Of Mice And Men Symbolism

The novel “OF MICE AND MEN” written by John Steinbeck, can generally be interpreted as “to deliver a social commentary which represents the harsh realities of life in 1930’s America”. Symbolism is very important in texts and films as it gives an insight to many different themes, ideas, situations and how it relates to the storyline. Symbolism is a massive part of steinbeck’s writing because he uses various of different symbols which signify significant issues, ideas and themes that still exists and will always exist in society. For instance in the novella “Of Mice and Men” the solitaire game represents the biggest theme of the novel, loneliness. This is an issue/ an idea that is experienced by most of the characters on the ranch. For example

The ranch is an important symbol as it represents the wider world in a smaller context. Thirdly the ostrich feathers which is seen as feathers of a flightless bird and their freedom. However in context of the novel it represents a woman who is trapped and lures other men for attention.

Solitaire is a card game which is played by one player on their own. This card game represents the biggest theme of this novel, loneliness. Loneliness is something that every human faces at some point of their life. However, sometime situations as such arise making loneliness a companion for life time. This novel was based during the great depression, which was the biggest and the longest downturn in the western industrialised world. This was in United states, soon after the stock market crash in October 1929. The story is based during the time when no one trusted anyone nor did they share their dreams. In the novel the game of solitaire was played every now and then, mostly by George. George was a character who always had a companion however he was still a lonely person. This is because the companion of George was Lennie, a

The ranch is relevant in the novel because it symbolises the wider world. In other words it is seen as a microcosm of society at that time. Meaning all the different personalities, different situations and issues that people came across and will come across in future are present on the ranch. The ranch is essential as it shows us the best and the worst within people, which is also found in a wider world. For instance in society back then and even now we get to see issues such as racism, ageism, sexism, oppression, and etc.. On the ranch we are introduced to similar situations through different characters. For example Crooks, who was a black man also known as ‘nigger’ by other man on the ranch. Crooks in the novel is put through situations where he is oppressed and isolated due to the racism he faces. The racism experienced by Crooks is supported by him quoting that, “If I say something, why it’s just a nigger saying something”. This shows that due to his race and colour he is oppressed and controlled by others. An example of this is his name, Crooks. He is named Crooks by other man because he was kicked by a horse which made his spine crooked. This statement is proven in the text when the old swamper mentions, “Got a crooked back where a horse kicked him”. This shows that the other man on the ranch feels that they are dominant over him and so they can control him by oppressing him. Due to the racism and