Of Mice and Men is a short novel by the American writer John Steinbeck. The book was published in 1937 and adapted into a play the same year.
The story portrays the friendship between Lennie Small and George Milton, two migrant workers in California during the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Lennie is a gentle and powerful giant of a man with an intellectual disability. He loves small and soft things, but has little control of the strength of his hands. George is his companion and protector. The two dream of owning their own farm. Just when their dream seems possible, Lennie accidentally kills their employer’s daughter-in-law in a moment of panic after she lets him touch her hair. At the end of the story, George shoots Lennie to save him from a lynch mob.
Critics praised the novel for the power and simplicity of its tragic story. The work’s title comes from a poem by the Scottish poet Robert Burns that suggests how life can take a turn for the worse in spite of one’s plans or hopes.
See also Steinbeck, John.
