24 Classics for 2024 discussion

One of my favorite things about this book is the characters. In my opinion they are well written. This is particularly impressive to me because we get introduced to a lot of characters in such a short book, yet, after I read it I felt like I knew and understood each of them personally. Each character is so different, but in this book they are all connected by a similar theme - loneliness.


George - Even though he has Lennie, from the start you can still notice how he quietly yearns for the companionship of an equal. His care for Lennie is undeniable, but even so one can see that he wishes to have someone he did not have to care for 24/7.
Crooks - The obviously isolated and excluded character. He "knows his place," and what I mean by this is that he is aware of where he stands socially, not only in the farm but in the world at the time. This comes to show that regardless of race, as a person and human being, he is not immune to the want of companionship.
Candy - Outliving his "usefulness" There's a lot of parallels found between Candy's dog and Lennie, but I also see parallels between Candy and his dog. Just like his dog, even though he was nearing not being physically useful, he still has value. His dog was his companion, and the rest of the characters failed to see that.
Curley's Wife - She's a victim. Sure she was pretty flirtatious, but it is obvious she just wanted attention, and was sad to not being able to pursue her own dreams.
Curley - Vaseline hand. Must I say more? His possessiveness over his wife is not healthy, but even if its desperate, the need of companionship is still the same.
Slim - I think out of all of the characters he is the most neutral. Maybe, like George, he was waiting for an equal to show up. He was the only one to comfort him after what happened to Lennie, and I'd like to believe that they became close friends after the fact.

That's my little rant.

Though on the surface this is a very American story, I believe it has relevance to those living elsewhere. For instance the way the grim times were described reminded me of Depression stories my maternal grandfather told me. He was a carpenter in those times and on building sites employers treated you as dirt because they could get away with it. One day he overheard a conversation where a man wanted some time off to see his gravely ill wife. The boss said ‘sure, take as much time as you like’ and then turned to the queue at the main gate and yelled ‘Next’. My grandfather also said that you had to work in all conditions, even if it was pouring with rain and freezing, the only situation where work was stopped was when it would affect company equipment. Of course during this ‘down time’ you weren’t being paid.