Use of Symbols and Foreshadowing in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

The very first example is the farmland of the Joad family. This land symbolized the lives of the people. When the banks tell the family to leave, it destroys them both actually and figuratively. In the book, Grandpa is a prime example. He dies all in part to his departure from the land. The land was his life, and without it it was just like he could not breathe. This example is very effective because it helps relate the land to the Joads. It also elaborates on how important the land actually was to the people. Another symbol used repetitively throughout the novel is the sun. The sun was something the Joads could not escape or get rid of. The sun symbolizes destruction. steinbeck discusses the Joad family's own issues with the sun “Their faces were shining with sunburn they could not escape.” ( 13, 18). This shows how violent the sun was towards the Joads. The symbols used by Steinbeck are very crucial. They help develop the story and the characters. Also they add a deeper meaning to the novel as a whole. Symbols are therefore crucial in steinbeck's effectiveness in the

In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men he uses many literary elements in his book. John also uses a lot of different archetypes in his writing, John also uses imagery and symbolism. In page one John uses imagery to describe the setting also on page two he describes Lennie. The rabbit is a really good example of symbolism because the rabbits symbolise comfort and happiness for Lennie One of the literary elements in Of Mice and Men is an archetype. An archetype a typical character, a situation that represents a universal pattern of the human nature.

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is a short novella whose fast pace means that, by necessity, it brims cover-to-cover with all the makings of a powerful story. It evokes suspense, drama, empathy, and perhaps a touch of confusion and bewilderment in all its readers. The most engaging way Steinbeck engages these emotions is through foreshadowing. He skillfully utilized various literary elements to create this foreshadowing, which serves to increase and highlight the drama and irony of the story.

He assumes responsibility for his simple friend and in the new job does the talking for both. George symbolizes a caretaker as well as a hard worker that doesn’t spend his money wisely. Throughout the story George tells Lennie about the farm they are going to get together once they have enough money saved up, yet he spends his money on alcohol and prostitutes. In this time period it was not unusual for a man with no family to spend all his work money on things such as these. Steinbeck uses George to symbolize how a single man of that era that might use his

All throughout the book Steinbeck embedded small seemingly insignificant details that have evidently paved the road to the ending of the book. Small things such as Lennie liking to pet

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.

When “enough writers use a given object or situation in enough works, we start to recognize and understand the range of possible meanings” (Foster 242) of symbols. But, more often than not, authors chose to employ private symbols in their writings which make the meanings a bit harder to figure out and fully understand. In chapter 31 of Cannery Row, John Steinbeck creates his own private symbol of a gopher which represents both Doc and Mack in a way that is rather complex to recognize at first.

In literature, symbols are used to represent something else beyond their original meaning. Many authors used symbols to portray the themes of their work without actually saying what their work is about. In “Symbolism in Literature,” it explains how symbols can have different meanings in literature and even in poetry. Claire McCarthy shows many symbols in her essay, “Dog Lab.” In “Dog Lab, “ McCarthy shows how symbols took full effect on her life and the decisions she made. Without the use of symbols, McCarthy’s argument about personal beliefs over studies wouldn’t have been expressed. McCarthy’s use of symbols, such as the dog, the television, and the rain, shows that it’s important to focus on your own personal beliefs rather than focusing

Of Mice and Men Symbolism is a key part in the book of mice and men. The key symbols of the the book of mice and men, written by John Steinbeck relate to real life events and emotions such as, the locations, the characters and the imagery of animals. Firstly, The locations of this amazing book is a great way of symbolizing safety or sanctuary because it’s a beautiful area and it’s away from danger. In fact it starts right in the beginning of the story, in the first lines where it says “A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green.”. This is where George tells Lennie to not forget this place cause George tells Lennie that “...If you jus' happen to get in trouble like you always

John Steinbeck and John Whaley use symbols and main character to address the theme that one must not

John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is a novella full of symbolic elements. Throughout this story, readers can find symbolism for many 1930s American struggles, such as discrimination and economic depression, and many of these representations are still relevant today. The novella also contains symbolic embodiment of multiple opposing ideas, such as peace and violence, life and death, and hope and failure. The symbolism in this story is mainly represented through the settings and characters, as well as through the allegories of several foreshadowing events.

Memory, symbol and pattern affect the reading of literature by helping to connect different ideas, that the reader may come up with, to the main story and they help the readers mind try to decipher the conflict in the story. For example, with symbolism, colors are not just colors anymore, blue becomes sorrow and red becomes anger. The recognition of patterns makes it easier to read complicated literature by seeing a reoccurring behavior or theme and tying it to the conflict or resolution of the story and setting the characters into certain categories. “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck is a novel filled with all kinds of symbolism, patterns and even memories. The symbolism along with the memories in that novel

Steinbeck uses George and Lennie’s companionship to set them apart from the rest of the people. Not only do they have a dream, but they do have each other. Before the two arrive at the ranch, the two discuss exactly what it is that sets them apart from the rest of the rest of the ranchers when George says, “We got a future…If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us” (14). George is letting Lennie know

Symbols can ether makes a piece of literature extremely good, or extremely lackluster. Within in the novel “Lord of the Flies” William Golding made use of multiple symbols. In “Lord of the Flies” Golding showed the reader three symbols the conch, the beast, and the log in which Ralph sits and changes these symbols over time and they add a certain symbolic meaning to the allegory.

Finish prompt from Thursday: Choose a symbol used by Steinbeck and explain its’ significance in the novel thus far. This response should be at least 3 paragraphs including a thesis in the introduction. Be sure to include specific text evidence to support your thesis. This response should go into your writer’s journal.