Of Mice and Men

"Of Mice and Men" is a significant literary work by John Steinbeck that explores the themes of friendship and tragedy during the Great Depression. The story follows the unlikely pair George and Lennie, who work as laborers in the dusty vegetable fields of California. George, small and agile, and Lennie, a large man with the mind of a child, have formed a kind of family that supports each other in times of loneliness and alienation. Their dream of owning a piece of land seems tantalizingly close when they find a job on a ranch in the Salinas Valley. However, the challenges of life and the unpredictability of Lennie's behavior put their friendship to a severe test. Steinbeck's narrative is both gripping and poignant, offering a deep insight into human nature and the social conditions of the time.