Of Mice And Men Foreshadowing Analysis

Of Mice and Men - Essay
John Steinbeck’s award winning Of Mice and Men is a novel about the hardships faced of migrant farm workers during the American Great Depression. The text follows the life of two fictional Characters George and Lennie and explores numerous themes including fate, dreams and hope; and segregation and loneliness. In the novel, Steinbeck uses a variety of literal devices to portray numerous key ideas. Through the utilisation of foreshadowing, Steinbeck explores the idea of fate. He also uses suspense and dramatic tension to reveal dreams and hope. Segregation and loneliness is developed through the use of symbolism. These literary techniques presented by Steinbeck in Of Mice and Men were very effective in successfully making …show more content…
Steinbeck’s utilisation of the literal technique of foreshadowing offers the reader suggestions about future events throughout the novel. A key example of this technique to explore the theme of fate is the opening chapter where George informs Lennie to hide in the bush “if you [Lennie] jus' happen to get in trouble like you always done before.” This hints to future events regarding Lennie’s welfare, were his actions often follow negative consequences. This is evident in the last chapter were Lennie returns to the bush after causing a commotion at the ranch. Another example exploring the theme of fate is in the opening description of the last chapter when Steinbeck describes the death of a water snake being devoured by a stork. This foreshadows Lennie’s death which occurs at the same location, where he faces the same fate as the water snake, only the difference this time Lennie is shot by his trusty companion George. The death of Candy’s dog in the novel foreshadows similar events of death. The loss of Candy’s dog is another example enhancing the effect foreshadowing has on the novel. The old dog is shot in the back of the head by Carlson, simply “to put him [the dog] out of his misery.” Lennie faces the same fate as he is killed in the same way as Candy’s old dog, a bullet to back of the head. Through the utilisation of foreshadowing, Steinbeck successfully explores …show more content…
This technique allows the audience to feel captivated through the characters personal dreams and hopes in the future. The reader becomes involved with George’s and Lennie’s dream of obtaining their own piece of land, through the constant repetition and detail throughout the whole story. The reader becomes intrigued with the protagonist story waiting to see if the dream becomes true. When Candy joins in the plan, the author further stokes the audiences’ optimism. However the feeling is short lived when the truth it discovered in the final chapter. In the final chapter moments before Lennie’s death, the audience is intrigued about the events in the imminent future. In Lennie’s last moments he describes the dream that he and George would share, however he is murdered by his trusty companion before he could describe his dream of tending the rabbits. By using suspense and dramatic tension, Steinbeck is successfully explores the key idea of dreams and hopes in his novel Of Mice and