The most common issue readers had with the novel was the profane language Steinbeck used in the dialogue. In Steinbecks defense, the vulgar vocabulary accurately portrayed how people conversed during that time. However, many readers viewed Steinbecks work to be insensitive and offensive to certain audiences. Christians believed the terms God and Jesus were used carelessly throughout the novel. Parents of the high schoolers (who were assigned to read Steinbecks writing) were also infuriated by the explicit language in the novel.
With well over 30 oppositions against the novel, a particular one that stands out is the textbook screening in Mobile, Alabama. In 992, members of the community gathered together in order to filter out all the literature used in classrooms that were deemed inappropriate for the students; This group was mainly made up of concerned parents and teachers. Unsurprisingly, the first book to be removed was Of Mice and Men because of its morbid and depressing themes (Banne
d Library) and profanity (Banned Library). Another example of a parent with a strong opinion about the books language was Mary Jo Finey from Coeur dAlene, Idaho. Similar to the previous community in Alabama, Finey attempted to remove the book from the local high schools curriculum saying the novel was unsuitable for high schoolers. Finey even warned other parents to avoid sending their children to schools in that district. She said, It has been 0 long years that I have worked to get this district to be more accountable to parents, with safeguards and standards and now I suggest parents pull their children from (schools district) 27, or better yet never put them in (Lea). Although not as extreme, many parents had similar views as Finey. They were afraid of how Steinbeck had integrated profanity into the text and in casual conversations between the characters. Parents wanted to protect their children so it is clear to see why so many parents tried to remove Of Mice and Men from the curriculum.