Lennie rose above all other characters as the personality that bestowed me with the most impressive and haunting experience.
He taught me about hope
Throughout the novel, Lennie was naive and foolish with a child's mind. He bore no hatred, no depression about life, and no despondency. The only two things occupying him were that he could tend rabbits and live with George in their own house. The latter aspiration was the main motivation of the story, the engine that drove our two main characters from the promising beginning till the tragic ending.
It struck me that sometimes, wishful thinking is actually the best mental pill. Drawing the best case scenario, which can be absurd and unbelievable, can put yourselves into a rose-colored lens to become more positive. A mentally impaired person, usually called "crazy", never feels shy of being naked in the public. Then for Lennie, a person with a child's mind, the future would always be bright and hopeful. In the depths of despair, be a Lennie and life may get better.
2. He taught me about love
Lennie bore no discrimination. He embraced Crooks, the "abhorrent" black man, and Curley's wife, a "mere" woman. In Lennie's eyes, everything appears just the way their nature is, in lieu of being based on color or gender. There was nothing wrong with a black man whose heart eternally desired companionship or a lady whose dream was to become an actress. Lennie broke through the prejudice barriers to approach all characters with their inherent nature.
This quality brought me to contemplate the way we judge a book by its cover. Unbeknownst to ourselves, we judge others, their appearance, their backgrounds in the hope that such details mirror their personalities. Sometimes, the first impression may be reflective of one's characteristics but many a time, it is not. Perhaps, it is best again, to view life through a rose-colored lens with unassuming expectations or judgments. Innocence holds the key to furnishing you with the best intentions.
3. He taught me about reality
This is the most important lesson that I have been endowed with. Throughout the story, the underlying theme is hope, the aspiration for a better future, the idea of dreams coming true on the condition of resilience and unremitting efforts. Ironically, unavailing, yet unfaltering efforts were the only subsisting vestige of this friendship. At the end of the story, an idyllic and carefree vision was revived, with the same vibe as the opening one, however more intimidating. To me, "Of mice and men" had the most tragic end, not due to the characters' fates, but because all the dreams, regardless of whose they belong to, became shattered.
Lennie went on dreaming, supporting George with their ideal so much so that at some point, they could have been, heedless of Crook's remark. This plight profoundly resonated with me, teaching me to understand that efforts are not tantamount to success. However hard you may try, however prospective your future could be, life could just be so cruel that it may turn you down unawares.
The saving grace is that you learn to be positive in the meantime. During the story, Lennie was unfailingly kind and naive, and until the end of the story, he would never regret having been such a person.
That is my review of "Of mice and men". I guess this review is not an excellent one but rather, a sense of how an average reader might feel. Anyway, I love the way I write this since it truly conveys my feelings and who I am for the time being.
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