The Exposition

The book ”Of Mice and Men” written by John Steinbeck tells the story about two men, trying to make an honest living, moving from ranch to ranch. The two main characters are George, who is small and quick, and Lennie, who is big and lumpy. In the beginning, the men are found trying to reach a certain ranch, but are forced to camp for the night by a water pool, after having been somewhat mislead. It becomes clear that the two men are running from something. Apparently, Lennie, not being the brightest guy, did some bad things in the village they just came from. As George explained:

Jus’ wanted to feel that girl’s dress—jus’ wanted to pet it like it was a mouse—Well, how the hell did she know you jus’ wanted to feel her dress? She jerks back and you hold on like it was a mouse. She yells and we got to hide in a irrigation ditch all day with guys lookin’ for us.

(Of Mice and Men, 1937. John Steinbeck, p. 10)

It also seems that the men have been running a lot. Lennie seem to make a lot of mistakes, forcing the two men to move on to the next town. George more or less has to take care of Lennie, after his aunt died. Now Lennie don’t have anyone else in the world, except for George.  

A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool. On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan Mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees—willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winter’s flooding; and sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool.

(Of Mice and Men, 1937. John Steinbeck, p. 2)

That’s how the book starts. The environmental description tells about a beautiful and inviting place, which is probably a good way to start. It really makes my long to be at that place. But it doesn’t tell much about the story. The whole first page is in fact only about the environment. Not before the second page the first interaction whit the characters happen, which gives the story a somewhat boring start.

Of mice and men is quite a strange title. Maybe it’s because of Lennie obsession with mice, or maybe is it a way for the author to equalize the men whit mice, in other word nobody really cares for them. But they will still all ways have each other.