He says that some students only read two books in an academic year, and that a departmental survey in England suggested that "over 90% of schools teach Of Mice and Men to their GCSE students".  

But why does a novella written in 1937 about displaced ranch workers during the Great Depression hold such enduring popularity in schools? 

The answer is that Steinbeck's classic is short, comprising only six chapters, and that its themes continue to be considered relevant to 21st Century society. 

Nicola Williams, a senior English teacher at Charlton School in Shropshire, admits the length of the novella is a factor in its appeal, suggesting that "the reading is not too onerous when we are so pushed for time in the curriculum". But she believes the true draw of the novella lies in its accessibility to students across a range of academic abilities. 

"Students often struggle to understand why George shoots Lennie," she says, "particularly at the lower end of the ability spectrum, but once explained they do get it." 

"Steinbeck offers a lot for more able students too with his references to light and noise and his presentation of the six clear scenes in a cyclical style." 

Williams describes the relationship between main characters George and Lennie as the topic that provokes the most debate. She says: "Interestingly, a lot of students jump to the conclusion that the two main characters must be gay as they travel together, and that, I think, is due to modern representations of male relationships. 

"It's really gritty because of the issues it deals with." 

Susan Van Kirk, author of the Cliff Notes Revision Guide for Of Mice and Men agrees, commenting: "Thousands of books are written and printed every year, but very few stand the test of time and speak of enduring human values. 

"Of Mice and Men has universal themes that can be read in any culture and time. John Steinbeck wrote of lessons of the heart, lessons that teach children what it is to be a human being with compassion for his fellow humans and a social conscience." 

Van Kirk believes the theme of bullying is of great relevance to teaching children in society today. 

"Currently in Western culture, there is much discussion about school bullying. This book is certainly a bullying antidote. Teenagers often feel lonely and powerless and they can identify with many of the characters in this novel." 

"I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog." 

I used to work with Special Education kids some time ago. And I have seen first-hand what Steinbeck describes in Of Mice and Men - the childlike vulnerability and innocence often combined with physical strength, just waiting for something bad to happen. The children we took care of - some of which topped my 5'3'' frame by a foot or so and outweighed me by a good hundred pounds (but despite that a few times I had to physically put myself on between them and a smaller child) - had, unlike Lennie, the society that is determined to protect them. They were luckier than poor George's charge. But I could not help but picture some of them, who have forever secured spots in my heart, in place of Lennie Small, feeling nothing but dread and sadness. Lennie, who is as innocent as one gets, and yet as much of a unwilling menace as one can be. And it was soul-crushing. 
I think the impact of this story was that it did not have me taking sides. I felt bad for Lennie. I felt awful for Curley's wife who does not even have a NAME in this story. I felt sad for George and what he had to do. And I felt bad for the whole bunch of men who had names and stories, and a woman who got one but not the other. 

"You God damn tramp," be said viciously. "You done it, di'n't you? I s'pose you're glad. Ever'body knowed you'd mess things up. You wasn't no good. You ain't no good now, you lousy tart." 

And that's where this book lost stars for me. Curley's wife, the unwilling almost-antagonist/victim of this story. The woman who had no name except for the possessive one of her husband whose property - and therefore trouble for everyone else - she was viewed as. It seemed that she was the one getting the blame, not as much the crazy volatile husband of hers. After all, she *asked* for trouble, didn't she? At least that's the nagging feeling I got from this story, from the way her character was handled, from the way it was repeatedly stated that a 'tart' like her meant trouble for a man. Blame-the-victim mentality does not sit well with me, and I can't help but think that Steinbeck did that.
This book is definitely a classic with a profound impact on the reader, a short read that is in no way easy. It deserves the fame and recognition that it has enjoyed for quite a few years. 3.5 stars from me (it would have been 4.5 stars, but for the literary treatment of Curley's wife). 

Students like Of Mice and Men because they find it relatable. They see themselves as the characters, and relate especially to the workers. They can make connections and find similarities to their own lives. With characters such as Lennie, who is mentally challenged but physically strong, and Curly who is a bully but weak, it is quite possible to envision a film adaptation of the story set in a high school. Students who are not voracious readers will find the short length appealing. The plot advances very rapidly, with tragic overtones from the very beginning. Lennie himself is very much like a child, with his childlike fascination with petting animals, as well as his dream of the farm which he has George repeat to him over and over. The repetition of various forms of “we gonna get a little place” (Steinbeck 105) and the awful final knowledge that the character’s dreams will never come true is heartbreaking. It has a sad enough ending that high school students won’t feel cheated- for the other books they often are made to read are similarly depressing. That brings us to the final point why high school students like this text: they are taught to like unhappy stories and to imbue unhappy stories with more meaning than happy stories. Novels with happy endings are rarely taught in high school. In a study by Arthur Appleby, wherein he conducted a census of book length works taught in high school English courses, Of Mice and Men was placed in the top ten of the most often taught books, along with Shakespeare’s tragedies Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet, and other similarly heavy material. Lighter books by authors like Jane Austen or Oscar Wilde were usually passed over for works by George Orwell or Charles Dickens. Students are conditioned to think that the darker the material of the story, the more intrinsic value it has and the tragic ending of Mice and Men fits well into this idea. This is not a criticism of Steinbeck’s book, which is among the best ever written, it is merely an observation of a trend. 

This brings us to why teachers like teaching Of Mice and Men. It is a veritable goldmine of material. As Peter Lisca, discussing motif and pattern in the book puts it: “To present his subject in terms of a microcosm, Steinbeck makes use of three incremental motifs: symbol, action, and language” (Lisca 228). The story contains all the literary techniques that are usually taught in high schools. There is foreshadowing with the death of Candy’s dog predicting the death of Lennie, with the attention to Curly’s gloved hand foreshadowing that it will be crushed, and with the story of Lennie and the girl in the red dress foreshadowing that Lennie will kill Curly’s wife. The book is full of symbolism and themes and as such lends itself well to study at an intermediate level, where teachers can assign essays discussing a single aspect of the novel. Students will not be hard pressed to come up with ideas surrounding, for instance, the significance of the rabbits or what Steinbeck is saying about the American Dream. It is also a springing off point to discussing not just literary aspects, but political, historical, and social dynamics as well. Many teachers find the book an engaging way to teach the about the Great Depression. 

The popularity of the book in school classrooms has not been without controversy. It has been banned from many high schools since its release. This was especially prevalent in waves in the 1980’s and 90’s. Just one example is in 1984 “The Knoxville, Tennessee School Board chairman vowed to have “filthy books” removed from Knoxville’s public schools and picked Steinbeck’s novel as the first target due to “its vulgar language:’’ ” (ALA). It has also been challenged countless times by certain groups and individuals who objected to it and who attempted to have it removed from classes. In 1993, it was challenged as an appropriate English curriculum assignment at the Mingus, Arizona Union High School because of “profane language, moral statement, treatment of the retarded, and the violent ending.” ” Fortunately, despite this, it has either remained or been reinstated on school reading lists. The other criticism directed at the book is that is overused as a course text, that it has become too saturated, and that everything that could be said about it has already been said. This is not a valid argument. High school students need to learn the basics of literary analysis before they attempt more challenging texts. There is no need of a high turnover rate or diversity of high school texts, when the ones that are already taught still have the ability to instill insight into future generations. Let us return to the controversial aspects of the book: the treatment of the poor and the mentally slow, the prejudice against other races, the uneducated and often vulgar dialogue. All these are not reasons to remove the book from classrooms, in fact quite the contrary. A paper examining the place of Of Mice and Men in high school curricula today says aptly that: “Simply put, this classic novel is still taught because it has the power to engage and challenge adolescent and young adult readers. Year after year, students continue to read and discuss the novel, absorbed by the realistic descriptions of hard times and hard choices…..Through their study of Of Mice and Men, students will learn to engage in literary analysis and critical literacy, to make interdisciplinary connections, and to weigh decisions.” (Smith, Li, 84) The ability of the book to spark debate about numerous subjects, and the fact that people find it so provocative and memorable is why it should indeed be widely read. In a review of the 1992 film adaptation of Steinbeck’s book, the reviewer returns to the source material and remarks that “As with all great works of literature, Of Mice and Men moves with the inexorability of a huge river, and it pours itself, exhausts itself, in the sea of our unconscious. Having read it, we carry the book inside us forever” (Parini). 

Of Mice and Men deserves its place at the top of the high school reading list. Students can still learn from it, and teachers can still teach it with interest. It is a classic for a reason, and must be treasured as such, not replaced with less offensive alternatives. It must be taken care of and have the richness of the storytelling enjoyed by many students in days to come. As Lennie says: “I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why”.