The storyline in the movie version Of Mice and Men does justice to the novel because it follows it so closely. The story is about two friends Lennie and George and their search for the American dream. Their dream was to own a little house that was on property that they owned. “Someday we're gonna get the jack together and we're gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an a cow and some pigs and an live off the fatta the lan!” p.14 Just as George and Lennie were about have their dream come true by buying a house Lennie gets into trouble by killing Hurley's wife. “He lifted her arm and let it drop. For a moment he seemed bewildered. And then he whispered in fright, “I done a bad thing.

I done another bad thing.” p.91 In the last scene George makes the decision to kill Lennie before Hurley got to him All of the storyline was followed perfectly the only little difference in this scene is that in the movie George killed Lennie with out hesitating but in the book it was longer and it had sadder effect. “George raised the gun and steadied it and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie's head, the hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger.” Pg. 106 The storyline was well followed in the film doing justice to the novel this however was not the only part of novel and book that were very similar, the settings were very much the same.

The settings in the movie Of Mice and Men were almost identical to the settings that were described in the novel. The story was set in the United States near mountains and streams, ranch country. One of the best replicated scenes was the bunk house. At the start of chapter 2 Steinbeck described the bunk house and in the movie it looks just as he describes. “The bunk house was a long rectangular building. Inside, the walls were whitewashed and the floor unpainted. In three walls there were small, square windows, and in the forth a solid door with a wooden latch. Against the wall were eight bunks, five of them made up with blackest and the other three showing their burlap ticking. Over each bunk there was a nailed an apple box with opening forward so that it made two shelves for the personal belongings of the occupant of the bunk” Pg. 17

The interesting thing about the movie is the characters were always in the right setting when an event happened just as described in the book. In the film when Lennie talks to Crooks the setting is in Crooks room in the novel it is the same “Crooks settled himself more comfortably on his bunk” set down,” he invited “set down on the nail keg.”” Pg. 70 In the film when George kills Hurley's wife it takes place in the barn while all the others are playing horseshoes outside in the novel it is the same “He pawed up the hay until it partly covered her . From outside the barn came a cry of men and the double clang of shoes on metal. “Pg. 92. Not only are the characters in the right setting at the right time they are also well portrayed.

In the movie version Of Mice and Men the characters are as I imagined them in my head. Lennie was a character that was well portrayed. This is the physical description of Lennie “ A huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walk heavily dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his side, but hung loosely” pg. 2 Lennie was also slow in the head; they mention that in the story. Lennie looked and acted the way I pictured him. Other characters were also portrayed very well, George, Lennies only friend is described as being “small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, small hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose.” Pg. 2 In the movie this physical description fits him well. All character descriptions fit the characters in the movie. The movie characters did the book justice.

I think that the film version Of Mice and Men did justice to the book. In the movie what I enjoyed most was how the character Lennie was portrayed. He was as I imagined him in the novel. Overall I like the book better that the movie only for one reason. I found that the novels ending was more dramatic and made me feel more affection for Lennie and George.