What exactly is a "bad" person? What is a "good" person? Can someone be pure evil with no reason behind it? These questions are often overlooked in this society. According to Steinbeck, good literature goes beyond the foggy, superficial perceptions of people and reveals the good and bad qualities-the "human strength [and] human weakness-of humanity"(P6). Although people are known to be "good" or "bad" as a general perception, Steinbeck's characters in the novel Of Mice and Men bring to the reader a deeper view of these stereotypes and the human heart and mind.
Good literature makes the reader aware of the fact that humans make mistakes but learn from them, causing them to become better people. In Steinbeck's speech, he states that good literature "[exposes] our many grievous faults and failures"(P7) and emphasizes the "human heart in conflict with itself"(P6). Besides the faults, though, good literature also shows the good in humanity. For example: the reason or reasons behind the bad qualities, thoughts, or actions. These reasons bring understanding to why the person is this way and, possibly, a more positive opinion about him or her.
Lennie, for example, was mentally challenged and, as a result, made a lot of mistakes. Did he ever once have any bad intentions whatsoever? No, he didn't. His heart was the purest of the pure, and, besides his problems, so was his mind. Suppose that all the reader knew about Lennie was that he tended to kill little, cute mice, killed a poor, innocent puppy, and eventually, a grown woman. He was accused of rape, and crushed someone's hand into pieces. Knowing only these things, the reader would most likely assume that Lennie was just a messed up, mischeivous, evil-doer. That is where the judging and stereotyping takes place. This reader now thinks Lennie is a "bad" person with "bad" intentions, but someone who knows this character and has read into him will know he is the exact opposite.
Curley's wife is another example. She is constantly trying to talk to the men at the ranch, so they call her a tramp, a "bad" stereotype. There is no evidence showing that she sleeps around or even wants to. It seems like the men are so attracted to her that they had to make up a reason to avoid her. Otherwise, they would most likely get a beating and some choice words from Curley. She did not try to seduce any of the men, as far as the reader knows. She does seem to crave attention, though. She said herself that she "don' like Curley. He ain't a nice fella."(pg.89) and she "coulda been in the movies"(pg.89) and made something of herself. There are no other women at the ranch, and she is not allowed to go into town, so the only people she has to talk to are the men. No girl in her right mind has the ability to never talk to anyone and expect to keep her sanity. Curley, her husband, is obviously not nice to her, so, most likely, she is not just going to settle for him. After the reader thinks about all of Curley's wife's situations and predicaments, he or she should not think as negatively of her as he or she did before.
Lennie and Curley's wife are or could very well be "good" people. Mostly everyone knows the saying, "It's the thought that counts". Many don't realize that the intentions are more important to know than just the actions. Literature shows the readers these intentions, though. It delivers a deeper understanding of the human heart and its conflicts. Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men perfectly fits his definition of good literature. It is almost as if he wants to say, "before labeling a person, take a trip in their shoes for a while".
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