More handpicked essays just for you.
A tale of two cities foreshadowing examples
Analytical essay of mice and men
Steinbeck uses foreshadowing to show us
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Clues from the Future Many times, life gives us clues as to what is yet to come. These clues that tell a person what might happen in the future is called “foreshadowing.” Foreshadowing is also a literary device used by authors. John Steinbeck, the author of, Of Mice and Men, uses foreshadowing to connect certain events in the story. Of Mice and Men, is a story about two men, George and Lennie, who are running from their past and chasing their dream; However, several tragic events change the path that they were on and everything went haywire. George and Lennie are two migrant workers who travel together, in search of work. They came across a ranch and decided to work there so they could make money and put it towards their dream of having their own piece of land. While working George and Lennie meet many new people such as Candy, Curley, Curley’s wife, Slim, Crooks, and …show more content…
Carlson. The people that George and Lennie meet influence the plot in many significant ways. What events does Steinbeck foreshadow and how does he foreshadow them? George and Lennie’s plans go askew, Curley’s wife’s death, the loss of a farm dream, and the death of Lennie are all events that Steinbeck foreshadowed throughout the story. George and Lennie’s plans going askew in Of Mice and Men was foreshadowed by Steinbeck. Steinbeck came up with the title Of Mice and Men because of the poem “To a Mouse,” by Robert Burns. In the poem To a Mouse, it says that “I would be loath to run and chase you with murdering plough-staff… Your small house, too, in ruin! It’s feeble walls the wind are scattering! And nothing now to build a new one...” (Document A, “To a Mouse,” Robert Burns, 1785) This is an example of foreshadowing by Steinbeck because he used the ideals of “To a Mouse,” and used it to tell readers different key points in Of Mice and Men. This quote from to a mouse represents how unexpected events come up and plans will go askew in Of Mice and Men. Robert Burns also says in his poem “To a Mouse,” that “The best laid schemes of mice and men go often askew, and leaves us nothing but grief and pain, for promised joy!...” This quote represents how sometimes the good things we think we are going to have in life are not always meant for us and by promising ourselves something that we can’t have, causing ourselves pain and sadness. That is how Steinbeck uses Robert Burns’s poem “To a Mouse,” to help foreshadow how plans in life go askew. Steinbeck uses the death of Curley’s wife as another example of foreshadowing..
In the beginning of the story Of Mice and Men, Lennie says “Jus’ wanted to feel that girl’s dress---jus’ wanted to pet it like it was a mouse...She yells and we got to ...sneak out in the dark country.” (Document B, Steinbeck, John , Of Mice and Men, 1937, chapter 1) This quote tells the reader that Lennie likes petting soft things and he doesn’t really think before he acts, so when he saw a girl with a soft dress he tried to pet it. This scared the girl, so she yelled, which in turn scared Lennie. This foreshadows Curley’s wife’s death because it tells how bad things happen when Lennie gets scared because he doesn’t think. “...Lennie sat in the hay and looked at a little dead puppy that lay in front of him…” (Document B, Steinbeck, John , Of Mice and Men, 1937, chapter 5) This quote tells us how lennie accidentally killed his puppy. This foreshadows Curley’s wife’s death because it tells the readers that Lennie ends up killing the animals that he pets. That is how Steinbeck foreshadows Curley’s wife’s
death. Foreshadowing is used by Steinbeck to tell the readers that George and Lennie won’t get their farm in the end. “Lennie pleaded ‘Come on, George. Tell me. Please George. Like you done before...I ain’t got time for no more...’” (Document C, Steinbeck, John , Of Mice and Men, 1937, Chapter 1) This quote is by Lennie asking George to tell him about the farm they are going to get later on and George telling Lennie that he doesn’t want to tell Lennie about it anymore. These quotes from Lennie and George foreshadow that they won’t get the farmland in the end because of how George cuts off from his story abruptly. This tells how they won’t get the land in the end through George’s abrupt ending. “‘I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads...You guys is just kiddin’ yourself. You’ll talk about it a hell of a lot, but you won’t get no land.’” (Document C, Steinbeck, John , Of Mice and Men, 1937, Chapter 4) This quote tells people how common it was for people to come around hoping that one day they will have their own piece land of but as Crooks implies you can dream but not all dreams come true. Steinbeck foreshadows George and Lennie not getting their piece of land through comparing them to other people who have had the same dream. That is another example of how Steinbeck uses foreshadowing. Steinbeck foreshadows the death of Lennie in several ways. One example of how Steinbeck foreshadows Lennie’s death is when Carlson said “‘He ain’t no good to you, Candy. An’ he ain’t no good to himself. Why’n’t you shoot him, Candy?’”(Document D, Steinbeck, John , Of Mice and Men, 1937, Chapter 3) This tells us about Carlson talking to Candy about Candy’s dog. Carlson tells Candy that his dog is old and isn’t no good to himself or to Candy. This quote foreshadows Lennie’s death because it tells you that the dog is useless and useless animals are killed. Later on in the book Curley’s wife tells Lennie that he is useless therefore this quote foreshadows Lennie’s death. “‘...Right back of the head. He wouldn’t even quiver.’ He went to his bunk, pulled his bag from underneath it and took out a Luger pistol. ‘Let’s get it over with.’” (Document D, Steinbeck, John , Of Mice and Men, 1937, Chapter 3) This is Carlson talking to Candy about how he would shoot Candy’s dog for him so Candy doesn’t have to be the one to do it. It also says how Carlson would shoot Candy’s dog right in the back of the head with his Luger pistol so that he doesn’t even quiver. This foreshadows Lennie’s death because Lennie was shot the same way with the same gun except for the fact that George was the one to kill Lennie because Candy had said he regretted not killing his dog himself. That is how Steinbeck foreshadows Lennie’s death. Like detectives, the readers have picked up on the clues Steinbeck has created to foreshadow the plot of Of Mice and Men . Steinbeck foreshadows George and Lennie’s plans going askew, Curley’s wife’s death, the loss of a farm dream, and Lennie’s death throughout the story Of Mice and Men. There are many ways life can hint to us what is going to happen next. Having a surprise party for someone and hinting at them that they are going to have a party is a type of foreshadowing that can happen in day to day life. Foreshadowing helps authors connect all the different pieces of the story together like a puzzle. Without foreshadowing, a story is bland and simple, whereas with foreshadowing a story can be complex and carry a deeper meaning. If a puzzle were to be put together and pieces were missing, the picture would be distorted and incomplete. As readers, it is important that we pick up on these clues the authors leave for us so we can understand the plot of the story better and we can understand the importance of the lesson authors are trying to convey.
Curley's wife, an accident that seals his own fate and destroys not only his dreams but George's and Candy's as well. In the beginning Lennie used to pet mice that his Aunt Clara used to give him, he would always end up killing them because he didn't know his own strength. Lennie never killed any pet or person purposely; he pets too roughly and kills them accidentally. An example of his rough tendencies is in the first chapter (page7) when Lennie wants to keep a dead mouse and George wouldn't let him Lennie says" Uh-uh. Jus' a dead mouse, George.
In the novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, foreshadowing is used a great deal throughout the whole story. From the beginning to the end, it appears everywhere hinting on what will happen in order to make the book more enjoyable. It was used to show that Lennie will be getting into trouble with Curley's wife, the death of Lennie, and exactly how he dies.
In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, foreshadowing is used throughout the whole book and gradually preparing us for the tragic end by constantly hinting about the inevitable tragedy that awaits the pair, especially Lennie Small.
In California, two friends travel together to attempt to achieve their life long dream of owning their own farm. As they are traveling, they encounter situations that affect their future plans. During the Great Depression, George and Lennie, the main characters, begin searching for work to pay for their dream. As they search for work, George notices that Lennie can’t control his own strength. When they find work, they face many problems on the job especially with the bosses son, Curley. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses Foreshadowing as a unifying device to reveal future events that may occur later in the story.
Of Mice and Men includes lots of foreshadowing which also helps improve how well the reader interprets the story. The use of foreshadowing in this piece of literature helps the reader predict what will happen later on. A way John Steinbeck uses foreshadowing in this novel is, “He wants to touch ever’thing he likes…so he reaches out to feel this dress an’ the girl lets out a squawk” (41). In this quote, foreshadowing is utilized by George telling the story on how and why, he and Lennie got kicked out of Weed, where they worked before they came to Soledad.
Foreshadowing is a literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story. An example of foreshadowing Wiesel exercises is when he uses Moshie the Beadle to introduce the kind of person he was before and after his experience in a labor camp. Moshie’s suffering foreshadows his and his family’s outcome. Moshie had managed to escape and return to Sighet where people took pity on him and assumed he had nothing more than a vivid imagination. Another example is when the Budapest radio had announced that the Fascist party had come to power. The broadcast stated, “The Jews in Budapest are living in an atmosphere of fear and terror” (p9). A third example would be when Wiesel’s mother told the family tha...
With his disability, he needs something to feel connected to. He loves to pet furry and soft things. In chapter one in “Of Mice and Men”, Lennie and George are walking along a dirt road, on there way to a ranch. George discovers Lennie playing with something in his pocket. Lennie states to George before the dead mouse was taken away. ““ I could pet it with my thumb while we walked along”” (Steinbeck 6) . In order to prove that Lennie is not smart enough to fulfill the American Dream, Steinbeck creates Lennie to seem as not normal as possible. Steinbeck places Lennie in a state, where he does not understand right from wrong. He does not know nor understand, that playing with a deceased critter is not only gross but unacceptable as a
In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, after Lennie’s death, there are many people to blame, but Curley and Curley’s Wife are to blame more than anyone else and there are strong reasons as to why.
Has loneliness ever creeped up your spine? Has the palm of lonesome ever managed slapped you across the cheek, leaving a mark that is unable to be faded; physical pain from such a mentally-fitted emotion? Of Mice and Men is a book about two men - George and Lennie - who travel together, both having a dream of grabbing a plot of land to begin their own farm. Furthermore, foreshadowing is an important aspect of this book; but, what is foreshadowing? To answer this in Layman's terms, foreshadowing is the process of hinting at future events. In Of Mice and Men, there are various traces of the writer’s use of foreshadowing. This includes the title itself, Lennie accidentally harming various creatures, Crook’s skeptic-attitude towards George and Lennie, and the general inhumanity of people at that time.
Curley’s wife represents her broken dreams of becoming an actress. Lennie and George represent a dream in progress, it is uncertain if their plans will work out as intended or plummet before takeoff, even Crooks and Candy see the appeal in Lennie and George’s fantasy and join them. The dream in progress gives hope to Lennie and George and continued to even after losing previous jobs. Curley’s wife is constantly restricted, she married Curley so that she would no longer be alone but now is in the same state as before, just on a ranch of men. She tries to talk to the other men but she is then seen as "jail bait" and avoided, making her even lonelier. Her dream of being an actress has failed because she chose a quick way out and married Curley. She is now living in her failure and has no longer a dream to aim for. Perhaps the most important part of the story is the the part in which Lennie has accidentally killed the puppy given to him by Slim, and is grieving over him in the barn, “This ain’t no bad thing like I got to go hide in the brush. Oh! no. This ain’t. I’ll tell George I foun’ it dead.” He unburied the puppy and inspected it, and he stroked it from ears to tail. He went on sorrowfully, “But he’ll know. George always knows. He’ll say, ‘You done it. Don’t try to put nothing over on me.’ An’ he’ll say, ‘Now jus’ for that you don’t get to tend no rabbits!” (Steinbeck, 85) He feels powerless to his own strength, he believes that he will never achieve his dream because of his mistake. George and the other men are out once again and the only person who comes to his emotional aid is none other than Curley’s wife. “Don’t you worry about talkin’ to me. Listen to the guys yell out there. They got four dollars bet in that tenement. None of them ain’t gonna leave till it’s over.” “If George sees me talkin’ to you he’ll give me hell,” Lennie said cautiously.” (Steinbeck, 85) He
In the book Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, two men travel together to escape their pasts. They arrive at a ranch in the Salinas Valley with hopes to achieve their ultimate dream; to buy a place to call their own. Lennie, who is a simple-minded man, and George, who is just a typical guy are brought together and make a lasting friendship out of the loneliness of each man. While spending time on the farm George and Lennie meet some friendly characters, but because of some accidental deaths their dreams drift away. Foreshadowing may create a literary theme.
John Steinbeck, in his novel Of Mice and Men, makes use of similes and foreshadowing to keep readers in touch with the characters and at the edge of their seats throughout the story. Foreshadowing lets readers keep questioning, while similes add more details and brings out the characters in the book. Steinbeck’s use of foreshadowing and similes brings out the deep meaning and themes learned through the characters and the circumstances George faces. Foreshadowing and the use of similes are two of the many literary techniques that bring out the deep thoughts of an author using great details and suspense. These are the techniques which make authors like, John Steinbeck, successful writers.
In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck brings out the themes of Lonliness and companionship, and strengths and weaknesses through the actions, and quotations of the characters. Irony and foreshadowing play a large roll on how the story ends. Lennie and his habit of killing things not on purpose, but he is a victim of his own strength. George trying to pretend that his feelings for Lennie mean nothing. The entire novel is repetitive in themes and expressed views.
The central element of this novella is its symbolism. This novella has plenty of symbolical forms, such as people, creed, and some of the animals. Candy has several terms of symbolism, for example his disability is a symbol of the migrant workers who are just literally forgotten about, they are forgotten when they are no use to the owners. Candy’s dog is a symbol of a life only for advantage to others Lennie also for shadows this, he is belittled of his mind but enormously commented for his strength. Also he is compelled to lie about the fight he had with Curley, this is a symbol of typical male society in the, “Depression era”.
The novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is about two ranch hands, George and Lennie. George is a small, smart-witted man, while Lennie is a large, mentally- handicapped man. They are trying to raise enough money to buy their own ranch, by working as ranch hands. During the setting of the story, they are at a ranch whose owner’s name is Curley. It is in this setting that the novel reveals that the main theme is death and loss.