<i>Of Mice and Men</i>: The Construction and Collapse of Lennie and George’s Spiritual Community

《人鼠之间》(Of Mice and Men)是约翰·斯坦贝克(John Steinbeck)出版于1937年的中篇小说，为斯坦贝克赢得了1962年的诺贝尔文学奖。故事发生在20世纪30年代美国大萧条时期，讲述了流浪工人乔治和莱尼的友情、土地梦想及其悲剧性破灭。小说中二人关系的整体性构建了一个精神共同体——以情感纽带、非契约义务与土地梦为内核的有机联结。小说深入刻画了共同体异化的生存境遇与瓦解过程，借此映照大萧条时期底层工人的命运，深度揭示在梦想与现实碰撞中人性的挣扎与无助以及资本主义工业化对传统人际关系纽带的强烈冲击。Of Mice and Men, a novella written by John Steinbeck, was published in 1937. It earned Steinbeck the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962. Set during the Great Depression in the United States in the 1930s, the story revolves around the friendship between two migratory workers, George and Lennie, their dream of land, and the tragic disillusion. The integral relationship between the two characters in the novel constructs a spiritual community—an organic connection rooted in affectional ties, non-contractual obligations, and the shared dream of land ownership. The novel deeply portrays the alienated living conditions and disintegration process of the community, reflecting the fate of the working class during the Great Depression, and revealing the struggle and helplessness of human nature in the clash between dreams and reality, as well as the strong impact of capitalist industrialization on traditional interpersonal relationships.