“Hold fast to dreams, for if dream dies, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly” (Langston Hughes). The film “Of Mice and Men” directed by Gary Sinise is an adaption of the novel with the same name written by John Steinbeck, it depict the icon living conditions and life style of itinerant farm workers in California during the Great Depression. Both the novel and the film develop the themes of “friendship,” “loneliness,” and “loss of dreams” and use the actions of the characters to portray these themes through different methods. First of all, the theme of friendship is developed through the main character of George Milton. In the film, George displays tenderness when he gently cleans the blood from Lennie’s face after Curley attacks
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George’s grief over the loss of the Dream almost seems anticlimactic. However, the film portrays his sorrow vividly by focusing on George’s face as he rides alone in the train, accepting the emptiness of his life without Lennie. Another scene from the novel developing the theme of loneliness portrays Lennie having an imaginary conversation with his Aunt Clara. She berates him for doing bad things and tells him George will not let him tend the rabbits. This scene verges on melodrama. However, the film poignantly portrays the two men’s grief at the death of the dream. Lennie rushes toward George, falls down and clings to him whimpering like a small child. Then, George begins the story of the Dream to calm Lennie’s fears. The film version captures the sadness of the dream that died. Both the novel and the film develop the theme of loneliness, though Steinbeck’s handling sometimes borders on bathos. In adapting a novel into a two-hour film, a director should respect the intent of an author’s work. Certainly, Sinise in his 1992 film adaptation of achieves this goal by developing the novel’s three most important themes: friendship, loneliness, and the loss of Dreams. Steinbeck’s book captures poignantly the experiences of ordinary people as they grapple with the miseries of the human condition,
George’s grief over the loss of the Dream almost seems anticlimactic. However, the film portrays his sorrow vividly by focusing on George’s face as he rides alone in the train, accepting the emptiness of his life without Lennie. Another scene from the novel developing the theme of loneliness portrays Lennie having an imaginary conversation with his Aunt Clara. She berates him for doing bad things and tells him George will not let him tend the rabbits. This scene verges on melodrama. However, the film poignantly portrays the two men’s grief at the death of the dream. Lennie rushes toward George, falls down and clings to him whimpering like a small child. Then, George begins the story of the Dream to calm Lennie’s fears. The film version captures the sadness of the dream that died. Both the novel and the film develop the theme of loneliness, though Steinbeck’s handling sometimes borders on bathos. In adapting a novel into a two-hour film, a director should respect the intent of an author’s work. Certainly, Sinise in his 1992 film adaptation of achieves this goal by developing the novel’s three most important themes: friendship, loneliness, and the loss of Dreams. Steinbeck’s book captures poignantly the experiences of ordinary people as they grapple with the miseries of the human condition,