Of Mice And Men Foreshadowing

In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck proves that in order to achieve one's dreams, one has to plan in spite of fate's intervention.

Through the use of foreshadowing, it is proven that dreams are what keeps people motivated in life. For example, after Lennie gets beat up by Curley, he asks George if he can “still tend to the rabbits”(65). Lennie’s wanting to tend the rabbits makes him regret acting violently on Curley. He is motivated by his dream of one day being able to tend to the rabbits. Despite his dream being so simple, fate makes it unachievable, showing the reader that fate does not discriminate against how big or small one’s dream is. The fact that Steinbeck used rabbits tells how their dream is very miniscule. George and Lennie are

fated to not achieve their dream, despite its simplicity. This foreshadows how Lennie is going get into trouble in the near future. The same thing happens over again, where Lennie does something bad, but only after he is done making the mistake does he realize that he will not be able to tend to the rabbits. Steinbeck chooses to use this as a symbol to show that people should always stay motivated by their dreams, because without that motivation, there will be no purpose in life. Just like how Lennie was motivated by his dream for one day getting rabbits, people should be motivated to work for their dreams, even if fate can come and stop them. Earlier, After Candy’s dog gets shot, it occurs to him that he does not want to have the same fate as the dog. He doesn’t want to be “no good to himself nor nobody else.” (60) Candy’s dream is also simple, he does not wish to become like his dog, unuseful to anyone and having no more purpose in life. He does not want to be left alone, but he wants someone to care for him just like how he cared for his dog. This foreshadows the fact that just like how his dog got let down by its owner, Candy is now going to get let down by George, because their plan cannot succeed due to fate. People must stay motivated by their dreams, no matter how bad the situation may be. Candy’s dog was shot, but he quickly recovered from it because his dreams motivated him to keep on going.
Metaphors in the story reveal that the organization that careful planning brings is needed to accomplish people’s dreams.

For instance, while George is talking to Whit, he “laid out his deliberate solitaire hand”(51) which were a seven, a six and a five. This represents how he is going to plan out the farm later in the story. He lays out his plans to get the farm with Lennie and Candy. Steinbeck uses decreasing numbers to show that their plan will not succeed. It might seem very good in the start, just like how Candy and Lennie might of thought, but it slowly starts to go downhill, until it eventually leads to Curley’s wife to die. Just because they planned for their dream, doesn’t mean it will go well. However, if you don’t even plan at all, your chances of achieving you dreams will become a lot smaller. Afterward, while talking to Lennie, George “looked carefully at the solitaire hand” (56) before finally putting an ace on his scoring rack. George carefully looked at his cards symbolizing how he was carefully coming up with plans to achieve him and Lennie’s dream. George putting the ace on the scoring board symbolizes how he was getting closer and closer to his dreams because of his careful planning. Steinbeck uses the cards and the game of solitaire as a symbol of George’s careful planning and him almost achieving his goals.Careful planning can never change the cards in the deck, but they can always be rearranged in different ways, helping you achieve the final outcome, which is winning the game. Similarly, planning can help you achieve your dreams, but ultimately, fate is what decides the end

result.
Symbolism is used to show that fate can step in at any moment to alter one’s careful planning, therefore making it inevitable. For example, Right after George and Lennie stopped arguing, “A big carp rose to the surface of the pool,” (10). It then mysteriously sinks back into the dark water. The carp rising is like people’s dreams, how they can easily be fooled by small successes on the way. However, once they almost reach their goal, fate can easily alter their results.The carp symbolizes George and Lennie’s hope of getting their farm. The carp rising to the surface, just like how the two men had tried so hard and were almost at their goal. The carp mysteriously sunk back into the water, just like how fate altered what they had planned for. Steinbeck uses the carp in the pool as a symbol of fate. People will always go for their dreams, but just like the carp, they have limitations on how far they can go, based on the pool. Just like fate can foil any plan, it can also determine how big your pool is, and how far you can take your dream. But at the same time, when George is getting ready to play cards, he does not shuffle the cards; instead he “rippled the edge of the deck nervously,” (49) which caused other people to notice him, making him stop. The fact that George is not shuffling the cards symbolizes that fate cannot be controlled through careful planning. People can plan all they want, but fate cannot be changed. The other men looking at George makes it clear that fate can stop any dream, therefore altering it at any given moment. The cards represent George's life, and rippling the edges of the deck symbolize how George tries to make his dreams become reality by planning out his dream. However, George is bound by his fate, and can not do such a thing. This is shown when George only ripples the edge of the deck instead of actually shuffling it like what would normally be done. Furthermore, when George ripples the edges of the cards, the other men notice it, which causes George to stop rippling the cards. The men represent fate, and when George stops rippling the edges of the cards because of the men, it represents how fate has altered George’s plans and in this case has prevented his dreams from becoming true. Steinbeck uses the deck to symbolize fate. People may make plans for their dreams to come true, but just like the deck of cards, fate will ruin most dreams, no matter how carefully thought out the plans for it are. The cards that fate has dealt cannot be shuffled.