John Steinbeck Use Of Descriptive Language In Of Mice And Men

On February 6, 1937, John Steinbeck wrote a powerful novel titled Of Mice and Men. Set during The Great Depression, the author used the protagonists Lennie and George to explore the themes of loneliness and fear and the hard-to-achieve “American Dream.” Early on in the text, readers learn that Lennie suffers from autism. Working as migrant workers, the two childhood friends must persist through Lennie’s poor decision-making to fulfill their goal of owning a farm. The author’s use of literary devices and descriptive language made for an emotional roller-coaster with an unforeseen ending. The story begins with Lennie and George finding a job on a ranch. One day, an entitled worker named Curley gets into an altercation. Without an understanding of his strength, Lennie crushes Curley’s hand. A few weeks later, Lennie loses control again, killing Curly’s wife. Running to the riverbank to hide, George goes after Lennie. Moments later, he carries out a mercy-killing knowing what Curley would do if he had found him first.

I recognize how he illustrated the brotherhood between Lennie and George, and highlighted issues including racism and sexism. One use of imagery states, “On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains.. .”Concerning foreshadowing, there are several occasions where Steinbeck alludes to Lennie getting into trouble. George told Lennie, “..if you jus' happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an' hide in the brush." Symbolism is important to the story because it illustrates Lennie’s