Symbolism In John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice And Men'

Every day, people are faced with responsibility. Some thrive under the pressure while others crumble. Responsibility is a sign of independence. Teenagers with greater amounts of responsibility feel freedom from their parents. In the same case, too much responsibility can put more stress on that freedom-seeking teen and can have devastating effects. John Steinbeck shows the theme that in life, responsibility is best taken in moderation in his novel Of Mice and Men.

In the novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck chooses to use many different and unique symbols in order to help develop characters and to foreshadow upcoming events. The symbols used in this story give it a more effective message and provide a better understanding to what Steinbeck has intended to convey. He uses many different forms of symbolism, some which are objects while some are actual human relationships, in order to make the story more realistic and to give it a more insightful approach.

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.

Through the novella, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the authors use of motifs of Lennie getting in trouble reveals the theme of friendship is an important part to living a fulfilling life. Through the whole book George is helping Lennie get out of sticky situations, but the motif of Lennie getting in trouble ends their friendship in a very tragic way. Toward the end of the book, George had to kill Lennie, his best friend, because there isn’t anyway out of the sticky situation that doesn’t involve Lennie dying. After killing Lennie George was in shock of what he had just done. Steinbeck narrates, “But Carlson was standing over George.

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.

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

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.

n the novel, Of Mice and Men, the author John Steinbeck explores many themes. After Lennie and George are chased out of Weed, California they travel to Soledad, California where they try to find a job. Lennie causes the two of them trouble on many occasions because Lennie is developmentally delayed and says the wrong thing at the wrong time. At last, the two get a job on a ranch where they will buck barley. Of Mice and Men explores the effects of systemic oppression on women, African Americans, and people with disabilities.

It’s just two misfit men against the world; one is mentally handicapped yet has enormous strength while the other is small, but smart. Although they are an unlikely pair, they’ve spent every waking moment together since they were little kids. For as long as they can remember, they’ve dreamed about buying a small farm in the California valley where they can live on their own. Before they can even save their money, however, Lennie makes a horrible mistake that costs him his life and Georges’ last act of love. John Steinbeck’s widely known novel, Of Mice and Men, engages readers through a range of literary devices including themes, imagery, and irony. The most prevalent, however, is the use of symbols. In every chapter, there

George symbolizes those who do their best to care for themselves and those around them, aiming to simply get by in a world full of ordinary and extraordinary situations. As a representation of the "everyman", he is often the easiest for readers to identify with. Lennie represents both the "wise fool" who brings out the best and worst in others, and those who are discriminated for mental handicaps. More discriminated archetypes are found when looking at Candy, who is discriminated for his old age, Crooks, who is discriminated for his race, and Curley's wife, who is discriminated for being a young woman. Curley's wife also serves as a representation of the biblical "Eve", who brings sin and death upon the world. Curley's small stature and jealous nature cause him to act as the "small" man, who overcompensates for his inferiority through inflation and aggression. Slim is symbolic of the leader who appears to be "larger than life" due to his wisdom and strength. Through Carlson's asking "Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin' them two guys?" (107) at the end of the story, it is shown that he represents those who are oblivious to the feelings of others, and are only concerned with things that affect them

‘Of mice and men’ is a tale of loneliness and hardship felt by the people living in America during the 1930 's. Written by John Steinbeck and published in 1937, it tells the heartbreaking story of two ranch workers during the depression; George Milton and Lennie Small. At the time America was very poor, with a shortage of jobs so people had to travel in search of new jobs. As many people were constantly moving, lasting friendships or relationships were hard to come across. People became scared to have friendships, scared of each other making them lonely and isolated. Most of the characters lived by ‘every man for himself’; only having to care for themselves, not having to worry about others and therefore