College Essay/Interview Question

College Essay Interview Question 41: Name one book you have read in the past year, describe your reason for considering this book significant and what you gained from reading it. (Lewis and Clark College)

In the past year, I have been forced to read multiple different books due to the lovely AP Lit class and believe it or not, I did find one of the books to be significant. When I read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, I found the novel to be interesting and I gained a bit of knowledge from it. The relationship that Lennie and George shared in Of Mice and Men has taught me multiple different ideas of life and, therefore, the book was significant to me and kept me interested throughout.

George and Lennie taught me that a true friendship and a true companionship are able to exist between two people for an entire lifetime. These two characters had participated in a friendship throughout their journeys from farm to farm for the entire length of the novel until the death of one of them occurred. Lennie had a mental disability, and as a result, George took care of the man; Lennie was dependant on George. George and Lennie grew an everlasting friendship and were always present when they needed each other. Their friendship has taught me that deep, everlasting friendships can exist between people and some people even have the ability to always be there for another person, whether it is because of a protection over that person or just because the two people have a very strong, bonded friendship with each other.

George and Lennie have also taught me that the American dream is unattainable. Throughout the entire novel, Lennie and George had a dream in which they wished to one day own a farm that they could maintain themselves and never have to worry about the dangers of messing up and having the owners find out about their mistake. They hoped to reach this goal one day in their lives but their goal was never reached. This has taught me that some goals that people hope to accomplish one day are just impossible to reach and have success with. Due to this realization, I will not ever dedicate my entire life towards something that may not actually happen. I will also not dream of unrealistic thoughts only to be upset when they do not come true. George and Lennie taught me that some dreams are unable to ever be accomplished.

When I read the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, I found the story to be very significant and I learned some life lessons from it. George and Lennie’s friendship taught me that people can have everlasting connections with each other and people can be dependant on others. The two characters also informed me that some American dreams are just impossible and will never be accomplished. The novel was an inspiration to my mind with some of the ideas that it portrayed and thus, I found Of Mice and Men to be a very significant novel.