In what ways are animals significant in the novel?
Steinbeck introduces Lennie’s characteristics to be reflective of animal instincts in the exposition of the
novel. We learn that he is ‘dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws.’ The use of the verb
‘dragging’ implies that Lennie is quite careless and clumsy, whereas the metaphor likening Lennie to a bear
dehumanises Lennie. Steinbeck purposely does this in order to highlight to the reader how Lennie acted
before he processed his thoughts; therefore, it is revealed how Lennie operates on a fight or flight basis.
This allows Steinbeck to maintain the reader’s sympathy to be with Lennie throughout the novel, because
the reader realises that none of his actions are committed with the intention to cause suffering to people.
However, Steinbeck exposes Lennie’s gentle personality when we read that ‘Lennie dabbled his big paws in
the water.’ The use of the adjective ‘big’ indicates his size, but the verb ‘dabbled’ juxtaposes the thought of
Lennie appearing to be a threat to society. Furthermore, Steinbeck has already familiarised the reader with
Lennie’s safe haven. The ‘water’ foreshadows Lennie’s death – it is where he is killed by George out of
compassion.
Moreover, Steinbeck warms the reader towards Lennie as a character by deliberately using similes which
portray Lennie in a vulnerable, naïve manner. His child-like attitude is expressed through the fact he was
‘snorting into the water like a horse.’ This emphasis on his immature approach to life at times highlights
the need for George to act like Lennie’s parent, protecting him from society’s prejudice. In addition, a
horse is often reserved and only begins becoming dangerous once it is provoked. This comparison as a
result draws attention to Lennie’s personality, and how he reacts to the world.
Steinbeck uses George’s praise that Lennie is ‘strong as a bull’ to accentuate brute strength Lennie has.
Therefore, Steinbeck effectively reinforces the idea that Lennie’s strength is going to be Lennie Achilles’
flaw in their mind. As a result, the reader picks up on every hint left by Steinbeck which foreshadows
Lennie’s death.
Therefore, by deliberately using animal references to establish Lennie’s combination of strength, but also
the harmless soft features we all appreciate about animals, Steinbeck is drawing attention to the fact that
Lennie is harmless until he becomes antagonised.
Lennie’s first pup is used to reveal the violence Lennie can display when he is vexed as Steinbeck narrates
that ‘he picked up the pup and hurled it from him.’ His attachment to his dog is severed as he hurls the dog
‘from him’ owing to its death. Once again, Steinbeck is highlighting how Lennie is more comfortable
around animals, but Lennie’s incapability to understand how to control his strength leads to severe
consequences. The death of his pup is used to foreshadow the death of Curley’s wife because the setting of
the barn mirrors how her death will take place. In this manner, Steinbeck is evoking fear within the reader
for Lennie as they worry about his future.
Throughout ‘Of Mice and Men,’ Candy’s aging dog is representative of the elderly. The unfair judgement
held about the old can be seen when Carson offers to ‘put the old devil out of his misery right now and get
it over with.’ The strong phrase ‘get it over with’ portrays his eagerness to get rid of Candy’s old dog.
Furthermore, the use of the term ‘old devil’ is symbolic of the elderly and how they are regarded as a
nuisance. This ties into Steinbeck’s message of how everyone should be treated with equal respect. During
the 1930s, ageist views were prominent as employers looked to employ more abled people in order to
maximise profits after the occurrence of the Great Depression.
, Steinbeck aids the reader to comprehend why Lennie had the urge to go find the dead mice that George
had tossed into the river. When he confesses ‘I could pet it with my thumb while we walked along,’ the
loneliness they were subject to is conveyed. Unemployment caused by the Dust Bowl on the ranches
caused many migrant workers such as George and Lennie to travel to California. However, as severe
droughts resulted in the collapsing of farms, ranch workers were wary to create relationships as there was
no security of a permanent job. Therefore, by revealing Lennie’s desire for tactile reassurance that he
wasn’t alone with the modal ‘could pet it’ reinforces Steinbeck’s message that companionship is a
necessity that no one should be denied from. Furthermore, the frequent deaths – ‘Trouble with mice is you
always kill em’ – of Lennie’s mice, is Steinbeck’s early warning to the reader that ‘Of Mice and Men’
doesn’t have a happy ending.
Effectively, Steinbeck uses animal imagery, and animals to represent different sectors of society, but to
also reinstate the need for society to be more understanding of each other, and less opinionated. For
instance, if women were respected instead of being objectified, Curley’s wife wouldn’t have been left in a
vulnerable position where she offered her hair to be felt in order to feel the warmth of friendship.
Likewise, Lennie’s death could have been prevented if society were more tolerant towards people with a
mental disability, or learning difficulty. As a result, George wouldn’t have felt the need to attempt to
protect Lennie by advising him to remain isolated. In this manner, Steinbeck has exploited the flaws within
the 1930s society, and presented a reconstruction of a combination of prejudiced thoughts to lead to a
very extreme conclusion. Therefore, this shocks the reader into learning a valuable lesson.
How does Steinbeck present the American dream in Of Mice and Men?
Of Mice and Men is set in the 1930s, a time when unemployment levels was incredibly high owing to the
1929 Wall Street Crash. As a result, citizens such as Lennie and George resulted to migrating to places such
as California in hopes of securing a job amidst the occurrence of the Dust Bowl. However, when morale
was low, the ranch workers belief in an American Dream led the characters towards believing in a better
future - a future that they had created in their mind, regardless of whether it was achievable or not.
Throughout the novel, the prominent dream is for both George and Lennie to own their own ranch. Whilst
Lennie gets carried away with excitement, George is more open to the fact that it will never happen.
Therefore, he pursues the dream in order to keep Lennie content. However, this attitude takes a turn when
Candy is able to contribute towards the keeping of their own ranch. In this moment, George can imagine
how things would work out because they had the money to fund their dream - he had a valid reason to put
hope into the dream. In this way, the American Dream spreads out to occupy the heart of fellow ranch
workers, although some (like Crooks) are more sceptical of the dream.
The rigid faith Lennie held in their dream from the start is suggested through the personal pronoun 'we' in
the assertive statement 'We got a future.' Furthermore, it accentuates the extent of friendship present
between Lennie and George for him to include George in his dream. However, Steinbeck exposes how
some people held more realistic opinions regarding future opportunities by contrasting both friends’
opinions. For example, George 'repeated his words rhythmically.' The verb 'repeated' and the adverb
'rhythmically' implies a mechanical approach which expresses how George lacks the motivation, and is
tired of pursuing their ambitions.
At times when George becomes frustrated with Lennie's lack of understanding of how the world operated,
George lashes out as he doesn't know how to be honest with Lennie without cruelly crushing his hopes in
the process. This leads to many heated outbursts where Lennie recognises he may be hindering George
Steinbeck introduces Lennie’s characteristics to be reflective of animal instincts in the exposition of the
novel. We learn that he is ‘dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws.’ The use of the verb
‘dragging’ implies that Lennie is quite careless and clumsy, whereas the metaphor likening Lennie to a bear
dehumanises Lennie. Steinbeck purposely does this in order to highlight to the reader how Lennie acted
before he processed his thoughts; therefore, it is revealed how Lennie operates on a fight or flight basis.
This allows Steinbeck to maintain the reader’s sympathy to be with Lennie throughout the novel, because
the reader realises that none of his actions are committed with the intention to cause suffering to people.
However, Steinbeck exposes Lennie’s gentle personality when we read that ‘Lennie dabbled his big paws in
the water.’ The use of the adjective ‘big’ indicates his size, but the verb ‘dabbled’ juxtaposes the thought of
Lennie appearing to be a threat to society. Furthermore, Steinbeck has already familiarised the reader with
Lennie’s safe haven. The ‘water’ foreshadows Lennie’s death – it is where he is killed by George out of
compassion.
Moreover, Steinbeck warms the reader towards Lennie as a character by deliberately using similes which
portray Lennie in a vulnerable, naïve manner. His child-like attitude is expressed through the fact he was
‘snorting into the water like a horse.’ This emphasis on his immature approach to life at times highlights
the need for George to act like Lennie’s parent, protecting him from society’s prejudice. In addition, a
horse is often reserved and only begins becoming dangerous once it is provoked. This comparison as a
result draws attention to Lennie’s personality, and how he reacts to the world.
Steinbeck uses George’s praise that Lennie is ‘strong as a bull’ to accentuate brute strength Lennie has.
Therefore, Steinbeck effectively reinforces the idea that Lennie’s strength is going to be Lennie Achilles’
flaw in their mind. As a result, the reader picks up on every hint left by Steinbeck which foreshadows
Lennie’s death.
Therefore, by deliberately using animal references to establish Lennie’s combination of strength, but also
the harmless soft features we all appreciate about animals, Steinbeck is drawing attention to the fact that
Lennie is harmless until he becomes antagonised.
Lennie’s first pup is used to reveal the violence Lennie can display when he is vexed as Steinbeck narrates
that ‘he picked up the pup and hurled it from him.’ His attachment to his dog is severed as he hurls the dog
‘from him’ owing to its death. Once again, Steinbeck is highlighting how Lennie is more comfortable
around animals, but Lennie’s incapability to understand how to control his strength leads to severe
consequences. The death of his pup is used to foreshadow the death of Curley’s wife because the setting of
the barn mirrors how her death will take place. In this manner, Steinbeck is evoking fear within the reader
for Lennie as they worry about his future.
Throughout ‘Of Mice and Men,’ Candy’s aging dog is representative of the elderly. The unfair judgement
held about the old can be seen when Carson offers to ‘put the old devil out of his misery right now and get
it over with.’ The strong phrase ‘get it over with’ portrays his eagerness to get rid of Candy’s old dog.
Furthermore, the use of the term ‘old devil’ is symbolic of the elderly and how they are regarded as a
nuisance. This ties into Steinbeck’s message of how everyone should be treated with equal respect. During
the 1930s, ageist views were prominent as employers looked to employ more abled people in order to
maximise profits after the occurrence of the Great Depression.
, Steinbeck aids the reader to comprehend why Lennie had the urge to go find the dead mice that George
had tossed into the river. When he confesses ‘I could pet it with my thumb while we walked along,’ the
loneliness they were subject to is conveyed. Unemployment caused by the Dust Bowl on the ranches
caused many migrant workers such as George and Lennie to travel to California. However, as severe
droughts resulted in the collapsing of farms, ranch workers were wary to create relationships as there was
no security of a permanent job. Therefore, by revealing Lennie’s desire for tactile reassurance that he
wasn’t alone with the modal ‘could pet it’ reinforces Steinbeck’s message that companionship is a
necessity that no one should be denied from. Furthermore, the frequent deaths – ‘Trouble with mice is you
always kill em’ – of Lennie’s mice, is Steinbeck’s early warning to the reader that ‘Of Mice and Men’
doesn’t have a happy ending.
Effectively, Steinbeck uses animal imagery, and animals to represent different sectors of society, but to
also reinstate the need for society to be more understanding of each other, and less opinionated. For
instance, if women were respected instead of being objectified, Curley’s wife wouldn’t have been left in a
vulnerable position where she offered her hair to be felt in order to feel the warmth of friendship.
Likewise, Lennie’s death could have been prevented if society were more tolerant towards people with a
mental disability, or learning difficulty. As a result, George wouldn’t have felt the need to attempt to
protect Lennie by advising him to remain isolated. In this manner, Steinbeck has exploited the flaws within
the 1930s society, and presented a reconstruction of a combination of prejudiced thoughts to lead to a
very extreme conclusion. Therefore, this shocks the reader into learning a valuable lesson.
How does Steinbeck present the American dream in Of Mice and Men?
Of Mice and Men is set in the 1930s, a time when unemployment levels was incredibly high owing to the
1929 Wall Street Crash. As a result, citizens such as Lennie and George resulted to migrating to places such
as California in hopes of securing a job amidst the occurrence of the Dust Bowl. However, when morale
was low, the ranch workers belief in an American Dream led the characters towards believing in a better
future - a future that they had created in their mind, regardless of whether it was achievable or not.
Throughout the novel, the prominent dream is for both George and Lennie to own their own ranch. Whilst
Lennie gets carried away with excitement, George is more open to the fact that it will never happen.
Therefore, he pursues the dream in order to keep Lennie content. However, this attitude takes a turn when
Candy is able to contribute towards the keeping of their own ranch. In this moment, George can imagine
how things would work out because they had the money to fund their dream - he had a valid reason to put
hope into the dream. In this way, the American Dream spreads out to occupy the heart of fellow ranch
workers, although some (like Crooks) are more sceptical of the dream.
The rigid faith Lennie held in their dream from the start is suggested through the personal pronoun 'we' in
the assertive statement 'We got a future.' Furthermore, it accentuates the extent of friendship present
between Lennie and George for him to include George in his dream. However, Steinbeck exposes how
some people held more realistic opinions regarding future opportunities by contrasting both friends’
opinions. For example, George 'repeated his words rhythmically.' The verb 'repeated' and the adverb
'rhythmically' implies a mechanical approach which expresses how George lacks the motivation, and is
tired of pursuing their ambitions.
At times when George becomes frustrated with Lennie's lack of understanding of how the world operated,
George lashes out as he doesn't know how to be honest with Lennie without cruelly crushing his hopes in
the process. This leads to many heated outbursts where Lennie recognises he may be hindering George
