Off Mice and Men

‘’Of mice and men’’
Introduction
The book ‘’Of Mice and Men’’ was authored by John Steinbeck in 1937. During his teenage life Steinbeck spent a lot of time working and living in farm ranches in rural California. It is here that Steinbeck got fascinated with the families of the migrant farm workers. He was particularly impressed with the interpersonal relationships amongst the immigrant workers and this is reflected in most of his works such as The Grapes Of Wrath in 1940, In Dubious Battle in 1936 and Of Mice And Men in 1937. Steinbeck was very intimate about the plight of immigrant workers who triumphed spiritually regardless of the hardship and cruelty they faced in their lives. He looks at the relationships between the men in the group who only have each other for support and comfort.
The review
The characters of George and Lennie are mainly drawn from the early 1930s immigrant workers from Oklahoma State who made their way to California in such of jobs and prosperity. The author is deeply fascinated by the friendship of men among the immigrant workers. The harsh economic conditions of the time lead to the victimization of farm workers like Lennie and George. Their search for land was obstructed by powerful forces beyond their reach, but their lives tragedy was highlighted by unquestionable love and compassion (Meyer, 2009).
Of mice and men is a story about to friends who are alienated by society. They work as farm laborers in ranches moving from job to job across rural California. Lennie is huge but mentally retarded while George is small and intelligent.   George takes it upon himself to guide and protect Lennie and also relies on him for comfort and companionship. They share a common dream of owning their own ranch and keeping rabbits. This dream however is never achieved. They get hired on a firm, make new friends, but it is all ruined by the owners son`s wife (Burns, 1993).
The title of the book is borrowed from the works of Robert Burns in ‘’To...