i just finished reading Steinbeck’s classic, cuz it was never assigned to me in school, and found it to be pretty dull. the ending (which will be spoiled here, sorry) where the girl is killed just felt too forced and unsatisfying. it didn’t feel sad, it just felt clumsy. at least it was a short read.
then i read this quote from Steinbeck:
Lennie was a real person. He’s in an insane asylum in California right now. I worked alongside him for many weeks. He didn’t kill a girl. He killed a ranch foreman. Got sore because the boss had fired his pal and stuck a pitchfork right through his stomach. I hate to tell you how many times I saw him do it. We couldn’t stop him until it was too late.
for some reason, that would have made a much, much better ending to me.
anywhere, here’s a song that references the book.