Of Mice and Men

During the Great Depression, itinerant workers George Milton and Lennie Small travel through California in search of ranch jobs and a more secure future. John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men follows the friends as they arrive at a new ranch carrying a shared dream of owning a small piece of land. George manages practical decisions and tries to protect Lennie, whose great physical strength and cognitive disability can place him in danger despite his gentle intentions. Their bond offers companionship in a world marked by temporary labor, suspicion and loneliness, but it also leaves George responsible for anticipating trouble that Lennie cannot always understand.

At the ranch they encounter Candy, the respected worker Slim, the confrontational Curley and Curley's isolated wife. Each meeting reveals a different form of vulnerability or exclusion. Lennie's fascination with soft things and his difficulty controlling his strength create an increasing tension, while George's instructions to return to the Salinas River if anything goes wrong suggest how fragile their plans are. Of Mice and Men is a concise tragedy about friendship, dependence, dignity and the human need for a place to belong.