Of Mice and Men

Reading really great works of literature, sometimes really get me down. It makes me ashamed of my own writing. I wonder how long before I can produce something even minutely as good. So I finished Steinbeck's of Mice and Men. I read it in one sitting at the Westfield mall to the sound of a crazy homeless black guy chanting about a "cuban truck carrying very very dangerous stuff." It is amazing how writing can transport me to places and scenes. I cried at the end of book, who cares if it was in public, my tears are well deserved for the amazing writing Steinbeck produced. For me, reading is a spiritual activity. It just feels so grand at the end of a good book, it is like I have seen into the heart of an invisible something that powers life. I can't even explain this without making it sound cheesy. But those moments that linger at the end of a great book makes me feel like I have seen something noble and beautiful, and there is a goodness in life. Of course, it is written by human hand, and is far from perfect, in fact there will always be flaws in any work of literature, but the flaws too seem full of light.

I remember arguing with Lee once, about the value of reading. He claims reading is merely another avenue for entertainment, but I argued otherwise. Reading for me will always be more than entertainment. He claimed that reading only offers pleasure and no real value in learning. What can one learn from reading stories anyway, they are not real, simply made up figments of someone's imagination. But for me, stories are much more, much much more. It is the one true place experience, emotions, visions, creation, existence all come together. Sometimes, I feel that I am only truly alive in the presence of stories. That is why I want to write. Because I feel that I am alive when I write, and everytime I read something good, I believe in the world I inhabit, that even with all the evil and darkness, there is meaning for all this, as elusive as it is, and there is nothing I believe in as strongly as this.

Then after the wave of wonder passes, I ask myself, how is it done? How did Steinbeck create this amazing experience for me using nothing more than words?

Symmetry

There is a symmetry in the construction of the story. It opens at night by a river, it closes at night by a river. A harmless old dog is shot at the bck fo the head half way through, a harmless man is also shot at the end of the story. I'm beginning to understand the rhyming action that my writing instructor talked about, and its power.

Repetition

There is something about repetition that increase intensity and heightens suspense. Words are repeated, almost word for word to show how much something means for a character. Images are repeated, the theme of tending rabbits open and closes the book.

Pattern

Unlike what most people say about surprises and suspense, most great stories actually already has the ending in the opening. My writing instructor once said that good writers teach readers how to read them in the first page of a book. In the same way, the ending is embedded in the opening, so that even though one is surprised at the end, one is still prepared and doesn't feel cheated. It is the reason why ending the story with "And I woke up to find it was all a dream" is a cheap trick.

Fulfilment

Not fulfilling what your readers desire for your characters can be an amazing kind of fulfilment if that is the effect the writer wants to achieve. As much as people want a happily-ever-after, and as much satisfaction as happy endings can give, sometimes the sad endings can carry power far beyond a happy one. It is not true that all stories need to end sadly to have power, but it must ring true to the tale. Cinderella would not be better if her step sister's ploy worked and became queen, but Steinbeck's story would also not be better if everyone got their wish. Every story creates its own world, and the ending need to be true to that world.

Steinbeck, whereever you are now. I am grateful.