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How Does Steinbeck Use Animal Symbolism

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John Steinbeck used symbolism effectively by communicating about complex issues like death, loneliness, and power, utilizing animal symbolism that people recognize, and creating the kinds of symbols that work well in literature.
The first reason I think Steinbeck used symbolism effectively was by communicating about complex issues like death, loneliness, and power. Symbols help us to make sense of our surroundings. This is because they are a way of instantly communicating. They provide a mental shortcut that triggers recognition, understanding and feeling (Davies). According to Steinbeck, this quote shows the death of Candy’s dog, “I oughtta of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t oughtta of let no stranger shoot my dog” (61). This quote shows the loneliness of Crooks, “He kept his distance and demanded that other people keep theirs” (Steinbeck 67). …show more content…

Rabbits symbolize fertility, luck, and creativity. Rabbits also symbolize compassion and intuition. Rabbits are a popular symbol in many cultures around the world. Often associated with springtime and new beginnings, the happy critters are a reminder that life is full of possibility (“Rabbit - Rabbit Spirit Animal Symbolism and Meaning”). According to Steinbeck, he uses 2 examples from the book to show why we use animal symbolism. These 2 quotes show the symbolism of Lennie’s behavior, “But you ain’t gonna get in no trouble, because if you do, I won’t let you tend the rabbits” (Steinbeck 16). “Lennie sat in the hay and looked at a little dead puppy that lay in front of him” (Steinbeck

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In a book “Among the Hidden” by Margaret Peterson Haddix, symbolism is used to create a powerful feeling with a place or thing. For example, Luke (the main protagonist) was "... always safe and protected by the house and the barn and the woods. Until they took the woods away." (pg. 11) The woods were Luke’s playground where he didn’t have to worry about being seen, his only safeguard and protection from the Population Police.

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On page 13 John Steinbeck writes “Lennie pleaded “come on tell me----like you done before”... “You get a kick out of that, don’t you? Awright, I’ll tell you then we’ll eat our supper…” This shows how George was asked to tell Lennie about the rabbits and he

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Lennie constantly fears that his actions will anger George, who will then punish him by taking away his rabbit-managing privileges. During the debacle with Curley's wife, he says “‘George gonna say I done a bad thing. He gonna ain’t gonna me tend no rabbits’”(91). Lennie represents innocence and

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Symbolism uses symbols to represent ideas or qualities, such as loss, grief, or pain. This idea is of utmost importance because, in the novel Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, two symbols show the suffering of Billie Jo and Daddy. Hence, the author uses symbolism to explain the loss in Billie Jo’s and Daddy’s lives, using the gaping hole that daddy digs and the missing cranberry sauce. Primarily, Billie Jo’s symbol for suffering loss was the cranberry sauce, as it represents her loss of her mother.

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Another example of usage of symbolism in this book would be Alcohol. Alcohol is used as a symbol to convey a deeper meaning. Alcohol in this novel symbolizes that many of the characters face problems and obstacles that are very difficult, but they don’t really face them head-on. They try to escape from their problems in many ways, and the main one is alcohol. The characters are having tough times in their lives, where they really don’t know what to do and how to handle their obstacles or setbacks to be happy.

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Steinbeck foreshadows in the beginning of the story that something negative will happen to Lennie based of his

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Often times, many literary texts show or display hidden meanings or foreshadow many, things that will either affect the main character negatively or positively. People like John Steinbeck in his Mice and Men are able to slowly weave a secret message into a story through the use of almost randomly placed occurences. In this case, the death of Candy’s dog ended up foreshadowing the conflict and inevitable death of Lennie Small. Surprising the reader with how lost usefulness and mercy gave a new meaning to the deaths of Lennie Small and Candy’s dog. After being introduced to the farm workers, an old man by the name of Candy gets brought in.

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Steinbeck once again uses the incident in Weed in a much smaller way to foreshadow the character's untoward circumstance. When George addresse the incident back in chapter one he states “[Lennie] If you jus’ happen get in trouble like you always done before... Come right here and hide in the brush.” something that is key to take away from this short blur is the line “like you always done before”. This hint that Lennie is in constant trouble and causes bad thing to happen mean that Lennie is nothing, but a troublemaker.

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To begin, Steinbeck’s application of figurative language expresses Lennie as an animal showing how he is mindless and needs George as a caretaker. For example, “Lennie dipped his whole head under, hat and all, and then he sat up on the bank and his hat dripped down on his blue coat and ran down his back” (3). This conveys how Lennie symbolically, like a dog, drank the water by dumping his entire head underwater. The average man like George scooped the water to drink it presenting Lennie as not bright.

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At the beginning of the novel he accidently kills a mouse, and then a puppy, and ultimately Curley’s wife. As he said, “I can still tend the rabbits, George?... I didn't mean no harm, George.” (65), he may have not meant to harm anything or anyone but he did not understand or accept the severity of his actions, instead he was concerned about the tending of his future rabbits. Lennie’s actions solidified Steinbeck’s stance on the true nature of mankind through his diction.

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"God damn you," he cried. "Why do you got to get killed? You ain't so little as mice." He picked up the pup and hurled it from him”(Steinbeck 83). Lennie is extremely caring towards animals.

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Lennie states “If I get in trouble, you ain’t gonna let me tend the rabbits.” ... then George states. “no, you will still tend the rabbits Lennie.” (Steinbeck 30). Steinbeck, John.

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Animal imagery shows to represent valuable meaning to Steinbeck’s work through brutality, foreshadowing of death, and misery. Of Mice and Men is a novel published by John Steinbeck in 1937. Animal imagery goes on to play a key role in a small town in California, as Lennie Smalls and George Milton dive into the hardest times of the great depression. Situations will be to be hard, but animal imagery must facilitate the reader’s views about the life. Brutality is the definition of acting or being compared to an animal or beast, consequently acting with little intelligence and a high altitude of violence.

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Symbolism in general is the building blocks to all sources of literature and can shape a piece of writing in many ways. Symbols in general can portray what something or someone represents, giving a deeper and metaphorical meaning to a symbol. Symbolism is often used within poetry, literature, music, or even art. This is how an author conveys a different meaning to the audience. For example artists may use the color “red” not only because of the color theory, but to convey love, passion, and maybe even health.

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However, the way in which Steinbeck implements this “colorful language” is key to understanding why he used it at all. Ordinarily, an author would describe a character by their physical human traits rather than accentuating animal-like characteristics, which is how Steinbeck depicts Lennie. As a result of the utilization of Lennie’s animal-like depiction, Steinbeck subliminally dehumanizes Lennie in the reader's mind and justifies the death of animals at the hands of their masters. Ultimately, in Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck dehumanizes Lennie to the reader through the use of animal imagery, in order to allow the reader to justify Lennie’s death at the hands of his best friend, George as a warranted act of

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