Symbolism In John Steinbeck's Of Mice Of Men

Got no teeth, damn near blind, can't eat. Candy feeds him milk. He can't chew nothing else. " This quote is essentially stating that Carlson sees how Candy’s dog is only suffering. He is one of few that is able to accept that the dog is no longer useful.

After reading the novel and watching the movie “Of Mice and Men”, I have learned about the lifestyle of migrant workers in California during the 1930s, which I did not know about before studying the novel. California back in the 1930s is very different from what I pictured it to be as the conditions of life weren’t that good. This is also the first novel that I have read in my years as a student that contains so much foreshadowing. Never before had I read a book where the author produced so much foreshadowing in such a short book. Steinbeck uses Lennie as a source of motivation and hope in achieving the dream farm that George, Candy, Crooks and Lennie himself desire.

They believe Candy’s dog is too old and useless to live anymore. “That dog ain’t no good to himself. I wisht somebody’d shoot me if I got old an’ a cripple,” (Steinbeck 45). Candy’s dog can do nothing in it’s condition and lives on the ranch just because Candy is there. Candy’s dog is obviously in a lot of pain and things would get worse if it were to keep on suffering and dying a painful death instead.

Candy owned an old dog; the dog represented many memories of the past life before things went downhill for him. Candy knows that one day be cut off from working on the ranch and will not be able to find work. When that day comes, he does not

Throughout Of Mice and Men there are many instances when Steinbeck uses figurative language as literary devices to depict an ulterior message. Specifically with an African American character named Crooks. Steinbeck uses this style of writing to depict an internal conflict by contrasting mood. This is reflected in the passage starting on pages 69-70 of the novella with lines “Crooks scowled” and ending with “Set down on the nail keg.” From the passage, the author is conveying a message of internal struggle within Crooks by using figurative language as literary devices which are mood and internal conflict.

The Failure of Dreams in Of Mice and Men In the novel, Of Mice and Men, the author, John Steinbeck argues that dreams are a foolish hope that cannot be achieved through how George and Lennie’s dream, Curley’s wife’s dream, and Crooks’ deepest desire all fail. John Steinbeck grew up and lived during the Great Depression, where he saw a lot of fragile dreams shatter and never come true. Naturally, this gave him a rather pessimistic view on dreams, so many of the characters have hopes that are never reached. George and Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Crooks all suffer the same fate, and never reach their ambitions.

Moreover, the men living on the ranch share mutual dreams: To George, this dream of having their own place means independence, security, working for themselves, and, above all, being "somebody." To Lennie, the dream resembles the delicate creatures he pets: It means to him security, the duty of keeping an eye on the rabbits, and a place where he won't need to be scared. To Candy, it means security for seniority and a home where he will fit in. For Crooks, where he

However it is not until the startling decison to put Candy’s dear dog down that reality kicks in. Candy then starts realizing that like his dog he himself has seemed to have lived beyond his usefullness . “When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me. ”(#60)  

The novel of mice and men by John Steinbeck is a timeless classic. whether it is friendships or whatever else there is something for everyone to relate to. In the book the main characters George and Lennie who are best friends and travel together make the theme the most evident. The theme that is the wanting of the american dream. This theme is the most relatable theme of the story by far.

¨They´ll can me purty soon, Jus’ as soon as i can´t swamp out no bunk houses they´ll put me on the county.¨ ( 88 ) . His word means very little on the ranch, nobody listens to him besides a select few. Soon , he won´t be able to do his work efficiently and will be layed off. Candy´s dog foreshadows what, in candy´s mind, will happen to him soon enough. Although not disclosed in the book, the readers know it will happen.

During this time period, many people had very little money without a proper home. They wandered aimlessly from job to job, trying to make any money they could. George and Lennie’s future farm represents a happy place where George, Lennie, and anyone else can be safe from the troubles of the rest of the world. John Steinbeck develops this symbol through his vocabulary and diction. When George is comparing himself and Lennie to other ranchers, he exclaims “We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us.

They were seen as useless and as extra mouths to feed. Candy faces the endless fear that the boss will fire him once he loses his worth on the farm. Candy’s fears are portrayed when Carlson shoots his old dog because the dog is too old to be of use. He tells Lennie

Dreams are ones aspiration, motivation and drive for perfection. There are different types of dreams such as dreams without purpose known as daydreams and dreams that act as a driving force behind one’s strive for better life. In Of Mice and Men the author shows another side of dreams’ nature which is to create a medium that the mind can find a refuge from everyday life’s challenges, especially in times of turmoil. The novel’s main characters, George and Lennie dream of independence “living off the fatta of the land”. This dream is dominant throughout the novel; in fact, the telling of the story becomes a ritual between the two men that makes the dream almost possible.

The book Of Mice and Men is full of puzzling examples of the human condition, from Lennie and his mental disability to Curley only caring about his social appearance. With characters like these two, the book exploits the human condition that concerns circumstances life has given you. John Steinbeck brings to life what being a laborer in the American depression meant to the men and one woman who had enough personality to stand out. Steinbeck shows the human condition of men while they survive in the American depression.

Candy lost his right hand in a ranch accident, which is why the owners “give me a job swampin’” as he says (Steinbeck 59). He believes he will that he will be “can[ned] purty soon,” so he wants to go with George and Lennie (Steinbeck 60). When Carlson wants to shoot Candy’s dog, Candy does not want him to. He says “No, I couldn’... I had ‘im too long” and “I had him from a pup” (Steinbeck 45).