How Does Steinbeck Use Of Foreshadowing In Of Mice And Men

“...As they move wearily from harvest to harvest, there is one urge and one overwhelming need, to acquire a little land again, and to settle on it and stop their wandering”. Steinbeck says this in The Harvest Gypsies to express how the american dream was desired greatly by wanderers in California during The Great Depression. In the book Of Mice And Men, by John Steinbeck, Lennie’s life was very similar to the wanders in The Harvest Gypsies. He was a wander in California and had a dream of owning a ranch. He failed to achieve his dream of the ranch. Throughout the story, Lennie’s motivation continued to achieve his dream. Everything he did was done so that he could have his ranch. Unfortunately at the end, Lennie dies therefore ending his American

At the end of chapter 5, Steinbeck describes the barn setting making it clear that he wants the reader to notice his use of foreshadowing. He says “The barn was darkening gradually and, in their stalls, the horses shifted their feet and rattled the halter chains” (98). This is significant because it shows that Steinbeck wants us to pick up on his use of foreshadowing. He uses this foreshadowing to suggest that Lennie’s future is dark and is continuing to get darker. He implies that Lennie’s future is continuing to get darker by saying “gradually”. He describes the valley at the beginning of chapter six by saying “Already the sun had left the valley to go climbing up the slopes...a pleasant shade had fallen.”(99). In this description of the valley, Steinbeck uses foreshadowing to show how Lennie’s dream is fading away and coming to an end. The sun leaving the valley shows how Lennie's dream is leaving him and shade that had fallen foreshadows a dark and deadly future. Steinbeck using “Already” hints at how soon the american dream is ending and foreshadows a severe end to this dream. After Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife, he goes to the brush and hides. Then, George comes and comforts him. At this time, Steinbeck furthermore describes the valley using foreshadowing. He describes the setting by saying “Only the topmost ridges were in the sun now. The shadow in the valley was blue and soft”. (103) In this quote Steinbeck describes the sun and how only a little of the ridges are still lit because he wants to convey how little Lennie can do to succeed in his american dream and how little time he has left until his dream ends. He describes the “blue and soft” shadow in the valley to explain how this darkness approaching is ending all hope of Lennie’s american dream being achieved. This foreshadowing comes true when soon after Steinbeck