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Of Mice And Men Symbolism

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John Steinbeck’s 1937 novel Of Mice and Men is a tale of two migrant workers in the Great Depression, who despite being complete contrasts of one and other, work together to survive the difficult lifestyle. George, the vastly more intelligent of the two, is a warden to Lennie, the colossal working machine who suffers from a mental condition. Steinbeck demonstrates the crippling loneliness the people of the ranch suffer from through his impeccable style.

Steinbeck reveals via meticulous dialogue that discrimination is a leading cause of loneliness among the people of the ranch. For example, In Chapter 5, Curly’s wife goes to the barn to talk with Lennie while the other ranch hands play horseshoes, she proclaims, “Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely. (Steinbeck 86)” …show more content…
For example, In Chapter 3, when Carlson is insisting on killing Candy’s dog, Carlson states "Well, I can't stand him in here," said Carlson. "That stink hangs around even after he's gone." He walked over with his heavy-legged stride and looked down at the dog. "Got no teeth," he said. "He's all stiff with rheumatism. He ain't no good to you, Candy. An' he ain't no good to himself. Whyn't you shoot him, Candy?”(Steinbeck 44). Steinbeck uses Candy’s dog as a symbol for Candy; old, useless and hated. This demonstrates the lack of empathy or even humanity from hand to hand at the ranches. In another metaphor, In Chapter 5, after Lennie accidentally kills the pup, he says, “Why do you got to get killed? You ai 4 n't as little as mice. I didn’t bounce you hard .... Now maybe George ain't gonna let me tend no rabbits, if he finds’ out you gotta killed.”(Steinbeck 85). The pups serve as a symbol for Lennie, who means nothing but good. Lennie kills the pup and feels only worries about himself. This is reminiscent of the ranch workers, as they don’t care for each other and seem almost

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