The Role Of Fate In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows that even if one meticulously plans out the road to their American Dream, fate will inevitably intervene and lead one to desolation and loneliness. Steinbeck uses extended metaphors and _____________ to demonstrate how humans plan ahead to ensure their own happiness and success. Throughout the novel, a deck of playing cards, as well as games of solitaire and euchre, are used to illustrate how one searches and draws out a path to their American Dream. As George sits down to talk with Slim, “George stacked the scattered cards and began to lay out his solitaire hand” (Steinbeck 40). The deck of cards are used throughout the story as an extended metaphor for the continuous cycle of George and Lennie’s tragic fate. The scattered cards reveal the happenings of …show more content…

When the cards are stacked, it is made evident that George has moved on (from what?), and refocused on his vision of living “‘on the fatta the lan’” (105). A hand of solitaire is laid out, and the first step of his plan is taken (change this). Prior to the quote, George confesses to Slim about how (doesn’t flow well) he used to fool around with Lennie, constantly taking advantage of his mental disabilities. The cards’ depiction of life also metaphorically shows the way in which George and Lennie’s relationship has changed. They start out scattered, Lennie sticking to George, and George pushing him away, as one would see in a pile of unorderly (find different word) cards; a group of a few cards here, a random outlier there. George eventually realizes the cruelty of his doings, stacks his cards, and pulls out a new solitaire hand. Steinbeck uses the cards as an extended metaphor for life and fate because of its random and luck-based games. One cannot choose what cards are dealt to

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