Analyze the Context, Meaning, or Moral of Your Book (Of Mice and Men)

Book:  Of Mice and Men

Prompt:  Analyze the context, meaning, or moral, of your book.

Straight off the bat, I want to suggest this book to anyone reading this post.  I guarantee that most of you are thinking, "Eh, I guess I'll add it to my list."  Nope, it's a book that should not be regarded in a way as that.  Read it as soon as absolutely possible, so you can get the most out of it for yourself, so you can analyze its meaning and apply it to your own lifestyle.

Now, I want to recognize all of the symbolism that's packed into this emotion mixed novel.  I'm not going to tell you how these feelings and thoughts are invoked in the average reader, as to not spoil the book for you, but I do want to evaluate all of the themes of this book.  There is a quite unique mixture of friendship, sacrifice, patience, frustration, and innocence, all packed together into a very diverse, but smooth running story.  You really find out what it's like to be true friends with someone, and the things that you should do for them, if they're in need.  I have no doubt that everyone reading this has friends, and can relate to the book in both different, and similar ways than I did.  

Another reaction of my completion of this book that I want to share, is the sadness, grief, and anguish that I experienced after reading the end of the book.  Oh my gosh, it's so incredibly hard to interpret my thoughts and put them into words without giving away the ending!  Anyways, after going through the ending, I started to realize...  The event that occurred was very tragic and awful, but the reasoning in it, was very caring and loving.  No matter how deep you have to look, or how far you have to search, to fully understand this book, you have to find the good in what George did for his friend Lenny.  Ugh, I've already said too much!

  

What made you want to read this book? Summary, and Connections (Of Mice and Men)

Book:  "Of Mice and Men"

Prompt:  What made you want to read this book? And summary.

Read it or not, I'm sure everyone who reads on a steady basis, has heard of this book.  I've heard all about this novel, how great it is, and how much I should read it, for so long, and I finally got the opportunity to start it.  So honestly, that's the only thing that pushed me into reading it, like most other books.  But now that I'm in to it, I'm glad I listened to the people who suggested it.

This book is about two men who travel together from job to job, trying to earn a profit and claim their own land.  George and Lenny, although quite different from one and other, are bound to each other in a love hate relationship.  George acts as Lenny's older brother, as he is the smaller smarter one, when Lenny is the big, tough, dumb one.  It seems as if everywhere George takes Lenny, Lenny somehow gets them kicked out.  Even if he honestly doesn't mean any trouble.  George promised Lenny's aunt though, before she died, that he would take care of him.  

I haven't gotten far enough into the book to really go into depth about its setting, characters, or plot really.  So I'm going to talk about the connections I've been able to link so far.  In my opinion, connections are one of the greatest things a reader can gather from a book, or any story, especially because each and every individual can get something out of a good novel.  When reading about the two men in this book, the first thing that came to mind, was my siblings, and my relationship with them.  I looked at myself as George, and my younger brothers and sister as a bunch of Lennys.  There were a few traits that weren't in their perfect place, but I could still see the correlation within us.  I could also see the resemblance of just these two characters in many of my friends at school, and other peers as well.  

What are your thoughts on the message of the book? (The One and Only Ivan)

I've been reading at a quicker pace lately, and in one week, I finished this book and am already well into another.  I think it was too great of a novel to not blog about though, and I really wanted to discuss its meaning.

The One and Only Ivan is about a gorilla captured and forced into harsh conditions, and his struggle to achieve a better life for him and his friends.  Ivan's goal is to get his friend Ruby and the other animals to a better place, after he realized how bad they were being treated when his friend Stella died.

This story implies and focuses on animal cruelty and what some conditions are in some places that animals are held in.  This novel is actually told from the point of view of Ivan's (the gorilla), and shows what could possibly be going on in captured animals' heads.

A story like this truly makes you wonder if gorillas understand us humans, and just don't feel the need to be like us or communicate back.  Although it is a somewhat absurd thought, we do realize that we don't come close to fully understanding another species's mind.  A new feeling of sympathy towards other living, breathing, animals that we take advantage of every day, was invoked in me while reading as well.

An additional action this novel prompted me into attempting, was putting myself in the animals' shoes.  Which in fact, is an incredibly hard thing to do in several situations.  Seriously though, think about it, imagine yourself being taken by a huge unknown animal, from your family without a goodbye, forced into a dark cold truck, and shipped to a lonely, cramped, uncomfortable cage where you'll live for several years without the right amount of food or care.  Now think about the, "happy and protected" animals you see at the zoo for your own entertainment.

In conclusion, I think this book should give each and every reader a new view on animal imprisonment, as it did for me.  Maybe now, people will think twice before they visit the zoo.  I know there isn't much of a chance that circuses, zoos, or aquariums will be abolished forever, but it's good to develop your own opinion on topics and do what you can to promote your feelings.