Title of Of Mice and Men

Many great books and novels get their titles from famous poems. Novels such as For Whom the Bell Tolls by Hemmingway gets its name from a poem and, and even some John Steinbeck novels get their names from poems such as Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men. Of Mice and Men gets its title from a Robert Burns poem where Burns says “the best laid schemes of mice and men often go astray” because so many of George and Lennie’s plans and schemes go astray such as Lennie and George’s dream of owning land and animals and George’s dream of a simple life.

            In the beginning of the novel, it is told that George had planned on a simple life where he was not always called upon to help Lennie and get him out of trouble. The reader finds this out when George says “God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could a job, an’ work, an’ no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the month come I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get whatever I want….” then George goes on to describe how he could do whatever he wanted but he cant now because of Lennie. This means that he never planned on needing to protect Lennie and how his plan for his entire life had gone astray. It reveals that George doesn’t really want Lennie there because he keeps messing up George’s life. Another time this appears is when George says “I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail.” This quote is saying, also, how George’s life was pretty much ruined because he needs to take care of Lennie and how he never planned for this to happen. He wanted a simple life but he cant because he constantly needs to look after Lennie. It was told throughout the novel that helping Lennie was not George’s plan and that his plan for life was totally different than what it is which  makes the quote from Burns’ poem so fitting.

            Another way the quote fits into the story is the plan of both George and Lennie to own land and animals.  The plan was to get a little house with some land and get some rabbits and some chickens. Then Lennie would tend to the rabbits and they would, essentially, live happily ever after. Of course this dream did not come true, but the entire story is focused around this dream but when Lennie murders Curley’s wife, the dream is shattered. They also go so far as to recruit Candy to join them in their scheme. Candy asks them about the place and offers them a few hundred dollars and they agree to let him come. But even though they planned and planned this scheme, it still fell through in the end. Since the dream that the entire book is focused on is shattered, it is very fitting that the title of the novel refers to a poem about dreams being broken.

            The quote “the best laid schemes of mice and men often go astray” does not just hold true to the novel, but also to life in general. Even in life, it only takes one thing to make a brilliantly planned scheme  to fall through. The story of Lennie and George is a perfect example of this and John Steinbeck did a brilliant job portraying this idea. In the novel, several dreams and schemes go astray so it is very fitting that the title of the book comes from “the best laid schemes of mice and men often go astray”.

Hypocrisy of an Adult World in To Kill A Mockingbird

         In “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, there are several examples of how the youth, Jem and Scout, see the hypocrisy and injustice of the adult world, especially in the deep south in the 20’s. With the prejudice against races and the war going on, there are several hypocritical and unjust points made in the novel. The situation of Lula not wanting to allow the kids into the black church, Aunt Alexandra’s view on the Cunningham’s, and Mrs. Merriweather’s comments about the Mrunas then the black people are all perfect examples of the kids being exposed to the hypocrisy and injustice of the adult world. Harper Lee does a perfect job of fitting all this into one novel.

        In the middle of the book, while Atticus was out of town, Cal led the kids to her church. However, her church was a black church and one woman there, Lula, didn’t care too much for white kids being there. “You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here- they got their church, we got our’n.” pg 119 paragraph 7. Her reasoning for not wanting the kids there at her church is because they are white and Lula complains of all white people being prejudice against them but in her hate for whites and their prejudice, she too, is being racist and prejudice. This was a way that Jem and Scout saw the hypocrisy of an adult world because they saw someone being mad at a certain race for doing exactly what she does.

        Another way that the youth, Jem and Scout, areforced to see the hypocrisy of the adult world is from their own family, Aunt Alexandra. In the novel, Aunt Alexandra sticks up for Cousin Joshua even though he did some crazy things, like try to shoot the president, because he is family and family members stand up for one-another. However, when Aunt Alexandra is discussing the Walter Cunningham, she says “The fact is, he(Walter Cunningham) is not kin to us, but if he were, my answer would be the same.” pg 224 paragraph 10. This is very hypocritical of her to say, because she originally told the childeren to stick with their family members but now shes saying that even if this dirty kid was family, she still woudnt stick with him. This is showing the kids that she believes in family pride only when she likes the person shes standing up for, or if it helps her prove her point. This, too, shows the youth of To Kill A Mockingbird the hypocrisy and unjust of the adult world and that they will not follow their own advice if it helps them.

        During Aunt Alexandra’s party near the end of the book, Mrs. Merriweathermade some very hypocritical comments referring, first, to the Mrunas the, second, about the blacks. Mrs Merriweather went on and on about how much she respects and likes J. Grimes Everett because he is helping the Mrunas. “Not a white person will go near them but that saintly J. Grimes Everett.” pg 230 paragraph 9. She deeply respects this man for helping a minority but then just a few comments later she says “…there’s nothing more distracting than a sulky darky…Just ruins your day to have one of  ’em in your kitchen.” pg 232 paragraph 1. This was very hypocritical because she cannot see that the type of people that J. Grimes Everett is helping, is almost exactly like the situation of the black people in the south. She calls a man who helps people of another race ‘saintly’ but then goes around and bad mouths people of another race. This is yet another way the youth of the novel is exposed to hypocrisy in an adult world and.

        Haper Lee does a brilliant job of describing the hypocrisy and unjust of the adult world in her novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” especially in the south of the ’20s. With examples of racism and adults saying one thing at one time, then the complete opposite not too long after, “To Kill A Mockingbird” is a perfect example of hypocrisy. Whether its a respected neighbor saying it, a   disgrimanated against person, or your own family, hyporcisy is commonly found through-out the adult world and Harper Lee does a perfect job capturing that.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

            Stephen King’s “The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon” is a great story that I have read many times. It is a chilling page-turner that kept me coming back for more. Once I started this particular novel, I could not put it down until I finished it. Red Riding Hood is not just a fairy-tale anymore.

Trisha is only nine years old, and her parents have just gone through a divorce. Her fourteen year old brother and her mom are constantly arguing and Trisha is at wit’s end. It is then that her mother decides to take the two children on a hiking adventure in the Appalachian mountain range on the New Hampshire and Maine border. It does not take long for the mom and brother to start arguing again, so Trisha decides to walk behind them and get out of their way. When she steps off the trail in order to go to the bathroom, she is convinced she will be able to find her way back without a problem. She soon learns she was mistaken and is not where she thought she was.  Despite her best efforts, Trisha is unable to find her family or the trail and must find her own way out. She spends her time gathering food and water and, of course, listening to the Boston Red Sox on her Walkman. Trisha is not as alone in these woods as she originally thinks, however. There is something big making noises in the dark and following her. Then she discovers the dead bodies it is leaving for her to find.

Trisha’s only goal is to survive long enough to get to civilization, but with the horrible New England mosquitoes, poisonous food, and the mysterious monster lurking just beyond her visibility, that task is becoming increasingly difficult. Stephen King is the master of horror and “The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon” is as good as it gets. He takes the classic story of a little girl lost in the woods, and makes it a terrifying story that will make anyone think twice about walking in the woods alone.

With a Walkman as her only comfort, Trisha learns that the world is not as innocent as it seems, but will actually swallow you whole if it gets half a chance. As her only link to the outside world, the Walkman perfectly symbolizes the thin line between order and chaos and how easily that line is torn. “The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon” is a perfect example of how one small action can cast your entire life into a tailspin with chaos uncontrollably mounting on with every action.

I find Trisha easy to relate to because she is the textbook case of a New Englander that came from a broken home, dealing with parental issues. Her actions and feelings are even easier to relate to because she follows the human instinct by trying to find flowing water to follow to a town, learning how to conserve energy, and her instantaneous fear that she is not alone. At first she cries for her mom or for anyone else that might save her but then she grows up in a way and realizes no one’s coming to her rescue. She picks herself up and pushes herself on, which is the lesson that everyone must learn eventually, and Stephen King shows this flawlessly.

Trisha’s utter fascination with the Boston Red Sox, especially Tom Gordon, their relief pitcher is what kept her alive. Tom Gordon is Trisha’s hero and it is remarkable how she kept herself going with just the thought of him. When she wasn’t listening to him pitch in a game, she was imagining him right there beside her in the woods. They would even have conversations, which may sound crazy, but it saved her life more than once. Stephen King tells in “The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon” that it is necessary to have an idol, someone that you look up to. It is important to have that someone that will keep you going or even make you make good decisions. “What would Tom Gordon do?” is the most frequent asked question in the novel. One of Stephen King’s main themes and ideas for this book is basically “I think we all should have that question in our life. Not Tom Gordon, but some other person.”

My favorite scene in the entire book is when Trisha is first lost and is trying to find her parents or the trail. It is at that time when the theme order over chaos is truly shown. It starts out with her not knowing she is lost then slowly realizing that she is not where she thought she was. The increasing terror, the slow realization of her mistake, and the sudden dread that she is lost and may never be found makes this my favorite scene.

Stephen King lives in Maine, which he shows through his knowledge of the area and people. As Trisha walks through the woods she discovers a cliff hundreds of feet above the next level in the woods. The description of this is so dead-on accurate, it can only be told by someone from the area. The Red Sox games are described frequently during the book. Even though the Red Sox are not the only baseball team, the description of them and the actual team members is obviously written by a true Red Sox fan. This makes the book more interesting and lively, but also it makes it easier to relate to the book and the writer.

Stephen King’s “The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon” is a thrilling and terrifying novel that puts the reader right in the place of lost Trish. The stories of people getting lost, even killed, in woods is no longer just a story, but an adventure as well. Stephen King takes Red Riding Hood, a simple fairy tale, and makes it into an unforgettable novel that will keep the reader entertained many times. The description, feelings, and actions are so realistic; one has to think if King purposely got lost to write this book. “The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon” is a remarkable book full of symbolism, themes, and ideas that will live on forever.

Shattering Glass

           “Shattering Glass” by Gail Giles is a book that should be read by every high-schooler before their graduation. It is a great story of betrayal, jealousy, hatred and mistrust amongst a bunch of high school guys.

 

            “Shattering Glass” takes place in present day Texas, following four seniors in high school. Young, the main character, is a brilliant and popular kid with friends like Coop, the dumb football jock, Bob, the popular ladies’ man, and Rob, the new yet popular kid who is beloved by all. One day, while hanging out, the four-some spots a kid picking on a nerd who has no social grace at all. With a shirt tucked into his too small pants, zipper half up, pocket protector with all sorts of pens, and too much jell in his come-over hair, Glass is the classic textbook geek. They decide amongst themselves to turn this socially awkward nerd into the most popular kid in the entire school by having him win “Class Favorite.” Glass, after much persuasion, eventually agrees to play along.

 

            While transforming Glass, the characters learn more about each other, maybe a little too much. They learn of untold secrets that could change the entire friendship. Jealousy of Glass begins to seep in because now, Young is no longer the center of attention, but is replaced by Glass. Deep anger and hatred start to take its place and by the end of the book they are all willing to do the worst thing of all. Murder. Although the reader is told the ending of the story at the very beginning, it still has unthinkable twists in the plot. With the influence of popularity and girls, the group of guys is willing to do anything to make sure they stay on top.

 

            Relating to the book is very easy. Gail Giles stereotypes almost everyone in the book, but it’s so accurate anyone could relate to a character. As secrets and jealousy seep between the friends, the reader gets a perfect thought-provoking look into the personalities and behaviors of the characters. My favorite character is Young because he is smart, well liked, but also has problems with his family. He is the person I can relate to most because I find that there are a lot of similarities between us. He is a very poetic person but has difficulty controlling his anger, and is naturally a very jealous person, which stems from his own insecurity. My favorite part of the entire book is the very end where everything comes to an end. The end is also very ironic which is why I like it. Young, the only one who didn’t do anything, was the one who got the entire incident blamed on him.

           

            “Shattering Glass” is one of my all time favorite books. Every time I read “Shattering Glass”, I feel the horrifying truth of how easy it is for everything to fall apart, even for such promising students such as Young. It always reminds me of how important relationships with friends and family truly is. “Shattering Glass” is horrifyingly disturbing with unexpected twists that keep the plot always interesting. “Shattering Glass” by Gail Giles is an amazing book and I highly recommend that anyone who can read should read it.