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Of Mice And Men Symbolism

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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 …show more content…

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 …show more content…

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

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I ought to have shot that dog myself, George. This is a quote from the book of mice and men by John Steinbeck. At the start of the book they show that Lennie can't control his strength by saying that he kills things he pets which also happens at the end of the story. This is just one way of mice and men use great foreshadowing to the point where you can predict the ending halfway through the book. The death of the mice at the start predicts the death of Curley's wife and Lennie's dog.

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But mostly he struggles with the very fact of the theft of the cattle by a white man. “Why did he hesitate to accuse a white man of stealing but not a Mexican or an Indian?... He knew then that he had learned the lie by heart–the lie which they had wanted them to learn: only brown people were thieves; white people didn’t steal.” This lie is only one aspect of the larger falsehoods meant to obstruct the reality of colonization and its effects. Within the novel, colonization and white supremacy are contextualized as ‘witchery’.

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Steinbeck uses symbolism to relate the dog and Candy to Lennie and George. The author states, “At last Candy said softly and hopelessly, “Awright-take ‘im ( 47). Candy has finally accepted the fact that his dog has to die. He can no longer protect the dog from the others and his time has come. This is like Lennie and George because when Lennie kills Curley's wife, George has to accept the fact that Lennie has to die.

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In the book “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, many important ideals regarding life are addressed. Steinbeck uses literary devices to enhance his style and quality of writing. “Of Mice and Men” includes many literary devices such as similes, personification, and imagery. “On the sand banks the rabbits sat as quietly as little gray statues,” (Page 2). This quote describes the setting at the beginning of the novel.

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Throughout the book,”of mice of men” by John Steinbeck, there are many different things that go on. Each and every character has at least 1 piece of symbolism if not more. They also show many examples of imagery. Another example of a literary device used in this book is theme.    

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Throughout Steinbeck’s naturalistic novel, Of Mice and Men, He portrays two distinctively different men struggling to persevere and survive in an otherwise cruel world. Two migrant workers, George and Lennie thrive off the company of one another and the impossible dream that one day, they will acquire land and make a contented life for themselves. Through their friendship and constant hope for a better life, George and Lennie learn how to survive and cling to aspiration during the harsh Depression era. Steinbeck uses symbolism, irony, and characterization in his classic novel to illustrate the undying hope found in a desperate situation. Steinbeck uses symbolism to portray how people find hope in the direst situations.

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Of Mice And Men is a tale that has many themes such as betrayal, prejudice, and the unattainability of the American Dream. This book starts the story off with two main characters, George and Lennie. George is trying to find a job that will accept Lennie because of his intellectual disability. Eventually, they secured a job at a ranch to fund their dream. They meet a man named Candy who wants to participate in George and Lennie’s dream and Curley, who is the boss’s argumentative son.

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1. Of Mice and Men contains many symbols. Discuss two of these symbols. Two prevalent symbols in “Of Mice And Men” by John Steinbeck are dogs and rabbits. Dogs are used in the novel to represent Lennie, and they way he’s treated.

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In The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is many things. He is a yachtsman, a soldier in World War 1, an entrepreneur, and bootlegged alcohol in America. Both of these characters are very similar. They both are very rich and successful business men, even though they both seem to live unfilled lives. They also think that they always have to be in control over everything, and end up abusing their power because they think that they are above the law.

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However he first tells Lennie about their dream, about tending rabbits, living off the land from the crops, and shoots him. Friendship and Loneliness is shown here where George is Lennie’s best friend, and everyone else stays away leaving Lennie alone. Other times in the novel the reader witnesses many other characters face this same factor of isolation. Some examples are,

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In the beginning of the story while John is having a conversation with the Union man, the man makes a few insensitive remarks towards John, like, “Fellow like me offering a fellow like you something besides a rope.” This shows the subconscious bias that all people had toward black people at that time, even when they did not mean to be racist. Another instance where this is shown is at the end of the story when John is explaining to his son why the father got mad at him. John says the phrase `He meant, son, that if your ball landed in his office again, Daddy would go after it behind the old black ball. " This shows that racism has been so ingrained in society that it has been internalized in the oppressed themselves.

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The Scarlett Letter is a without a doubt a classic piece of American Literature. It looks at many different aspects of human interactions and how those outcomes can affect people. The character of Hester Prynne is a great example of these ideas in action. Based on the interactions that Hester has over the course of the novel she can be viewed as a strong female character that stood up for her rights and refused to bend no matter the personal cost or she can be viewed as weak female that refused to standup for herself and her daughter and leave a bad situation. Hester can be viewed as a strong woman if you view her through a progressive lens and see her actions as those of a rebellion instead of adherence.

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Loneliness can often make a person feel empty and upset. It can leave a person in despair and make them feel like they have no ambition. Steinbeck presents the possibility of forlornness and men who chip away at ranches,

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Is euthanasia ever okay in the world we live in today? In the book Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, George shot Lennie to save him from future suffering and danger. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses symbolism and characterization to portray that George is right about shooting Lennie. Steinbeck uses symbolism to assert that George is right about shooting Lennie. In the ranch, there is a controversy about Candy’s dog.

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