Man proposes, but God disposes.

Of Mice and Men (novella, film, play)

Author: John Steinbeck (1937)

Films: 1939,1992

This John Steinback's post-depression novel is still being used in schools on both sides of the Atlantic. Why use an old book when there are so many new ones with less objectionable dialogues and situations? I think that is precisely why such a book with depressing, flawed characters and bullying as themes be used for students. As days go on, society wants to sanitise everything for our growing minds. Everything needs to be politically correct, and social justice must be seen to be done at all levels. Imagine one school in the UK collectively agreed that opening a door for a handicapped person is actually toxic behaviour. By doing so, we are emphasising to the handicapped person that he is needy. Furthermore, with critical race theory permeating every level of our interaction with a fellow human being, we need to drill upon our young minds that it is perfectly alright for others to be different from us. And that they should be accepted as a fellow inhabitant of this vast planet.

The real world is ugly and is not fair to everyone. Bad things happen to good people, and sometimes bad people get good stuff at the expense of the good. Just deal with it. Like John Steinbeck's other story, which found movie release, this story is also set in the post-depression era where migrants from other states go to another searching for a job. These interstate immigrants are scorned upon and treated less of human.

It starts with two men taking a breather at a creek after a long walk, after alighting from their bus some 10 miles earlier. These men are to begin as helping hand in a barn, harvesting and loading barley onto carriages. There is George, the street-smart one and his mentally challenged but physically endowed friend, Lennie. George is Lennie's guardian after his aunt died.

Lennie's behaviour is unpredictable. He has a fascination for things that are cute, small and smooth. The trouble is that Lennie cannot control his hands. He had once killed a mouse as he is too harsh with it. At their last sojourn, George and Lennie were almost lynched when Lennie caressed a lady's exquisite red dress so passionately that the lady thought he was going to rape her.

Lennie is repeatedly reminded to behave and not get into trouble again, but it is easier said than done as he is forgetful and relatively slow in comprehending things. Finally, George promises him that they would one day buy a farm and rear chickens and rabbits with enough money.

1992 version
Gary Senise and John Malkovish

The new working place is a farm where workers harvest barley. Curley is the owner's son, a pint-sized boxer with a Napoleonic complex who tries to throw his weight around. Lennie is his easy target. Then, there is Curley's wife, a flirtatious lady with showbiz ambitions. All the farmworkers try to keep away from her. Finally, Candy is an elderly worker with one hand who offers to contribute to join George and Lennie to buy their dream farm.

The climax of the story is when Curley's wife flirts with Lennie. Earlier, Lennie had accidentally killed a pup that was gifted to him. In their conversation, Lennie, being the clumsy person he is, accidentally breaks her neck. Curley, upon discovering his dead wife, puts up a search party to hunt Lennie down.

George finds Lennie in their secret hiding place and guns him down himself. End.

The little novel is a treasure trove for students of literature in discussing various characters, the qualities, their social standings or lack of, their mental state and injustices in the society. This is how life is. There are people at the top of the food chain who pounce on those below to keep themselves in charge. There is a schism within the community based upon a person's external attributes. There is a constant struggle for each other to get better than the other. Life on Earth is no utopia. It is the survival of the fittest.

Another angle often not discussed is about living with a person whose mental faculty is challenged. It is not easy. Mental illness comes in various forms, either acquired congenitally or with the stresses of life. Either way, the caretakers go through a lot to deal with the recurring unending demands of the afflicted party. The caretakers go through a myriad of emotions themselves, trying to put things for the person with mental illness to fit into society. But, the community does not make integration easy either. They are quick to judge, heckle and provoke the weak. It masks their own inadequacies. The mental challenged will only be left with their primal defences to protect themselves. This form of defence, unfortunately, is not acceptable to society. This further spins the caretaker into turmoil, sometimes resorting to uncivil actions, putting an end to the victim's miseries.

The title 'Of Mice and Men' is an extraction from Robert Burns' 1785 poem, which was written in Scot-language. He wrote,

The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men

Gang aft agley,

An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,

For promis'd joy!

(The best-laid schemes of mice and men

Go oft awry,

And leave us nothing but grief and pain,

For promised joy!)

Man proposes, but God disposes.

(Thanks to MEV for recommending)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.