One of the most important books I’ve ever read was the novella Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck. This book follows the struggling lives of George and Lenny. I couldn’t decide who lived the more difficult life: the man with the mental disability, or his best friend. Lenny was a good person, who unknowingly made many mistakes, because he didn’t know any better. His character was sweet. He was so naive, but was also a loving, endearing person. It made my heart ache that he had disabilities. His best friend, George, stayed by him, almost feeling as though Lenny was his responsibility. He would severely insult Lenny, and be furious with all the trouble he would get them into. Nevertheless, George wanted the best for Lenny, and always defended him. They were true friends.
I would get lost in this book to the point where I felt anxious, as if the characters’ problems were my own. I put myself in George’s shoes, and thought about what I would have done. I tried to imagine what it would be like to have a friend like Lenny, and how I would deal with his actions. The end of the book was packed with suspense. This time Lenny had made too big of a mistake. He was in a lot of trouble, and George had to make a decision. He felt like Lenny was harmful; although, that was no fault of his own. It’s a challenging decision; one I could never get myself to make. I constantly thought in my head, “Don’t do it George! Then again how will they live like this? Although, what if someone else were to hurt Lenny?!” When I finished that scene, I understood, but at the same time, couldn’t believe what choice George had made. I cried the rest of that day, and walked around as if I was the one who had made such a decision, and couldn’t cope with it. I didn’t understand what the point of Lenny’s life was. Lenny’s entire life seemed ill-fated. He lived life dreaming of owning his own land where he and his best friend would live; where he could have pet bunnies. His whole train of thought was so simple. He didn’t understand everything that would go on, and how serious it truly was. His life had a depressing ending; he didn’t even see it coming. As for George, he now had to live with his decision, and most importantly, without his best friend. This was a truly tragic story that taught me a lot about friendship, and how challenging of a life people had, especially during the depression. I still ask myself today, what decision I would have made, and hope I am never put in that position.