by Cicely Richard

Created on: September 17, 2008

John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" is the tragic tale of George Milton and Lennie Small, two California migrant workers during the Depression. The major conflicts in the story centers on the complicated relationship between the two men. Because Lennie is mentally disabled, he gets into trouble in some of the places they work. George feels responsible for Lennie and works hard to keep him from getting into predicaments. However, when Lennie accidentally kills the wife of Curley, the ranch owner's son, George realizes that he can no longer protect his ward. Because the content of "Of Mice and Men" is mature, it often is placed on banned book lists.

One of the reasons it land on the banned books list is because the book is laced with profanity and vulgar language. When the ranch workers talk to one another, they speak in crude language, not the refined English of a more educated class. The raw language represents the men's status in this world. The characters even say the "N" word, which is considered derogatory by a number of individuals. To many school districts and parents, the use of so much profanity and raw language is not necessary to teach the middle and high school students lessons in life.

In addition to the profanity in the book, the adult themes in the book turn some individuals away from the novel. The book talks about sex either directly or through innuendo. Because a woman accuses Lennie of rape, they have to leave a previous job. Additionally, the ranch workers look forward to quick rolls in the hay with local women when they get paid. The loneliness and sexual deprivation of Curley's wife ultimately leads to her death. Parents feel that sexual references should not be part of the curriculum in any form.

The ending of the novel, too, makes parents and administrators alike cringe at presenting it to students. At the end of the novel, George makes the tough decision to kill his friend as a way to protect him. The ending of the book is startling, even if you are an adult. Because the mercy killing of Lennie is so graphic, many feel that it leaves a lot of room for explanation by the educators. It is likely because people don't really like to talk about death in the first place and this scene may result in questions that adults are unprepared to explain to youngsters.

Overall, "Of Mice and Men" is a mature book to read and is on the American Library Associations list of frequently banned books. As recently as this year, the book has been banned in a number of school districts across the United States.

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