{"id":208,"date":"2018-06-26T23:51:51","date_gmt":"2018-06-27T03:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.superversivesf.com\/inklings\/?p=208"},"modified":"2018-06-26T23:51:51","modified_gmt":"2018-06-27T03:51:51","slug":"of-mice-and-men-without-chests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.superversivesf.com\/inklings\/2018\/06\/26\/of-mice-and-men-without-chests\/","title":{"rendered":"Of Mice and Men Without Chests"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post from another blog<\/a> is on a similar subject to the early Superversive blog post The Goals of the Superversive<\/a>.\u00a0The article is also available on audio on the original site<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of Mice and Men Without Chests<\/h1>\n

by ANNA GITHENS<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

At first glance one might surmise<\/strong>\u00a0that the title of this article alludes to the characters in John Steinbeck\u2019s classic. Truthfully, while reading\u00a0Of Mice and Men<\/em>\u00a0I grew to like the characters and found myself empathizing with some of their hardships. A good author is able to pull his readers into the world of his characters. While C.S. Lewis\u2019s metaphor \u201cmen without chests\u201d could be ascribed to the characters in\u00a0Of Mice and Men,<\/em>\u00a0a more critical concern at hand is the impression the novel has made on young readers for more than a half-century. What has been their take-away? How has this short, yet harrowing, novella affected the hearts and minds of readers and our overall culture? Why does it continue to be one of the most popular required reading selections in middle schools and high schools across America?<\/span><\/p>\n

In case you are not familiar with\u00a0Of Mice and Men<\/em>\u00a0the story concludes with an act that has been described as \u201cmercy killing.\u201d One of the main characters, Lennie, a mentally disabled man who is like a big, clumsy, guileless teddy bear unaware of his own physical strength, accidentally breaks the neck of a young woman\u2014who happens to be his boss\u2019s daughter-in-law\u2014on the ranch where he is living and working. George, Lennie\u2019s closest friend and caretaker, finds the body and after some deliberation with his friend Candy, decides to shoot Lennie in the back of the head since the deceased woman\u2019s husband and other men were coming to kill him. What\u2019s also implied is that George wished to spare him from what he feared would be either a brutal death or a life of imprisonment and suffering.<\/span><\/p>\n

I do not wish to presume Mr. Steinbeck\u2019s intentions when he penned\u00a0Of Mice and Men<\/em>. The purpose of this article is not to focus on the author or characters in his novel per se, but on the culture we have created, which has ensued, in large part, from what we put into our minds.<\/span><\/p>\n

St. John Paul II\u2019s 1995 Encyclical\u00a0Evangelium Vitae<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(The Gospel of Life)<\/em>\u00a0warns of an emerging culture \u201cactively fostered by powerful cultural, economic and political currents which encourage an idea of society excessively concerned with efficiency.\u201d He alerts us further to \u201ca culture which denies solidarity and in many cases takes the form of a veritable \u2018culture of death.\u2019\u201d In Pope Francis\u2019s recent apostolic exhortation,\u00a0Gaudete et exsultate<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(Rejoice and be glad)<\/em>\u00a0he expresses grave concern for \u201cthe vulnerable infirm and elderly exposed to covert euthanasia\u201d and \u201cthe dignity of a human life, which is always sacred and demands love for each person, regardless of his or her stage of development.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Presently, 68 percent of Americans believe in physician-assisted suicide (up 10 percentage points from last year), now legal in seven states. The Down Syndrome abortion rate has increased to over 90 percent in Iceland, Denmark, and Australia, prompting Special Olympian\u00a0Frank Stephens<\/a>\u00a0to speak out in defense of his life. Interesting that the character Lennie in\u00a0Of Mice and Men<\/em>\u00a0was mentally and physically challenged.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recently little\u00a0Alfie Evans<\/a>\u00a0lost the battle for his life since the British High Court ruled he should be taken off life support. Despite the fact that he was granted Italian citizenship and offered treatment at Vatican-owned Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital, the judge ruled, \u201cthis would not be in his best interest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps some responsibility for our culture of death lies not only in our selection of literature but also in how less-than-ideal literature (or what many consider to be less-than-ideal) is taught. A book that appears to oppose meritorious ideals can also be used to champion them. There is a flip side to every story. For example, a teacher could pose the following questions to her students:<\/span><\/p>\n