"Of Mice and Men"

I read this book recently, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. It was ludicrous for the most part till I began seeing it in a different light. Two men, Lennie and George are field workers who travel together and while George is the cynical, smart one, he protects the rabbits-obsessed Lennie who has limited mental capabilities. They both wish to live on a piece of land they own and can tend to without being answerable to anyone.

In pursuit of this dream, they start working at a farm and as the novel progresses, certain incidents occur which lead to the book's tragic ending. What I felt after reading this book was a mixture of disgust, melancholy and a certain hollowness. Is human life that expendable? Would you kill just to save?

Moreover it evoked various negative emotions within me and it made me question myself; can you trust even your closest friend? If you can't, then who do you lay all your burdens of trust on? Why do most people need someone to depend on? If people desire companionship, does their loneliness end with death if they aren't able to find their significan other?

So why didn't George lead the men away and protect Lennie? How can you kill to save? If he had saved Lennie and they had run away, the story wouldn't really have a tragic ending and in my opinion, it's usually tragic endings that appeal to readers. =(

xoxo