How Does Steinbeck Use Setting In Of Mice And Men

In the novella Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck intelligently and deftly uses settings to reflect and symbolise many intrinsic themes of the novel, such as the American Dream, loneliness and racism. This is seen through the idyllic valley of Soledad, the sterile bunkhouse, and the isolated and segregated harness room where Crooks is situated, all providing an intriguing commentary on the lives of the itinerant workers of the time period. At the opening of the novella, George and Lennie find themselves in the idyllic valley of Soledad, where they spend some time before they enter the ranch. This setting is used to put forth opinions on the nature of mankind and the American dream. It is said there are 'golden foothill paths', further contributing to the tranquil and serene nature of the land, lulling the reader into a false sense of security, as

Interestingly, the novella starts and ends here, reflecting the cycle of life, and the fact that nature will still continue even if catastrophic events like Lennie killing Curley's Wife occur. This idea is further cemented by the 'heron' which eats the 'water snake' at the beginning and the end of the poem, and the heron and the water snake could be reflective of survival of the fittest, and how at the end, the weak, like Lennie and Curley's Wife, always get killed in the end. Another important setting in the Of Mice and Men novella is the bunkhouse, where many of the significant interactions between characters take place, and the bunkhouse is reflective of the life of the average internant worker. There are 'whitewashed walls' and 'unpainted floors' which convey the sterile nature of their lives, and how many of them were poor and did not have much to call their own. However, it could also reflect the sterile and uncompassionate nature of