Symbolism In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

“Wha’s the matter with me?’ she cried. ‘Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am, anyways?” (Steinbeck 87) In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife is discriminated against because she is a woman living in the 1930s when few females could live economically independent of men. By choosing not to name her, Steinbeck reinforces her insignificance on the ranch and her dependence on Curley. While a misfortunate victim of isolation, Curley’s wife exerts unexpected power attempting to mask her pain.

What does light and dark mean to you in life? In the book, “Of mice and men” by John Steinbeck; it means a lot of things. When Lennie and George arrive at the ranch they are faced with many challenges. They face many light and dark situations and people too. The setting in Of mice and men creates moods of pessimistic and defeatist, supporting the Steinbeck’s theme of the American dream.

Near the Salinas riverbank Steinbeck also incorporates a large sycamore tree. The symbol that he is trying to link with the sycamore tree is involved with the Garden of Eden. In the center of the Garden of Eden there is a large tree known to be the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Steinbeck links the two together in order to help foreshadow the good and evil events to come in the story. The sycamore tree is part of George and Lennie’s safe place they can go to, but tragically ends with the death of Lennie here at the riverbank.

The idea that George uses Lennie’s retardedness for amusement relates back to ableism. Instead of helping Lennie and build him up, George sinks him down with harsh words and cruel pranks. Society does not help people with disabilities, they mock, like George would mock Lennie. Steinbeck uses symbolism as well to explain ableism in society, in specific Candy’s dog. This point is further shown in the novella, Of Mice and Men, when Steinbeck writes, “Well--hell! I had him so long. Had him since he was a pup. I herded sheep with him,’ he said proudly,’ You wouldn’t think it to look at him now, but he was the best damn sheep dog I ever seen.’ … Carlson insisted. “And he stinks to beat hell. Tell you what. I’ll shoot him for you.’” (44-45). Candy’s dog sees no mercy in the eyes of Carlson. Carlson insists on the dog’s death, so far as to murder the animal himself. This shows the cold, harsh reality of those with disabilities in society. Though the mutt was once great, one of “greatest” sheep dogs Candy has ever seen, has been beaten down by age. Carlson coldly decides the dog’s fate, the old greatness

The idyllic nature of one’s dream compels them forward, albeit an almost impossible one. The continual use of vivid imagery greatly immerses the reader; the reader could see George and Lennie’s “little house and a couple of acres” (14) and smell “the bacon and the hams” (57). Steinbeck appeals to the senses to show the alluring qualities of their dream. George’s repetitive depictions of their own land shows the importance of their dreams; without it, there would be no plot, no story, no desire to progress. It would be a story of two nondescript men, wandering aimlessly across the vast American west. Steinbeck chooses to incorporate imagery throughout the story to emphasize what the fruits of one’s labor will result in. The dreamlike setting of George and Lennie’s farm shows the impossibility of it, as a place that perfect would not be in the mortal world.

John Steinbeck uses many literary devices in Of Mice and Men to make the book more interesting and to keep the reader hooked. Steinbeck uses imagery to show “The flame of the sunset lifted from the mountain-tops and dusk came into the valley, and a half darkness came in among the willows and the sycamores” to demonstrate that sunset is taking place as well as the darkness is starting to take over(Steinbeck 11). In chapter 6 Steinbeck uses imagery again to set the scene, “Already the sun had left the valley to go climbing up the slopes of the Gabilan mountains” set the final scene of the book, also at the beginning of chapter 1 the scene is sunset and in chapter 6 the scene is sunset as well(Steinbeck 109).

Towards the end of the novel, Steinbeck motifs the scenery in the beginning of his novel, but it becomes slightly different. Rather than the sycamores being full and beautiful, they

“And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head.” In the book, “ Of Mice and Men ,” by John Steinbeck (13), the author uses so many symbols in his characters and in the background throughout the story. In the book, everything represents symbolism whether it is the characters or the setting of the time and place they are in. The time period in “ OF Mice and Men “ is around the 1930s during the Great Depression. The men and women in the story aren’t very educated by how they talk and pronounce words. The setting is in Salinas Valley, California which is located in Northern California just south of San Francisco.

John Steinbeck, an American novelist, is well-known for his familiar themes of depression and loneliness. He uses these themes throughout a majority of his novels. These themes come from his childhood and growing up during the stock market crash. A reader can see his depiction of his childhood era. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows the prominent themes of loneliness, the need for relationships, and the loss of dreams in the 1930s through the novels’ character.

Throughout the novella, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck’s use of motif reveals the theme that friendship is an important part to living a fulfilling life . Lennie has just run away due to the fear that he would no longer be able to tend the rabbits. He had this fear because he had just killed Curley’s wife and the young pup. So he ran away to the bushes that George had told him to go to in the case of an emergency. George was talking to Lennie even though he knew he had to kill him.

Metaphor “The curls,tiny little sausages, were spread on…” In “Of Mice and Men”, Steinbeck describes Curley's wife’s hair as sausage-like curls. I created Curly’s Wife with literal sausage curls, as if the sentence were literal. Plot (Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution) This drawing represents the plot.

In Chapter 2 of, Of Mice and Men Steinbeck uses motifs to describe the situation in deeper detail quite frequently. Near the beginning of the chapter Steinbeck describes a man “in blue jeans” (Steinbeck, 18) that was carrying a “big push-broom in his left hand” (Steinbeck, 18) He then describes the order in which “Behind him came George, and behind George, Lennie” (Steinbeck, 18) That also goes back into talking about how George is more of a “owner” to Lennie in their “a man is a dog's best friend” relationship. By stating that Lennie is walking behind George gives us the thought that he also likes to protect Lennie, just like a parent is protective over their child. Following on to later into this chapter, while Lennie and George are settling

John Steinbeck’s 1949 novella entitled Of Mice and Men uses many significant symbols to convey meanings about the human condition. Such symbols include hands to represent labour, cards to signify chance and taking a risk, and finally, rabbits to suggest ideas about achieving one’s hopes and dreams. Symbols are a key central device in delivering meaning, as they consistently repeated throughout the narrative and are typically associated with the novella’s many characters.

The passage from Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is from the fifth chapter of the novella. Lennie is sitting in the barn, staring at his dead puppy. He asks the puppy why he had to die, and considers George’s reaction to finding the puppy. Lennie becomes fearful that George will not let him tend to the rabbits once he finds him. While Lennie is thinking, Curley’s wife comes in looking to talk with him. He tells her about his puppy, and how it is dead. Lennie also mentions how he enjoys petting soft rabbits. Eventually, Curley’s wife asks Lennie if he wants to touch her soft hair, and he ends up snapping her neck after she tries to pull away. The excerpt from the chapter starts with Lennie trying to cover her dead body. He is in shock, due

Imagine living in the 1930s during the great depression and having to constantly move around the country just to find a job that can provide you to have money to survive? In Steinbeck’s book,  Of Mice and Men , two friends wandered the Salinas Valley to find a job on the fields. Throughout the whole book Steinbeck uses the settings to demonstrate symbols or themes. He does this to show the reader that the place or thing the story is taking at has a meaning behind it.