Symbols In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

2009. A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Analyze a symbol in George Orwell's 1984, and write an essay demonstrating how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

This displays Curley asserting his dominance over Lennie as he feels threatened by his height. It can be seen throughout the book that Curley’s body language towards Lennie and the other men taller than Curley is a dominant show of force to the other men to assert his authority over them.

get Curley but his eyes slipped on past and saw Lennie, Curley got into a fight with

A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works, a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. The image of the mule emerges repeatedly in different contexts throughout Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, but remains consistent in its symbolism of Janie. The figure of the mule can also refer not only to Janie herself but to any black woman struggling for independence.

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).

In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses a plethora of imagery to discuss the withering despair of the American Dream. To begin his novel, Steinbeck uses imagery to create an analogy towards the Garden of Eden. This is shown through his description of the “golden foothill slopes” and “sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs” (Steinbeck 1). This imagery symbolizes George and Lennie’s American Dream; full of hope and life. However, alike the Garden of Eden, when man comes along, the beautiful, tranquil, perfect environment, becomes scarred.

A symbol is an object or action that represents something other than its literal meaning. Throughout the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, symbols such as armlessness, Christ, and Owen’s voice are dominant and reoccurring in the novel. Symbols in a novel allow a readers to interpret the novel and the symbols in a personal way. Symbols add depth and meaning to a novel. The symbols in A Prayer for Owen Meany have multiple interpretations and can represent more than one thing.

A symbol is a person, place, event, or object that suggests more than just its normal meaning. The symbols in this story, “Everyday Use”, were pretty clever and told a lot of clues about the story. Also Little peepholes that would dig into deeper meanings, and hints in the story.

A symbol is someone or something that represents someone or something else. Symbols are used in literature because they represent a character, object, or place in a story. Similarly, there are plenty of symbols throughout the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Some examples of symbols in the book are Melinda’s tree projects, Maya Angelou, and Melinda’s report for Mr. Neck.

“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.

53 Quote 4 Curleys shoulders dropped and squared hpw long ago? Five ten minutes Curley jumped out of the door and banged it after him Quote 5 ”seems like curley has gotten even cockier since he got married.” George grunted maybe he is showing off for his wife “ Steinbeck gives us a very detailed description of Curleys, he states he has tightly curled hair which suits his name, he has

His powerlessness in the face of the social standards making him fall victim to the greater forces in society. Curley’s wife then arrives, insulting Crooks, Candy and Lennie saying, “They left all the weak ones here,” (77) She interrogates Lennie, asking him about Curley and George. Crooks couldn’t take her anymore and asks her to leave but she tells him “Listen, Nigger,” she said. “You know what I can do to you if you open your trap?” (80) and Crooks “reduced himself to nothing” .Illustrated

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.

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.