ipl-logo

Symbols In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

735 Words3 Pages

There are many symbols within the novella Of Mice and Men like Candy's old dog, Lennie's Puppy and George & Lennie's dream. These symbols represent various themes; like how Candy' dog represent a symbol of the old, weak & cripple, which then leads to the theme of 'the weak and the strong'. Lennie's puppy is one of the several symbols that symbolises the victory of the strong over the weak, which in other words, mean that Lennie's Puppy (a symbol) constitute a part of the theme 'power'. And finally, George and Lennie's Dream is a symbol of the free, independent, peaceful life that everyone wishes for, which comes from the theme 'dreams'. Research says that Candy's dog is symbolic for the old, weak & cripple or "the fate awaiting anyone who has outlived his or her purpose." This symbol is simply just a representation of survival of the fittest; and referring to page 51, Slim said to Candy, "That dog ain't no good to himself. I wisht somebody'd shoot me if I got old an' a cripple." What Slim implied talked about what the people - way back then - did to the old and weak, of course they didn't execute the old people but instead allow them continue to live until they die. People needed money to live and being the weakest, like Candy's old dog, is incapable of back-breaking labour and earn the …show more content…

You ain't so little as mice. I didn't bounce you hard." This quote shows the strength that Lennie - who is oblivious to - used to inadvertently kill the puppy. Why would Lennie's strength be a part of the theme 'power'? Well, power doesn't consistently have to mean "to have control over" or "the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behaviour of others or the course of events", power could also mean "physical strength", which is what Lennie had accidentally used to slaughter his puppy; but of course, like his innocent puppy, Lennie was unaware of the vicious, predatory powers that surround him, so therefore he

Show More
Related
329 Words | 2 Pages

In the novel “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, the story showcases the character George, who represents a man living in a society rampant with poverty and struggles. Logos and Pathos are used to put forward an image of a man living under the struggles of poverty. In the story, George’s entire life has been an endless struggle to survive and find success without any luck. Logos is used via imagery to show that George is and has always been struggling, he has worn out clothes and is clearly very tired of being given a bad hand in life.

Read More
427 Words | 2 Pages

The book “ Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck In the book “ Of Mice and men” The use of animal imagery and Working class people develop the theme. John Steinbeck uses animal imagery to describe lennie’s personality . Lennie is very forgetful at times and he’s also slow at processing information as well. “Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water.”

Read More
1269 Words | 6 Pages

The book “Of Mice And Men” was written in 1937 by John Steinbeck, the time is set during Great Depression. Steinbeck uses many major themes, to convey an interesting story. One of the major ideas that really tracks the reader, are the uses of symbols of by Steinbeck. First, there is Lennie.

Read More
1441 Words | 6 Pages

Candy’s submission to Carlson, Slim, and the other men of the bunkhouse on the decision of killing of his old dog reveals how one’s fundamental beliefs and stances can be forcefully shaped or altered by an external majority whether the opposing opinion is justified or not. In the case in Of Mice and Men, Candy’s mutt is very old and unfortunately crippled in many ways, as he has no teeth, walks with a weighted step, and suffers from rheumatism. Candy has raised him from when he was just a puppy and has utilized its abilities as a sheep dog when it was younger and more agile, creating a strong emotional bond between Candy and the mutt, one that affects his thought process later on. However, Carlson, a worker on the ranch, wants to end the dog’s

Read More
578 Words | 3 Pages

An old, lame dog struggles to follow Candy into the bunkhouse. The dog merely appears to accompany Candy, easily being forgotten among Steinbeck’s far more intriguing narrative. However, this initially uninteresting dog does serve a purpose. In his story Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck constantly uses animals and animal imagery to suggest larger ideas, further developing characters. Steinbeck uses Candy’s dog to support his statements about power and moral responsibility by associating the dog to other characters, making his themes more evident.

Read More
731 Words | 3 Pages

In literature, authors tend to tie the struggles of animals and humans together, often without realizing it. In the book Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses descriptive language to create a bridge between humans and animals to symbolize how alike we really are. Throughout the book, Steinbeck develops the theme that even though humans believe they are a superior species, we can be just as violent and cruel as animals, by using literary devices such as zoomorphism and symbolism. When Lennie and George are first introduced in the book, Lennie is described as though he is an animal, in comparison to him being strong and big, as well as the way that he moves through life. “...and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags

Read More
882 Words | 4 Pages

For centuries, people have been afraid or feared of a person who has more power. While our society is not quite there yet, Mice and Men story allows readers to imagine how fear of someone who has power has been a problem with this society. It shows how a small and smart man called George and his disabled, big and huge friend Lennie and how they feared and suffered a lot with Lennies ́s disability to face other people and find a job to buy their own dream ranch. Steinbeck's message about power is that people react differently in positions of power because in Of Mice and Men readers see characters with little to no power, who responsibly use their power, and those who abuse their power.

Read More
2072 Words | 9 Pages

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.

Read More
847 Words | 4 Pages

Out of all these alternatives, the most important theme in Of Mice and Men is the grim lesson about the nature of human existence. This lesson shines through the loneliness, isolation, and a false sense of reality perceived by the characters. To begin with, Of Mice and Men teaches the brutal reality of the nature of human existence through the loneliest of characters. Candy is seen only having one hand, and his only companion being a dog that rivals him in age. Both of these instances have left him feeling like an outcast amongst the other men at the ranch.

Read More
666 Words | 3 Pages

Despite wanting to harm anything and just pet animals, Lennie ends up killing everything he pets. For example, he kills a puppy due to stroking the puppy too hard. The book describes it as a “dead little puppy that lay in front of him” (85). The fate of the puppy mirrors the fate of every other animal that passes Lennie’s path, from mice to humans they all die. Despite all his best attempts, Lennie shows how humanity is inherently violent.

Read More
965 Words | 4 Pages

Steinbeck uses symbolism to help the reader relate to the story better and have more of a sentimental value. Within the violence of the story, even though in the end George ends up killing Lennie, having George kill Lennie because he is worried about if Curley was to kill him and make him suffer shows that even in the worst of situations that Lennie puts George into he still sticks by his friend because he knows he means the best even if that's not what happens. Throughout the story and especially at the end you start to have some sympathy towards Lennie and almost feel bad for him just because all he wants is to be able to buy the ranch with George and tend to the bunnies and he gets so concerned every time he messes up because he doesn’t want to ruin his chances of. Because of the whirlwind of emotions that Of Mice and Men causes it has an entertainment value that makes you never want to put the book

Read More
546 Words | 3 Pages

In John Steinbeck’s novella “Of Mice and Men”, he enacts through his writing, the themes, of Violence and Dreams, Hopes and Plans. John Steinbeck relates back to those themes through Rabbits, Bunkhouse, and Lennie Small. The symbol, setting, and person chosen all represent Dreams, Hopes and Plans and Violence. Rabbits represent Dreams, Hopes and Plans because Lennie was always dreaming of raising the Rabbits. Bunkhouse represents Violence because all of the people who stay there are extremely rowdy and cruel.

Read More
820 Words | 4 Pages

In the book Of Mice and Men Steinbeck uses symbolism to illustrate key aspects of the novella. The book portrays people struggling to survive during the great depression. An example of symbolism is Steinbeck's use of animal imagery, which can almost be considered anthropomorphic. He then uses this technique to support some of the characters idiosyncrasies and situations. An important factor to take into account is that only George and Lennie are developed characters.

Read More
1395 Words | 6 Pages

However, soon after the dog's death Candy overheard George and Lennie talking about their dream and figured he could help and have a place to go. Because of Candy’s old age and his disability, his retirement is quickly approaching. While most would look at retirement as a good thing, many people during the time period in which this novel takes place were very poor and couldn’t afford much. Thus, retirement meant the loss of an income for Candy.

Read More
828 Words | 4 Pages

Without the intentions to do so he had the ability to easily harm them. Power when abused points out the difference in people when in reality everyone has one common goal of being content. Society can create a warped picture that a lack of intelligence correlates with someone not deserving kindness. Candy on the other hand, unlike Lennie has awareness but lacks brawns. He is an older man disabled by the lack of one hand.

Read More

More about Symbols In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Related Topics

Open Document