1. Of Mice and Men
“Of Mice and Men” was published in 1937 by the author John Steinbeck. This
book was created around ‘the great depression’ (1929-1940’s). The main
characters of the book are George and Lennie, two very physically and mentally
different men. This essay will talk about George’s physical description, his
relationship with others and his background information.
George is designated to wear a simple outfit during the course of the book, denim
shorts, a black jacket and a hat. This shows his social status and that he doesn’t
have lots of money to meet the expense of nice, leather garments. This also
means that he isn’t a boss or an owner, but more of a poor farmer that makes the
best of what he has. His physical look is described as ‘small, strong hands, slender
arms, and a thin and bony nose.’ (Page 4) This shows that he is a farmer because
he has strong hands from farming and author has done a good job at linking his
appearance to his personality because you would think of a small strong guy that
has a strong and straightforward personality.
George’s personality is very bold and straightforward; this shows that he is very
firm and knows precisely what he says. We recognize this through the way he
talks, for instance when he tells Lennie that he doesn’t “care what she says and
what she does. I seen 'em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait
worse..." (Page 33) Especially with Lennie he is very determined and focused on
what he says, because he knows how to confront these conditions. Another
instance that we know he is strong-minded is when he talks about Curley; “…but
this Curley punk is gonna get hurt...” (Page 28) He says that in a very
unquestionable voice as if he recognizesprecisely what might occur.
George and Lennie are very close, and they know each other very well. We know
this for a few reasons. Firstly, when George finds Lennie after he killed Curley’s
wife, George is very calm on the outside, and so Lennie asks him “Ain’t you gonna
give me hell?” (Page 102) This shows that he knows that he usually does it
because in the previous times he has. Another point that leads on is when George
and Lennie exchange looks when Slim talks about the puppies, because they both
know what Lennie wants, and they both understand immediately. The last point
adding on is when George tells the Boss that “…he ain’t, but he’s sure a hell of

2. agood worker. Strong as a bull.” (Page 23)This demonstrates that he knows exactly
Lennie’s work because he has seen him work before, adding on to that, he says it with a
proud voice, securing to the boss that Lennie might be dumb but is a good worker.
Concluding on this Ithink this is a good book to read for other people because it is
detailed and explains a farmers life during the great depression very well. It also has a
very good use of text, such as flashbacks and links between scenes, such as where
both the dog and Lennie get shot in the back of the head. Readers would appreciate
this book because it is very expressive and detailed on both the characters and scenes,
which combined make a very fascinating and pleasurable book.