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Of Mice and Men | A Teachable Good Book: Of Mice and Men
In the following excerpt, Thomas Scarseth argues that despite being short and easy to read, Of Mice and Men provides excellent examples of theme, character, and symbol.
For Of Mice and Men is a Tragedy, a tragedy not in the narrow modern sense of a mere 'sad story' (though it certainly is that), but a tragedy in the classic Aristotelian/Shakespearean sense of showing humanity's achievement of greatness through and in spite of defeat.
Some people seem to believe that the function of literature is to provide vicarious "happy endings," to provide in words a sugary sweetness we would like to have but cannot always get in real life. To such people, true literary tragedy is distasteful....
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