If I could pull the lever on any literary tragedy and force a different outcome, my choice would be Of Mice and Men.
I’ll be honest: when I first read John Steinbeck’s classic years ago, it never really did much for me. But my entire outlook shifted when I taught the book a couple of years back. It’s often assigned to students who might not be the strongest readers, but I was genuinely impressed by how deeply my own students connected with the characters. Seeing their investment in George and Lennie’s fate made me look at the story with fresh eyes.
I understand why Steinbeck wrote it the way he did. It is a pillar of the realism movement, designed to show the world that, during the Great Depression, the “American Dream” was just that—a dream. The tragedy is the point.
But if I could change it, I’d want to see George embrace a version of “Option C.”
I want the version where he prioritizes his and Lennie’s survival above all else. I want the version where George catches up to Lennie before the tragedy with Curley’s wife occurs, and instead of resigning them to their inevitable fate, he chooses to walk away. I want to see them take the money they’ve saved, leave the ranch behind, and actually find that small, quiet patch of land where Lennie can tend the rabbits.
I know that goes against the grain of the era’s literature—which was so often defined by crushing poverty and thwarted ambition—but that’s exactly why I want it. It would have been a radical, beautiful act of defiance to see a story from that era where the “good guys” actually got to win, instead of just being another casualty of the system.
Sometimes, I’m just tired of the tragedy. Sometimes, I’d like to see the dreamer get his farm.
I wrote a deeper dive into the film adaptation last year; you can find those thoughts here Rob’s Retro Review: Of Mice and Men
Rebuilding a life takes grit, consistency, and a lot of ‘Option C’ thinking. Having crossed the 1,000-day milestone, I’m now charting the territory beyond. The mission remains the same: No glitz. Just the work. New to the blog? Start your journey here to see the blueprint and the ‘Tricorder’ perspective behind the rebuild.
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The article “The “Option C” Version of Of Mice and Men” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.
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