Of Mice and Men

For the first time since Harry Potter, I almost cried today while reading a book. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is so simple. It follows two friends through the 1930s depression as they try to find work on ranches, so that one day they might own a little farm of their own, where they can tend to some rabbits. George is the brains, Lennie is the strength.  I thought since it was older, and a classic that I might not be able to relate to it particularly well, and I read it after having it recommended to me by the trusty old stumble upon. 

*Spoiler*

It started out so simply, but as we got further on, and Lennie can't control his behaviour and his strength, it becomes heartbreaking. He kills a puppy because he doesn't realize how it happened because he was only trying to pet it, then later he kills his bosses wife accidentally when she asks him to touch her hair so he can feel how soft it is. He accidentally breaks her neck. If this isn't tragic enough, the ending had me whimpering softly into my pillow, though I won't tell you what that ending is since you really ought to go and read this for yourself. 

What did I learn from this book? Well, I learnt that life isn't simple. Sometimes it might seem like it is, but even the simplest of dreams are hard to grasp. I learnt that friendship is about more than just being there for someone, it's about loving them enough to be able to lie when the truth would hurt them more. I learnt that sometimes there is no way out of that friendship and I learnt that having no way out can be really scary.