by Janet Grischy

Created on: August 04, 2008   Last Updated: May 08, 2009

Of Mice and Men is one of John Steinbeck's most touching works. It tells the story of two migrant workers, one with a body too strong for his mind, and one with responsibilities nearly too great for his spirit. It is a tragic story, because the great love and brotherhood between the two is not enough to save them in a world which turns out to be utterly unlike their simple dreams.

There is strong language in the book. There are racial slurs directed at an African-American ranch hand, a man of strength and character. These ugly slurs are clearly shown to degrade those who utter them, and not those at whom they are directed.

There is mild profanity in this book. Vulgar and offensive language is thrown around, as Steinbeck reproduces the atmosphere of a working ranch. None of it approaches the level of offense common in popular music or fiction or many malls today.

The most disturbing feature of the book, to me, is the euthanasia scene. It is strong stuff, as it is meant to be. A painful choice is made. Yes, Steinbeck seems to approve of euthanasia.

Yet any ordinary ninth grader could benefit from reading Of Mice and Men. The language is simple and direct, the characters and their problems are clearly drawn. The ending is horrifying and sad, but not brutal. It provokes sympathy, I think, for these men's plight, and understanding.

It is hard to understand why this particular book would be banned. After all, it is unreasonable to forbid everyone to read books unsuitable for six-year-olds. However, it is easy to favor some forms of censorship.

One of the jobs of a parent is to shelter his or her children. Certainly, children will learn that there is cruelty and death in the world. Parents strive to make sure that such lessons will come in a measured way though, mixed with understanding. Parents uphold their right to control the influences on their children, and their right to protect them from outright evil.

The same is true with communities. In America, we sometimes use a community standard to decide which works are unacceptable. Censorship is a complicated question, but very few would say that it is completely unnecessary. Therefore, if it must be sometimes be done, in a democracy the least restrictive way to do it seems to be through community standards.

That is the opinion of the Supreme Court of the United States of America, in the Miller test. Some things, in some places, are not allowed. Precisely what those things are is meant to be decided locally. Any community is completely inside the law if it decides to ban Of Mice and Men.

If it were published tomorrow, would this book be banned? Of Mice and Men is a book of undoubted genius, and the Sinese/Malkovich film version of it strikes many as great art as well. It is hard to imagine the adult who would not profit from reading the book or seeing the film. Nevertheless, communities still have the constitutional right and moral duty to protect themselves from what they perceive as corrupting influences, whether they use social pressure or outright censorship. Society balances competing interests, and society must set standards.

Standards do exist, now as they did then. Because it outraged the standards of its time in certain places Of Mice and Men was banned. Probably, this improved its sales and prolonged its well-deserved fame.

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