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John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men (1937)
One of John Steinbeck's most popular works, Of Mice and Men is a novella that reads like a play. That structure has resulted in many stage and screen adaptations of the book. Throughout Steinbeck's body of work, empathy for the powerless in society -- the poor, the uneducated, the victimized -- is of uppermost importance. Of Mice and Men is no exception. Set during the Great Depression, it tells the story of two migrant workers and their plan to purchase land and how their dream fared against harsh realities. Although Steinbeck received a writer's highest honor, the Nobel Prize, in 1962, his works have not fared well over the years, with many critics citing the flatness of his characters and the predictability of his plots. |