Streetwise George and his big, childlike friend Lennie are drifters, searching for work in the fields and valleys of California. They have nothing except the clothes on their back, and a hope that one day they’ll find a place of their own and live the American dream. But dreams come at a price. Gentle giant Lennie doesn’t know his own strength, and when they find work at a ranch he gets into trouble with the boss’s daughter-in-law. Trouble so bad that even his protector George may not be able to save him…
One of Steinbeck’s classic, this little novel takes place in the America of the depression, when people were looking for any kind of job. Those were really hard times and each man was on his own. There was no companionship, no looking after one another. Yet, through Steinbeck’s talent, we see the greatness of some of them, walking through rough paths, trying to back each other up, protect the innocent.
We can see the cruelty of human beings really clear in this book. When people have made their minds, there is no way to change them. Racism is everywhere and it has its rules, as if it were the law. Racism is there not only for people of color, but also people of joy. But there is also kindness and understanding and trying to do the right thing.
A must read for all!