Examples Of Animal Imagery In Of Mice And Men

John Steinbeck, author of the novel, Of Mice and Men has used multiple animal imagery details to strengthen the plot and define the characters personalities. This novel is set during the Great Depression, so animal imagery helps the reader have a powerful picture in their mind of what specific characters' lives are like. The two main characters, Lennie Small and George Milton, are one of many characters who feature animal imagery in the novel. A lot of the animal imagery Steinbeck uses are examples of foreshadowing that occur later in the novel. Examples of foreshadowing include death, loss, and misery. Steinbeck has used animal imagery through describing Lennie as a bear, showing how Candy’s relationship with his dog is the same as Lennie

Lennie is firmly established at the book's beginning. He is described as a bear and a line that Steinbeck uses to describe him as a bear is, "he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws.” Another time there was animal imagery was in the start of the novel when Lennie and George had just arrived at the clearing where they would spend the night, it said "His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool, drank with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse." Lennie didn’t even think to check if the water was sanitary or pure. This proves that Lennie lacks common sense, like most of the animals do. The reader can visualize Lennie as a physically strong but dull

Candy's dog is similar to Candy because both are elderly and have several wounds. Candy's dog struggles throughout the entire book, whether he is standing stationary or roaming around with Candy. Having his dog as a life-long friend and someone who is committed to him makes Candy, like George, stand out from the other men on the ranch. Instead of going side by side like friends when Lennie and George were first travelling through the field at the beginning of the story, Lennie trails behind George like a dog behind its owner. Candy has had his dog since he was a pup, so his dog is an important part of his life. George and Lennie have known each other since they were children, so they have a tenacious bond. He runs from town to town, not to get away from the trouble Lennie has caused, but rather to shield Lennie from its consequences. This says that George certainly cares deeply about his friend. Also, Lennie depends on George to take care of him and tell him what to say and do. Candy's dog was put down because the dog was bothering the other workers on the ranch. The dog was so old that it had an awfully hard time walking to one side of the room. The dog also reeked badly. Candy understood that it was necessary to do this even though he had become fond of the dog and did not want to put him down. Candy didn’t have any courage to shoot his dog and after his dog had been shot, he