Loss Of Innocence In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Decent Essays
There are many emotional and heart-string-tugging moments in the Pulitzer Prize winning book Of Mice and Men, such as the death of Candy’s dog and the joy on Lennie’s face when he gets his new puppy. The hardest feat, faced by George, occurred at the end of the book, when Lennie strangles Curly's wife to death and runs away. After years of taking care of his friend, George faces the decision of killing Lennie for the safety of the people on the ranch. This moment in the book marks a change in George's life, even though the story closes so soon after.
The death of Candy’s dog foreshadows Lennie’s death, which symbolizes the death of innocence. This loss of innocence represents the people who had to abandon their regular life to find jobs

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