Friendship, love, being realistic- all good qualities, right? Prejudice, violence, profanity- all bad qualities. The book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a controversial book within school libraries. This novel has all of the qualities listed above: friendship, love, courage, prejudice, violence, and profanity. Should this book be banned from schools because of its "vulgar" material, or should this book not be banned because of its great lessons on friendship? This book shouldn't be banned from schools, but should rather be embraced because of its lessons on life. The good qualities easily conquer the bad, and sets this brilliant book away from other controversial novels.
Of Mice and Men shows violence in where a man, George, kills his best friend Lennie by shooting him in the back of the head. People who are for banning this book, will claim that shooting your best friend is an example of violence.
English: John Steinbeck
Lennie James
Lennie JamesI agree, but these people who claim that idea, refuse to see why George shoots Lennie. After Lennie kills a woman in the town, her husband is after him. He plans to torture him and make him have a slow, painful death.
" Curley came suddenly to life. ' I know who done it,' he cried. ' That big son-of-a-b*tch done it. I know he done it'⦠' I'm gonna get him. I'm going for my shotgun. I'll kill the big son- of- a- b*tch myself. I'll shoot 'im in the guts.'" (Pg. 96) Either way, Lennie would have died. However, would people rather read of a character dying slowly by torture, or read of a character who dies fast and by a person who loves him? Instead of it being an act of violence, the shooting incident should be seen as an act of friendship.
Another controversial...