Of Mice And Men Quote Analysis

The story, “Of Mice and Men” follows George Milton and Lennie Small as they dream of the freedom that owning their own land will bring. Through their ambition and perseverance on the farm, you see the hardships and struggles brought to them from social injustice, loneliness, and mistrust. John Steinbeck, through his use of foreshadowing, symbolism, and motif portrays a compelling theme of loneliness, strength, and human tendency in his novella, “Of Mice and Men”; In a competitive, unfair, or lonely community, people tend to give in to human nature and use strength or oppression as a way to make them feel better about themselves, or appear a more powerful figure in their society.

It is evident from the beginning of the book that Steinbeck uses

foreshadowing to show how physical or verbal strength can be used to destroy something innocent. In the passage, “And then from the direction of the state highway came the sound of footsteps on crisp sycamore leaves. The rabbits hurried noiselessly for cover. A stilted heron labored up into the air and pounded down river. For a moment the place was lifeless, and then two men emerged from the path and came into the opening by the green pool (2).” John Steinbeck uses symbolism in order to foreshadow later events in the story. This calm, serene place symbolizes the ever present dream of George and Lennie; to have their own land and to be free from having to work beneath a more authoritative figure. George and Lennie coming through this area and destroying the peacefulness is one way that John Steinbeck hints that their dream may be destroyed later in the story. Because we know that these two men walking through the woods are George and Lennie, it makes you wonder if their dream will be ruined not by a more powerful figure, but by these two people and their growing conflict. Another example of foreshadowing in this book is in the line, “You always killed em’ (9).” This is George referring to all the mice that Lennie used to kill, but it may also be referring to deaths that will happen farther into the story. This is later proven when Lennie kills his puppy and eventually Curley’s wife. These examples of foreshadowing in the story show how physical strength may be used as a way of destroying the hopes, dreams, or even realities of your peers. Though not always intentional, people tend to subconsciously put themselves above everybody else and become blinded by ambition, which in turn ties back to the idea of oppression and social injustice in the theme, supporting it with textual evidence.

In the story, “Of Mice and Men”, the idea that people, regardless of age, gender, and race tend to use unjust treatment as a way to put people down is repeated many times throughout. The passage, “I said s’pose George went into town tonight and you never heard from him no more.’ Crooks pressed forward some kind of private victory. “Just s’pose that,” he repeated. “He won’t do it,” Lennie cried. “George wouldn’t do nothing like that. I been with George a long time. He’ll come back tonight-” But the doubt was too much for him (71).” is a perfect example of this motif. Crooks, who is evidently very lonely and viewed as worthless in his society sees a perfect opportunity to make Lennie feel insecure. Crooks knows that Lennie is disabled and sees him as an easy target, so he begins to make him doubt that George will come back for him. This gives Crooks the temporary feeling of power over someone, which he doesn’t have in his everyday life. This is a very unjust thing to do on Crooks’ part because Lennie has a mental disability and has a hard time comprehending difficult situations. This motif in the story supports the theme of the book because it demonstrates how even the lowest class members of a community can resort to oppression. From previous characterization of Crooks, you know that he doesn’t have much faith in his ability to be successful and is viewed as insignificant on the farm. He sees that Lennie has a dream of one day moving forward with his life and owning his own land, so he feels insecure and jealous. Resorting to verbally antagonizing Lennie, Crooks feels a sense of power and strength.

“Of Mice and Men” contains many symbols that help to support the theme of loneliness, strength, and human nature in the story.

A great representation of a symbol is in the passage, “Why he’s dead,” she cried. “He was so little,” said Lennie. “I was jus’ playin’ with him...an’ he made like he was gonna bite me...an’ I make like I was gonna smack him...an’...an’ I done it. An’ then he was dead. (87)” In this passage, the death on Lennie’s puppy represents the victory of the strong over the weak, not only through force, but through the power of words as well. Many times in a community, people, as symbolized by Lennie resort to human tendency without thinking about or realizing the consequences of their actions. For example, Lennie did not mean to kill his puppy, but did because he realized the true magnitude of his power only after his puppy was dead. Another example of a symbol in this story is Candy’s dog. In the passage, “During the conversation Carlson had refused to be drawn in. He continued to look down at the old dog. Candy watched him uneasily. At last Carlson said, “If you want me to, I’ll put the old devil out of his misery right now and get it over with. Ain’t nothing left for him. Can’t eat, can’t see, can’t even walk without hurtin’. (47)” you see that Candy’s dog represents people who get beaten down physically and verbally in their community. Sometimes in a society you work so hard to get what you want, that when you finally achieve your goal you no longer have the strength or will to enjoy it. After so many years of tending sheep, Candy’s dog is in a sense worthless to the farm when he finally gets to enjoy his freedom. This symbolizes how after being beaten down by your peers, job, and community, you become unable to achieve your full potential and live your life to the fullest. The symbols of Lennie’s puppy and Candy’s dog show that you may not realize your physical or verbal power over another person or animal. In the case of Lennie’s puppy, he did

not mean to kill him, but unintentionally resorted to human nature to protect himself. Therefore proving that it is very hard to mentally and physically ignore your tendencies. In the case of Candy’s dog, you see that he is no longer needed on the farm, so the workers turn to the idea of “Survival of the fittest”, seeing necessary to kill Candy’s dog for his suffering and lack of contribution in the workplace.

The idea that a community, regardless of social status resorts to oppression, prejudice, and injustice to feel a sense of power is evidently shown and proven through the use of literary devices such as foreshadowing, symbolism, and motif. The motif of unjust treatment, symbols of Lennie’s puppy and Candy’s dog, and foreshadowing of later destruction show evidence to support the theme in that is can be applied to any situation or society. Through this captivating story of loneliness and human nature in a community, you as the reader learn the valuable lessons of friendship, trust, and social power in a society.