to begin learning literature, than one that reminds us we all are same, no one is superior, any one of us could be sunk in the base levels in the adverse circumstances such as extreme economic hardships as depicted in “Of Mice and Men.”
Today United States of America is the most powerful country in the world albeit destined to be superceded by China in another half a century. But there was a time when the poor Americans starved. There was a time when the life of the middle class was frugal to the extreme. There was a time when the middle class families used the bed sheet till worn out, and when the middle of the bed sheet iis worn out, cut off a couple of middle strips lengthwise and stitch it together to the outer lengthwise border so that middle of the bed sheet will have strip of sheet not as worn out as those cut off and restitiched to the border.
That was in the Great Depression. Eveything in USA being either Grand or Super, as they name it, Super ball to Grand Canyoin, American Depression wouldn’t play a second fiddle either, it was Great. [That’s a wicked thing to say, isn’t it?] American Great Depression triggered a worldwide depression.
Our Sri Lanka, then called Ceylon too was caught up with it and suffered immesauarably: Indian migrant laborers employed in the Tea Plantations of Central Highlands of Ceylon were packed off, in line with Sirima-Shastri Agreement- to India; once well irrigated and farmed lands in the North Central Plains were deserted resulting in 1934-35 malaria epidemic that claimed over 100,000 lives. Crime, theft and burglary spread far and wide. Peasants sold their land to Chettiar, the vicious money lenders. The whole fabric of rural life began to come apart. After 1940, however, recovery was seen in Ceylon.
Written by bunpeiris
The Great Depression
Worldwide GDP fell by 15% from 1929 to 1932. In the 21st century, the Great Depression is commonly used as an example of how far the world’s economy can decline. The depression originated in the United States, after the fall in stock prices that began around September 4, 1929, and became worldwide news with the stock market crash of October 29, 1929 (known as Black Tuesday).
The Great Depression had devastating effects in countries rich and poor. Persoanl income, tax revenue, profits and prices dropped, while international trade plunged by more than 50%. Unemployment in the U.S. rose to 25%, and in some countries rose as high as 33%.
Loneliness & Dream in Of Mice & Men
| Loneliness | Dream | |
|---|---|---|
| George | Throughout the story George found companionship in Lennie, though Lennie was a severe burden upon him. Unlike the other ranchworkers George valued friendship and took it upon himself to protect Lennie. However, in the end , George too would become lonely without his best friend. | George and Lennie share bound together by a common dream: to secure their own patch of land, a couple of acres, as George would say, to grow their own crops and have their own livestock & poultry: cow, chicken, pig and of course rabbits for George. They were well within a shot of an arrow to hit the bull’s eye, when the tragedy fell upon them. |
| Lennie | Such is the innocense of Lennie, he would have no sense of fear of loneliness. However, he got ruffled when it was suggested to him, by Crooks, that perhaps s George wouldn’t come back to him. | George and Lennie share a dream: freedom in their own patch of land. The freedom and joy of growing their own crops and tending their own livestock and poulty. Lennie longs to tend the soft-haired rabbits. |
| Curley’s wife | Curley wife, without another woman in the ranch and having nothing to engage herself ,finds it lonely. She is married to a man she doesn’t love and who doesn’t love her. Being flirtatious, she hang around the bunkhouse to attract ranchworkers. |
She dreams of being a movie star. Once her hopes were raised by a man who claimed to be a talent agent in Hollywood. However not being contactctd by him following his departure she married Curley, the son the ranch owner. |
| Candy | Candy who thought his dog was indispensable, found it hard to destroy it when it was almost starved and days were numbered. Even though he knew he should have the dog destroyed than let it suffer, he wasn’t willing to acccept that option as he dreaded losing his long-time companion. | Having overheard, the conversation of Lennie & George regarding their wish to have their own patch of land, Candy persuades them to allow him join by offering all his savings. His savings make the dream of Lennie and Goerge within a striking distance. |
| Crooks | Crooks lives in enforced solitude, away from the other men. He is bitter about being ‘a busted-back nigger’. He is thrilled when Lennie and Candy come into his room and are his companions for a night. | The Black American Crooks, knowing the civil rights, dreams of being in a country devoid of racism. With the memories of his childhood- when he played with white children who came to his family’s chicken ranch- still fresh in his mind, Crooks, the nigger longs for a similar relationship with the Caucasians once again. He too was clsoe to the realization of his dream. |
In your writings, crowned with popular success in many countries, you have been a bold observer of human behaviour in both tragic and comic situations. This you have described to the reading public of the entire world with vigour and realism.
R. Sandler, Member of the Royal Academy of Sciences, commenting on John Steinbeck at the Nobel Prize awarding ceramony in 1962
The writer is delegated to declare and to celebrate man’s proven capacity for greatness of heart and spirit—for gallantry in defeat, for courage, compassion and love. In the endless war against weakness and despair, these are the bright rally flags of hope and of emulation. I hold that a writer who does not believe in the perfectibility of man has no dedication nor any membership in literature.
John Steinbeck in his Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech
I’ll be back. bunpeiris
Tuition in English Literature Cambridge, EDEXCEL & National at Kandana by bunpeiris
ENGLISH LANGUAGE TUITION KANDANA bunpeiris
