Posted: March 18th, 2022

Of Mice and Men Film/Book Comparison

The lack of interaction between the Weak’ ones of the ranch in the film version of Of Mice and Men results in the obscuring of the theme of handicaps that is present throughout the novel. In the film, the scene begins with Leonie approaching Crooks as the rest of the men are in the nearby town. They discuss Lien’s desire to tend rabbits and later on, Leonie makes it clear his intention for George and he to be together till the end. George comes in, escorts Leonie out of the room where they encounter Curlers wife as she complains of her unhappy marriage and runs away.
The book varies in the way that Curlers wife and Candy are both in the room as they all talk. As Candy, Leonie, and Crooks discuss the promise of a brighter future, Curlers wife is quick to crush their dreams with the reality of each of their situations. After she humiliates them, they are defeated and their harsh circumstances sink in. It is important to notice in the novel that each character has their own handicap, whether it is age, gender, race, mental capability, or physical capability; although they show strength even with their weak descriptions, the purpose of the theme is to convey the low tolerance their society has of handicaps.
For example, Crooks, even being a bitter man, latches onto their dream of the little house for the promise of companionship, but because of his race and the prejudice during the time period, Curlers wife makes sure he knows that he will never be accepted. Although the handicaps are physically portrayed In the film, they are not reinforced well enough because there isn’t as big of a power difference between Leonie and Crooks as there is between them and Curlers wife. Curlers wife may be handicapped as her loneliness makes her desperate, but she has the ability to take away any hope they eave.

Also, in the novel, Curlers wife mentions that the men left the three Weak’ ones at home. This comment serves to further describe the time period as there Is never enough protection for the weak from the strong. The theme of handicaps Is essential to the comprehension of the novel as It grasps the concept of Inequality; without the theme’s distinction, there Is no closure, positive or negative, that Is needed for the reader to comprehend the negative Impact the fictional world has on a group of people that are not as strong as society requires them to be.

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