Of Mice and Men most definetley meets the qualifications of good literature. It has tragedy of universal fear, and human heart conflict. When thanking the Swedish Academy, Steinbeck gave a speech on good literature, he proved Of Mice and Men was a brilliant example.
A good novel shows love, humiliation, conflict, and high spirits in characters or objects. In Steinbecks words, he knew that the understanding and the resolution of fear are a large part of the writers reason for being. Understanding your characters is what good writing is all about, knowing when their emotions are high or low.
The character, George, in Of Mice and Men was a prime example of good literature. In the book George comes off tough and rugged but soon shows a huge hearted side. From the novel he repeatively says "...If I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an work, an no trouble at all...and whatta got? I got you." George wishes he could be a man of no worries but he loves Lennie, another character, and doesn't want anything to happen to him.
Lennie is also a fine example. Lennie means no harm at all, he loves everything. Read in the novel "I could go off and live in those hills..." Lennie knows he makes things difficult on George, he tries so hard to make things right because he loves George.
This novel shows faults, failures, greatness and conflict. Steinbeck met every qualification there is to meet in good writing. The present universal fear has been the result of a forward surge of our knowledge and manipulation of certain dangerous factors in the physical world.
