# 62: Of Mice and Men

#62: Discuss how something you have read has affected you or changed your mind about something. 

I have, or I had always been the type of person who avoided books that were set during wars or showed the everyday struggle of people that I had seen everywhere. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, qualified for both cases, but it became one of my most favorite stories of all time.

                Of Mice and Men was a simple story that touched me. It wasn’t like Nicholas Spark’s romantic novels that make people cry, but a story of a whole different type of relationship. It was about camaraderie and friendship; a friendship that was funny, cute, unexpected, and most of all, real. The characters argued, fought, supported, and helped each other. They were so normal that anyone would be able to relate to them, and I think that was the queer charm that the story had. There was the sad girl who was bored of life, the man who would always be discriminated, the friendship that would never be understood, the tension between the characters, and the struggle for survival. I’ve read many other stories with similar characters, but this story showed me how ordinary could be extraordinary. The story created a person with a personality and attitude that I considered a role model. The story was normal, but it was true, and I loved it. It taught me that normal could be good, and the truth could be better than make believe.

                Of Mice and Men changed the definition of “touching” for me. I’ve seen people cry when reading books and movies, all because the boy dies for the girl or something cheesy like that. That is not touching, or very moving when you see it ALL the time. Of Mice and Men showed me friendship, innocence, and true feelings and wisdom that are in everyone, no matter how deep inside. These ideas moved me and changed my ideas of what is important in life. Now, friendship, innocence, and the knowledge we have inside of ourselves can be part of the many things that make a person special, at least according to me. Movies show teenagers (actually, everyone) trying to be mature (or rather, act mature) all the time. This book went against THAT overrated idea.

                The story revealed how writing could be beautiful. Not flowery, full-of-adjectives beautiful, but everyday words that put together all these different ideas so smoothly. Themes such as loneliness, hopelessness, human nature, friendship, and different roles of women are integrated together in a story so simple and typical, and yet, so unique. We’re always being told that how you write makes all the difference. This book showed me that what you write does too.

                I’ve also never been the type to read books that take place during wars or periods like the Great Depression. Of Mice and Men changed my impression of such books and stories. This story was set during the Great Depression, and the time period itself added to the feel of life and troubles the characters were going through. It made the story all the more real, at least to me. Stories of war and survival (especially writings related to American history) are interesting now, and I’ve opened up to books that almost feel like a different genre.

Of Mice and Men led me to another one of my favorite books, The Great Gatsby, by Scott Fitzgerald.