Examples Of Foreshadowing In Of Mice And Men

Foreshadowing in Of Mice and Men Foreshadowing, by definition, is a narrative device in which suggests readers about events that will show up later in the story or text. This device has been used in many stories, such as James Hurst and The Scarlet Ibis. Foreshadowing has been used in different ways, like suggesting the death of a character in a story or a possible natural disaster that will wipe out the majority of the midwest. Foreshadowing has been utilized in many well-known novels from the past and present. Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is one of those novels. Published in 1937, Of Mice and Men is centered around two runaway men named George and Lennie who travel to California in search of a job during The Great Depression. In Of Mice and Men, foreshadowing is utilized in many cases throughout the story, such as Curley’s hand being crushed, Curley’s wife being killed, and the death of Lennie.

When George and Lennie first entered the new bunkhouse on the ranch, the two were greeted by Curley who put Lennie in his place by intimidating him. After Curley walked away from George and Lennie, George warned Curley when he wasn’t around that “...this Curley punk is gonna get hurt if he messes around with Lennie.”(pg.26) This isn’t the only hint of foreshadowing that led to Curley’s crushed hand. Curley, before the incident, wore a glove on his hand in order to keep it soft. Lennie had a habit of squishing soft things like mice. This suggests that it would be easy for Curley to be injured by Lennie, considering that Lennie is bigger and stronger than most people on the farm. It even mentions that a little after the start of the book, “But I say he’s a Goddamn good worker. He can put a four hundred pound