"Getting" the book is as much about Steinbeck's masterful writing as it is about your life experience and knowledge.
The movie was just a shadow of the book. I didn't "get" it from seeing the movie either, but I did "get" it years later when I read the book.
Same experience with East of Eden. Book was phenomenal., movie was just a so-so vehicle for James Dean to practice slurred speech and glowering looks.
Of Mice and Men they did a pretty good job with, even the orig with Lon Chaney Jr as Lennie. Of course OMAM is a much shorter and simpler story than either TGOW and EOE, and much easier to adapt to the screen.
Steinbeck is one of my favorite authors of all time - his work is so approachable, while being great. A lot of times when you pick up a GREAT book you can feel it's weight and it's a little off-putting. But with Steinbeck, you start to read, and you say, hey, this is a good book - I'm actually LIKING it, and when you're done, you feel the enormity of it but it never intimidated or (more importantly), bored.
Now, can somebody clue me in on the point (if any) of this Geico commerical? Words can hurt? THE END. So the cowpoke's END will hurt after this ride on the horse? What's the deal here? It's going over my head.
I did like the caveman commercials - but easy to see why a spin off series was destined for cancellation.