Throughout his novel, Of Mice and Men, critically acclaimed American author John Steinbeck utilizes an array of allegorical characters, understated symbolism, and subtle foreshadowing to display the relationship between the inevitability of death and the harsh reality of life during the Great Depression. Steinbeck utilizes an array of allegorical characters in an attempt to exhibit the relationship of death and the cruel reality of life during the Great Depression throughout the novel. Within the novel, readers are introduced to several allegorically similar characters, all of whom represent those who are unfit to contribute to society, and thus, are forcefully removed from it. The first of these allegorical characters is Lennie Small. Ironically, one of the …show more content…
Steinbeck chose this name for Lennie not to imply that he was physically small, but to signify that the character is “subhuman, animal, and childlike, without power to judge or master social fate” (Spilka 385). Lennie, despite his size and power, has the mind of a child, which not only prevents him from reaching his maximum potential as a worker, but also hinders the capabilities of those who work with or around him. With the cruel and unforgiving economy of the United States during the Great Depression, keeping a parasitic buffoon around is as counterintuitive as it is impractical, which seals Lennie’s fate. Lennie is a nuisance to those around him, and despite the fact that George wishes to keep him around, he understands that Lennie’s death must come sooner rather than later. If George is to allow himself and his fellow ranch workers to succeed, he must do the most sensible thing; eliminate whatever is hindering their success, thus showing that Lennie’s inevitable death and the typical migrant worker lifestyle George thereafter assumes are directly related. Migrant workers in