Animal imagery is a prominent and extremely important device in the novel.
Animal imagery is a prominent and extremely important device in the novel.
Of Mice and Men is a great novel written by John Steinbeck, a Nobel Prize-winning author. Based on Steinbeck's own experiences at the time, it tells the sad story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two migrant workers who learn to look out for one another during the Great Depression in Salinas, California. For the duration of the tale, Steinbeck makes references to animals and their significance, both through symbolism and reflecting character's personalities. The mice, the rabbits and the dogs are three important recurring animal images in the novel.
Mice have a crucial importance in the novel, as well as Lennie's relationship with the mice. Firstly, Lennie likes to feel soft things, and his obsession with with petting mice grants him with security and comfort. Even if the animal is lifeless, Lennie still pets it to comfort it as well as to comfort himself. The simple feeling of the mouse's smooth fur running between his fingers provide him with a sense of contentment. This symbolizes his soft and caring attitude along with his warm heart. Secondly, the dead mouse in Lennie's pocket is a strong symbol foreshadowing the end awaiting all weak and helpless creatures. This shows that not only is Lennie symbolically playing with death, but that, in his perspective, death isn't a fear of his. The reader learns that the dead mouse Lennie finds is not the first mouse he has had, but because of his strength, they always ended up dead if they were alive to begin with. Therefore, the mouse Lennie finds dies a fast untimely death. Thirdly, even with Lennie's physical strength and size, his childlike mental capabilities make him as helpless as a mouse. The fact that Lennie gets, and accidentally kills the mice he has, reveals his uncontrolled strength and his compassion for soft things.
