Otázka: Of Mice and Men
Jazyk: Angličtina
Přidal(a): Lenka Vybíhalová
John Steinbeck
- 1902 – 1968
- novelist, playwright, essayist and short-story writer
- social criticism, realism, naturalism
- The Grapes of Wrath won a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award
- served as a war correspondent during World War II
- awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962
Characters
- Lennie Small – A large, very strong, childlike, mentally handicapped migrant worker. He depends on his friend George to give him advice and protect him in situations he doesn´t understand. He believes in their dreamed farm.
- George Milton – A small, wiry, quick-witted man who travels with, and cares for, Lennie. Although he frequently speaks of how much better his life would be without his caretaking responsibilities, George is obviously devoted to Lennie.
Plot
- Two migrant field workers in California on their plantation during the Great Depression (1930s). They hope to one day attain their shared dream of settling down on their own piece of land where Lennie could take care of his rabbits. They‘re looking for a job at farm but every time they find one, they are forced to leave after a while because of Lennie‘s behaviour. His love of petting soft things causes them many troubles and they get expelled from the farm they have been working on. Later, on another farm where they have found a job Lennie‘s obsession leads to a catastrophic end when he accidentally brakes farmer‘s wife‘s neck. Immediately other farmers start hunting him and want to kill him. George is among them but slips away to finds Lennie on their secret place. When he finds him he tells him that he‘s not mad and once again he tells him the story about their own farm. Eventually he shoots him in the head to save him from angry farmers and to end all the troubles once and for all.
Review
- story of George and Lennie’s ambition of owning their own ranch and the obstacles that stand in the way
- Lennie becomes the greatest obstacle to achieving that dream
Preferences
- What I liked about this novel most, is how author depicts the friendship between George and Lennie and the whole American society in that time during The Great depression
Other
- Filmed in 1939 – directed by Lewis Milestone (nominated for four Oscars)
- Filmed in 1992 – directed by Gary Sinise
- Played on Broadway
