by Casey Hobbs
Just the other day, I flipped my channel to the original treatment of John Steinbeck’s classic Of Mice and Men, starring the fiery Burgess Meredith. I knew the story from having seen Gary Sinise’s 1992 remake a few dozen times but I was immediately drawn back into this version of Steinbeck’s tale.
Of Mice and Men is a simple story set in the vast farmlands of Central California in 1937. Of course, this was the time of the Great Depression, right before the start of the Second World War. Jobs were hard to come by and this became a time of wandering farmhands picking up a job here and there with very little hope of things getting better. For the most part, these travelers would be solitary men, hardened by life and suspicious of others.
George and Lennie are different than the rest. George is an undersized but strong character who cares after his much larger friend. Lennie is a physical specimen of a man but he is inwardly weak. While he is the quintessential gentle giant, he is also mentally challenged. His inadvertent actions cause chaos and leave a trail of destruction behind the pair. Throughout all the difficulties, George sticks by Lennie, defending, protecting, and caring for the larger man.
The two men endure with a hope of a coming day when all will be made right. One day they will get a place of their own. One day the work of their hands will sit on their table. One day George will take care of his friend and Lennie will take care of his own responsibilities.
As familiar as this story is, you have very little need for me to recount the details of how this tragedy unfolds. The well-meaning Lennie becomes alarmed while sitting alone with the daughter-in-law of the ranch-owner and, in his panic, kills the poor woman. When the men find out what has happened and it becomes patently obvious that Lennie is responsible, the ranch becomes a mobile lynch mob. George, who has protected Lennie for all these years, must now care for his friend one more time and runs in front of the angry mob to find him.
The story ends where it began. The two friends are together. Unlike their autonomous fellow-workers whose only unity is based upon the things they hate, these two are united by their love for one another. George reluctantly recounts their dream to his friend one last time before he must make a decision. He knows the angry mob will exhibit no mercy on Lennie. One way or another, Lennie will not live through the experience. In a mysterious and somehow beautiful way, George is finally forced to kill his only friend. Love looks so strange in Of Mice and Men and it seems so normal in our world as to be automatic.
“Unlike their autonomous fellow-workers whose only unity is based upon the things they hate, these two are united by their love for one another.”
Friendship and loyalty are not something made for the movies. The love and commitment we must have for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ is not empty sentiment nor is it a dream. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: “By sheer grace, God will not permit us to live even for a brief period in a dream world. He does not abandon us to those rapturous experiences and lofty moods that come to us like a dream.”[1]
When was the last time you thought this seriously about Christian community? It is so difficult in our context today to pay such close attention to others. We would so much rather follow a set of rules or keep a relationship at a superficial level. God has freed us for so much more in Jesus Christ.
The truth is, that as the two characters in Steinbeck’s story, we are all bound to a new land. We are going to live together in our Father’s house. While we wait, how will we live life together?
[1] Bonhoeffer, D. Life Together. San Francisco: Harper-Collins. 1954, p. 27.
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Casey is a displaced Northern Californian who is presently a seminary student and a restaurant server in Birmingham, Alabama. He is involved in a community of Christ-following sinners known as Tapestry of Hope and has a blog where he chronicles his adventures as a spiritual waiter.
Rethink Mission is about the intersection of the gospel, the church and culture. Weekly, we feature reviews and other interactions with artistic expressions of the culture around us.
Casey, I’ll say this: sometimes Christian community has made me wish for a “somehow beautiful way” to kill someone.
Of course, I don’t think that was the connection you were looking for.
Seriously – good post.
This post is wonderfully written and using the relationship of George and Lennie was a beautiful portrayl of friendship. I find it sad that we have to “teach” people or at least remind them of the importance of community, how it looks, and should be lived out. It has only been recently that I have noticed that this is an issue which is being raised. I honestly believe that social media contributes to this disconnect between people. People have hundreds of “friends” on FB yet have very few interpersonal relationships. I think it is negatively affecting younger generations to the point of possibly crippling them in knowing how to really be a friend. Life is being lived out via texting, FB, Twitter etc. I truly believe that there is a ministry of presence. We are created to be social beings which means we need to interact with others face to face…voice to voice…hold someone’s hand…listen (which don’t get me started on the lack of this skill)and really caring for someone else. This post really portrays the importance of this. Thank you Casey. And yes I recognize the irony of using this forum to communicate what I believe.
WOW!
Dedee, you voiced this well and I don’t think you need to appologize for using this forum knowing the pitfalls of the current cultural technological obsessive crazed world…In my oppinion, it is best to use what we have well, and you did so.
Having said that, I agree with you 100%.
And Jonathan, I just picture “Psycho” when I think about your comment…and so want to do that myself, without actually doing the deed. So, yeah, ditto!!!
Friendship/relationships are not modelled well in current society, period. We are rude, selfish, calculating, ignorant, abusive, power hungry, impatient, and less than forgiving. Like, well, little babies walking around in grown up gear. And we don’t “own the look” well.
This is exactly what happens when you get into community/church…You find brokeness there because of the confusion without. As a result, people don’t know how to respond rightly with each other, when they enter it, so yes, it then has to be taught.
I find that many are turned away or off by things they don’t understand, and are less than caring; finding it taxing to the spend time and figure out the best way to invest better in people/relations and have good meaningful relationships.
But, really, that’s what the “instruction manual” is all about.
Still, it’s taxing and tiring work…but somebody has to “do” it…for the good of your “neighbor” and self.
I really enjoyed this post (I am now a subscriber to Casey’s blog) and find it immediately relevant. And, unfortunately, I agree with Dedee in that I think some of the disconnect between Christians in community or any friend to another is in some part due to social media. I was blogging in 2004 for several years with little to no effect. But as the social media trends continue to grow, I see relationships worsening exponentially. What used to be a Game Boy in a disinterested middle schooler’s hand is now an iPhone in an adult’s. We are a society that is increasingly “unplugged” from the present, removed from face to face and overly emphasized on self-importance. I don’t think it is an all-encompassing problem, but I do think it is a dangerous trend. Seeing videos like “Did You Know 4.0″ did not excite me; they worry me.
As social media is so young and is already causing this small ripple of discontent, I am hoping there will be self-correction.
Would have enjoyed this discussion face-to-face, Dedee, and loved the comparison to “Of Mice and Men”, Casey! Community has been on the young church’s mind and is very important and worth time and follow through.
What a tender exchange that comes from such a tender post. Thanks, Casey, Dedee, Jen and Jennifer. Of course JMac had to interject the whole murder angle, but have you ever listened to some of the music he goes ape over? It makes me want to murder myself. Just kidding JM.
I think I’m just beginning to experience true Christian community at Journey.
Very good stuff, Case, and it’s almost as refreshing to read the comments.
True friendship is much more painful than we’d ever thought, but then, God’s befriending of us has been much more painful to Him than we can imagine.
Let’s live as free men and women.
JH
Thanks for your comments, everybody. I was interested in what you said, Dedee, as I can see, was everybody else who responded. It is sad what we will settle for when authentic community is what we all really need and seek.
I did want to throw in on that, however, that it is not necessarily a bad sign that we have to think about community. As broken people in need of the God of grace every second of every day, our communities are necessarily broken and in need of Divine help. So it is a good thing to be able to discuss how we can be more like our Triune, happy God.
Btw, Jay- way to bring the cross into it! I wish I had done that so great pickup! Love is always sacrificial!!!
keep ‘em coming, everybody!
I have always loved that story and your commentary is wise. nice pick up J
pops