Comparison Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

John Steinbeck, in his novel Of Mice and Men, uses a great deal of description to convey the mood of the characters without the reader being able to see them. Repeatedly through the last chapter, Steinbeck mentions the recurring silence from George as he thinks of what he’s about to do to Lennie. Steinbeck’s emphasis on writing George’s actions creates a sense of uneasiness because something is obviously bothering him, as George often “sh[akes] himself” to clear his head and speaks “woodenly” (Steinbeck 103). Meanwhile, the sun is going down quickly and the “darkening slopes” surrounding them reflect the inevitable end of Lennie’s life as night overtakes the land (Steinbeck 105). George’s silence, pauses while speaking, and bothered attitude

represent the internal struggle of making difficult decisions. The final decision ends the novel in complete anguish and confusion.
Contrastingly, Sinise ends the movie on a happy note as he shows the good times George and Lennie had together right after the despair over Lennie’s death. Ultimately it’s evident that George really does care for Lennie even though George seemed to verbally beat him down. Oftentimes, people don’t understand how much someone means to them until they are gone and they have to say goodbye. Just like in the novel it was clearly difficult for George to pull the trigger. The audience sees him shake himself and blink often to clear his head. Also true to the novel, there are a lot of pauses as George steadies himself in preparation for killing his best and only true friend (Sinise). The novel and film both use incredible detail to connect the reader or audience to the story and emphasize the difficulty of making a decision for a tough situation.