Blog Post #2 

This week in reading 💃

Hey again, time to sum up this weeks reading in a couple short paragraphs. So this week I started reading the book “Of Mice and Men” and I have got to meet the main characters in the book, George and Lennie. George is described as small, wiry and sharp featured while his companion, Lennie, is large and awkward. George and Lennie came with a bus to get to a farm that they will work on, it definitely sounds like they are migrant workers. Lennie seems to be mentally disabled, because he had to ask his friend George where they are going. George had to remind him impatiently about their journey over the last couple of days. I also found out that Lennie has a fascination of soft things, when he holds a mouse in his hand that he unfortunately petted to death… pour thing I guess. Lennie used to get soft things to pet from his aunt Clara, and since he doesn’t know his own strength, he has the habit to unintentionally “break” small things. At the end of the first chapter, the guys decide to sleep outside as the ranch is still about a mile away.

Looking back at the opening pages of the book, I have to say its really described beautiful and also peaceful. Almost like in “Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck, the reader gets put right into the story, and I would compare this to Steinbecks description of the Route 66 in “Grapes of Wrath”. Even though I might be too early in the book to judge this, I would say that Steinbeck creates this idyllic scene in the beginning to create a background for the friendship between George and Lennie. Their friendship already feels very strong even though George is pretty much taking care of Lennie the entire time. The dialogue between the two men are also very interesting… the language they used was the first impression of George and Lennie and the first sign that they are uneducated migrant workers.

The cover of the edition that I am reading is a picture of a cornfield with a very dark sky above it. I don’t know how I am supposed to interpret this, but as of right now I think there will be some kind of event at the new farm they will work on, that will bring a dark twist to the book.

Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck  (Cappelen Damm edition)