Of Mice And Men Figurative Language

How would you feel if you were the one behind the glass at the zoo and the public was staring at you? Humans often don’t fit in society and can be overlooked as something rather than a human. Throughout Of Mice and Men, Lennie Smalls, a vast, conscientious, child-like man, is often seen as an animal. His actions were always similar to an animal which resulted in his consistent treatment as an animal. It was almost as if he was nothing more than an animal. In the novella, John Steinbeck employs figurative language and symbolism throughout the story to compare Lennie to different animals, dehumanizing him.

To begin with, Lennie was always an unusual human being. He would act abnormally compared to others when it came to activities. He would show

Moreover, it was unrecognizable for anyone to tell Lennie apart from an animal. Even George had pointed out, “Jesus Christ, somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself” (13). George reveals how similar Lennie is to a coyote as if no one would be able to tell the difference between the two of them. It displays how similar Lennie is to a coyote based on his traits. George also specified, “No [Lennie] ain’t, but he’s sure a hell of a good worker. Strong as a bull” (22). As mentioned, it unveils that Lennie’s partner George didn’t even think much of Lennie. George didn’t only describe Lennie as well fit but also mentioned how he was strong like a bull as if he was trying to be that animal. The workers had this impression that Lennie was nothing but well-built. Lennie was always oppressed, especially when it came to work, and was often the odd one

The characters would constantly speak to Lennie and treat him differently than anybody would normally act toward another human being. The author alleges, “George put out his hands and grabbed Slim. ‘Wait a minute,’ he shouted. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, ‘Get ‘im Lennie!’” (63). George continuously viewed Lennie as an animal and thought nothing of it. He spoke to Lennie like he was some dog, commanding him to attack a target. It’s like George failed to remember he was speaking to another man. Likewise, Crooks acknowledges, “They’ll take you to the booby hatch. They’ll tie ta up with a collar, like a dog” (72). Crooks exclaims that the boss would not hesitate to treat Lennie like a dog. Crooks also establishes that Lennie could be exceedingly vulnerable to harsh treatment if he were to do something wrong, especially already having an impression of acting like an animal. Therefore, if Lennie were to form any type of mistake from his unusual actions, he would be at risk of having similar