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The__Imp t1_itzveck wrote

Reply to comment by babobunny in Best books with well-written characters by babobunny

Of mice and men is a great book, and you do come to appreciate Lenny and George, but my take on it is that the for the entire book, essentially every choice is narrowly tailored for the emotional impact of the ending.

Both of Steinbecks other most popular works, East of Eden and The Grapes of Wrath are much, much grander in scale. I think East of Eden was a great pick based on your criteria because the book is all about the characters, and there are many as the book spans a generation.

The Grapes of Wrath is exceptional too, his depression era novel. Over the course of the book you alternate between these generalized depiction of these okies heading west and the ongoing tale of the Joads, a down on their luck family fleeing the dust bowl.

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porky63 t1_itzwopk wrote

>essentially every choice essentially is narrowly tailored for the emotional impact of the ending

I can't tell if this is supposed to be a criticism, because the phrasing sounds like one but the content is extremely positive.

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The__Imp t1_iu0hhq0 wrote

No, not intended to be a criticism at all. It is a beautiful book. Not one of my favorites, but an excellent book, especially on the first read.

My point was simply that, to a degree, the characters themselves are tools for that emotional impact the book is building towards.

I like Lenny and George. But they don't feel alive to me the same way that Lee or Sam Hamilton or the Joads feel.

Ultimately, my point is merely that if OP likes the characterization in Mice and Men, where the characters are hampered by their need to fit in the box, if you will, of serving the sharply defined goals of the book, then he or she should like the characterization from Grapes of Wrath or East of Eden even more.

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