"Take no heed of her...She reads a lot of books."
~Jasper Fforde


Thursday, August 26, 2010

5 Life Lessons from Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men"

1. Sometimes, the people we tend to overlook have more character than the people we revere and put on a social pedestal.

2. If you have to make a difficult or life-changing decision, don't let anyone else decide for you. It's your life. Don't let anyone "shoot your dog" for you.

3. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice everything for the well-being of someone you care about.

4. Even though they don't always show it, the people who really care about you are the ones who stand by your side no matter what you do, and are always there to get you through your mistakes. Sometimes, too, they are the ones who look up to you, and follow you--not with blind eyes, but with trusting hearts.

5. Sometimes, dreams are not meant to be attained, but they are still meant to be strived for.

29 comments:

  1. So remember my comment about liking new books rather than used...well one other thing about me is that I can't pass up a used book sale, so I still buy used books even though I prefer new. Anyway, used book sale on campus today! paperbacks for $0.50! I bought six! One of the books I bought is Of Mice and Men. I will probably be reading it shortly. :)

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    1. where do you have evidence of the fifth one in the book?

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  2. what is a lesson that curleys wife teaches?

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    1. Gosh...that's a good question, Anonymous....

      It's been a while since I've read Of Mice and Men (Actually, I haven't read it since I wrote this post 3 years ago, lol). I'd say she reminds us that even those people we sort of revile (like, in her case, "loose" women, or people apparently without morals), are still people. They have feelings and deserve to be treated as human beings. Like Crooks and Candy, Curley's wife is lonely and unhappy, but she's made into a sort of pariah.

      I think, too, she acts as a sort of cautionary tale. When you're getting ready to get married, and to commit your life to that special someone (or even if you're just dating), make sure you have found someone who is going to love and support you, instead of someone who is jealous, abusive, or isolating.

      Hope that answers your question! Thanks for stopping by :)

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  3. what are 3 lessons that lennie teaches george

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    1. Hi, Anonymous! Thanks for stopping by. As you might have noticed from my comment above, I haven't read Of Mice and Men since I wrote this original post, haha. But, let me think.....

      1.) Lennie teaches George to be a dreamer, to strive for something even though it doesn't seem possible. Lennie keeps him hopeful.

      2.) Lennie teaches George about loyalty. No matter what happens, Lennie is always loyal to George. And in the final chapter of the book, we see that George understands this loyalty and love and tries his hardest to repay it.

      3.) I think Lennie teaches George about being gentle. Sure, he kills small animals (and Curley's wife) but he doesn't mean to. I'm paraphrasing here, but at one point, George talks about how he used to beat Lennie up, and how Lennie could have broken every bone in his body, but he didn't. He was too gentle to do that. And even when he breaks Curley's hand, it was not out of malice, but because George told him to do it as a means of defending himself.

      I hope that helps. Question: are you the same "Anonymous" from the previous comment?

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    2. yEs I aM

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    3. Well, welcome back :)

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  4. why does George sacrifice everything he could have just so he can be with Lennie? why does he complain about Lennie, but not leave him?

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    1. There are two ways you can look at this. First, George admits that he always felt responsible for Lennie, since he promised Lennie's aunt that he would take care of him. So, it could be completely a sense of responsibility. But, I prefer to think of the second option: George genuinely cares for him.

      Now, I know that doesn't make a ton of sense if he's complaining about him all the time. But, think of it this way: when you're around the same person for too long, everything they do starts to bug you, whether it's a roommate, a family member, a boyfriend or girlfriend...but that doesn't mean you stop caring about them. It just means you're frustrated and need some space. I think he cares about him, but because Lennie is so much work, he's getting frustrated. But, when you get right down to it, George still does what's right for Lennie.

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  5. I am doing a book review on Of Mice and Men and I need to recognize the psychology of it, Please reply if you can help

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    1. Hi, Anna! I'd be happy to help you out :) You said you were looking for the psychology behind it. Could you be more specific?

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  6. What are the lessons that "Of Mice and Men" teaches the reader? And where can I find evidence of that in the book? please reply if you can help. THANK YOU in advance :)

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    1. Hi, Anonymous! Wow; I never realized that this post would be my most popular, haha. Unfortunately, its been years since I've read Of Mice and Men, so at least right now, I won't be able to provide too many concrete examples of "evidence". But, I hope the lessons I included in this post will give you a bit of a springboard to get started :)

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  7. Identify and explain the themes of the novel. Explain the title,(superficial&latent)

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  8. can you give me a example from the book of how Lennie gave George hope to keep dreaming and how he showed George loyalty

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  9. U ask a lot of questions

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  10. AnonymousJune 13, 2017

    This is over 7 years old and the other "Anonymous" still comments, that's awesome!!!!

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  11. Do you think that teenagers today can relate to the content of this book?

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    1. I think so. The themes are universal, which is one of the reasons this book is still being read and published today. After all, we're all looking for love and acceptance, a place where we can feel we belong, etc. And I think teens more than anyone can relate to that feeling.

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  12. I need life lessons and examples from the text.

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    1. Hi, Anonymous! Is this for a class? If you're looking for some lessons, just read this blog post. As for examples in the text, it's been years since I've read this, so I can't pull out any specifics right now. But, feel free to refer to my post for some ideas :)

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    2. no way yall talking since 2010 and still talk that's insane :O

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    3. Hi, Anonymous:

      Yeah, I can't believe this post is still getting hits. I almost never get comments on this blog anymore (and hardly ever check it), but this post still gets them again and again and again......

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  13. Hello.im doing a book report and i just can't seem to find the perfect theme/moral of this story .your blog was really helpful but I'm looking for a lesson that contains so much info with evidence (I'll look for the evidence)so that It can seem that I talk about it nonstop.a simple saying would work as well.and if you don't remember much about the book that's okay.thank you,God bless you :)

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  14. Do you think that the novel of mice and men is a cautionary tale?

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  15. Do you feel as if lennie is responsible for curley's wife's death?

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