A review by grinchem
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a short but poignant tragedy. It was my first time reading something by Steinbeck, and I now understand why his works have withstood the test of time. The story does an excellent job of taking various distinct but isolated moments throughout and connecting them by the end. All the good and the bad in this story is very human.

Fair warning, there is a significant amount of racism in this story, including the N-word. However, the racism is portrayed in a negative light. Do with that information what you will.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Violence, Murder, and Animal death

There are many examples of racism in this story, and the N word is used frequently. However, racism is portrayed in a negative light. A main character has a significant intellectual disability, and struggles as a result, and this is a major part of the plot. Very major spoiler ahead:

Near the very end of the story, this character accidentally commits a murder because he panics doesn't really understand that he's hurting the person. This event is treated as a tragedy for both of the characters.