Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck

Two friends look for work while running from their past.

George and Lennie had to leave the last ranch where they worked after Lennie, a strong but child-like man who loves to stroke soft things, was accused of assaulting a woman while trying to touch her dress. Before arriving, they discuss the possibility of owning land of their own. This dream unexpectedly falls within their grasp when a new coworker, Candy, offers to front a portion of the cost in return for being included in their dream. Things go awry when Lennie accidentally mangles the hand of the boss' son, Curley. This draws the attention of Curley's wife who congratulates Lennie on teaching Curley a needed lesson. In the course of their conversation, Curley's wife discovers Lennie's distraction with soft things and offers to let Lennie touch her hair. Upon experiencing his uncontrolled strength, she becomes angry which, in turn, scares Lennie. Lennie, as had happened with mice and puppies throughout the story, accidentally kills Curley's wife.

Lennie flees, but is pursued by an angry Curley and a mob of ranch hands. In the end, George is forced to kill Lennie the way he would kill a rabid dog.

Like Frankenstein, Of Mice and Men is a heartbreaking and perceptive examination of how we hate people for becoming what we force them to be.

Verdict: Steinbeck is a genius of his craft—so long as you like being shot in the face by the degeneracy of the human race.