Symbolism In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

In Of mice and men, John Steinbeck uses symbolism, foreshadowing, and a sympathetic tone to demonstrate the world of limited sources, poverty, human intolerance, limiting social roles, wealth, and freedom.

The long, hard war of human equality in society, has been a war since the beginning of civilization. The Great Depression, a tragic time in America’s history, reflects American determination, but also social inequality. In the fiction novella, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses symbolism and characterization to address ableism and sexism in society. Steinbeck addresses these flaws in society in an attempt to ultimately bring awareness these riffs before society falls.

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).

“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.

Lennie is oppressed for having a mental disability. Many people take advantage of him for his lack of intelligence, including George. When George explains how he knows Lennie to Slim, ha mentions how he used to play jokes on him for being so slow. He says, “‘Used to play jokes on ‘im ‘cause he was too dumb to take care of ‘imself. But he was too dumb to even know he had a joke played on him. I had fun. Made me seem God damn smart alongside of him,’”(40). Lennie admits to Slim that he used to be mean to Lennie to make himself seem superior. Also, Crooks is oppressed for being black. When he speaks out against Curley’s wife, she threatens to have him hanged, because black men weren’t allowed to disrespect white people. She says, “‘Well you keep your place then Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny,’”(81). She uses a racial slur and threatens him with her white

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.

The reader will read about what Lennie, George, Curley and the scene they’re in symbolizes. Lennie Small, a simple-minded man of great size and strength, but with some physical and mental disabilities. He is often ridiculed for his disabilities by others. Lennie symbolizes a person that is discriminated against in this day and time whether it be for a certain disability or for his race.

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.

For instance, foreshadowing can be found in the middle of the book. It talks about Candy’s dog and how even though the dog is old, cripple, and smelly Candy loves that dog more than anything. The reason he does not care about how the looks or acts is because the dig has been in his life since it was a pup. Just like George and Lennie, no matter what Lennie does or how he acts George will always take care of him. Candy is approached by Carlson who asks to shoot Candy’s dog just for being smelly and old, with the feeling of being alone Candy sadly agrees to the execution. Carlson proceeds to take Candy’s dog and fires a bullet through the back of its skull. Later in the chapter Candy explains to George how he let Carlson take the life of his dog, when he should've. This scene is foreshadowing the ending with George and Lennie, and how George took Lennie’s life because he felt no one else deserved it. Other examples, such as, the symbolism of George being the only family-like person in Lennie’s life, George is almost a father figure to Lennie, and helps Lennie for as long as he can. George keeps hope in Lennie’s heart; although, there isn't much. George has been present in the Lennie's life when he screws up which it happens regularly, and because of who George is he always tries to give guidance to Lennie. That is why Lennie trusts and listens to George, and Lennie is always with him. When Lennie doe screw

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.

In the book Of Mice and Men by author John Steinbeck, he creates a story about a group of people who work on a ranch. He story may seem like one thing but it truly has another meaning. Different things represent different meanings, such as the rabbits, the mice, and the puppies. They may seem like just animals at first but when really thought about they convey a different message.

In the novella Of Mice and Men, the author John Steinbeck uses symbols to represent strength over weakness. This story takes place in Salinas Valley, California during the Great Depression. Lennie and George are two migrant workers traveling together to different ranches looking for work. This traveling leads to the tragic death of Lennie. Steinbeck creates his theme by using different symbols such as Candy’s dog, Lennie and George’s dream, and Lennie’s puppies.

Of Mice and Men is an intriguing book that portrays the hardships and daily life of the working class during the Great Depression. The personalities of the characters and the setting both contribute to the book's overall moral and meaning. Symbols are utilized in this book to present a larger and deeper idea. Steinbeck uses symbols numerous times to represent the importance of companionship, or lack there of it, during hard times.

Steinbeck uses imagery to establish Kino’s physical appearance. Kino’s warm and fierce eyes make the reader feel like Kino is a kind man.