Of Mice And Men Death Analysis

The work, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, brings in many aspects of the disappointments throughout a man's life. As the main characters in the novel, George and Lennie, run all over the country in hopes of finding a stable job, they have the common dream of owning a piece of land for themselves. Throughout the story, Steinbeck reveals that the real tragedy that troubles the characters' lives is death, whether it be the death of a loved character or the death of hope. Steinbeck first displays the concept of death with Candy's dog. When Candy's dog is killed by Carlson, Candy is in complete downcast, unaware of what to do. This sign of depression crushes Candy's life as a whole, making the situation awkward for both Candy and the men, for "Candy didn't answer. The silence fell on the room again" (48). Not only is Candy's social relationship with the other men broken, Candy also becomes ill and speechless, refraining from speaking with the other men when he usually would have spoken. The "silence" is symbolic of Candy's life, representing not only his speech and illness, but also his contribution to the lives of the other men. After the death of Candy's dog, Candy's drifting life becomes more insignificant and is not mentioned anymore throughout the rest of the story. …show more content…
When Lennie accidentally kills Curley's wife, the entire storyline turns around, placing Lennie in great danger. Lennie's danger becomes obvious when Curley says, "Don't shoot 'im? He got Carlson's Luger. 'Course we'll shoot 'im" (98). By this, it is clear that Curley's goal is to kill Lennie himself. Curley realizes that with his wife now dead, he has no companion like before. Ultimately, Curley's wife's death signals the broken bond of Curley and George, as well as the future death of Lennie, which in turn finally ends the partnership of Lennie and