Curley is referred to as lots of different animals throughout the book. On Page 68 he is referred to as two animals. Firstly Carlson says, “you’re as yella as a frog belly”. This could imply that Curley may look and act big but if you actually confronted him then you would realize that he is weak and feeble. He is also referred to as a terrier. The quote “Curley stepped over to Lennie like a terrier” makes Curley sound like a small person who is desperate for attention and needs to show off. On page 69 though he is called a floppy fish that makes it sound as if he has lost his pride and authority. This makes him sound like a joke, such as a peacock that had lost its feathers.
Steinbeck also uses animal relationships to enhance the story. Firstly, I will look at Lennie’s relation to rabbits. Rabbits represent Lennie’s dreams and the impossibility of their fulfilment. Rabbits are everything Lennie hopes for; this shows he has a very simple mind. Even when George first tells the story of the farm that they are planning to buy, Lennie’s first thought is to rabbits. George wants the farm for a fulfilment of a dream, but for Lennie, it is simply a home for the animals he wants. It is expected by the reader that even with all Lennie’s love for animals, they would probably be killed. The book tells you that Lennie first thought is to care for them, but we also know that Lennie tends to hurt whatever he pets. This doesn’t bode well for him and he knows it, you can tell this because of the large, scary, rabbit at the end of then story who scolds him for all the bad things he does. The large rabbit starts telling Lennie that he isn’t fit to look after a rabbit. The fact that the bunny comes from Lennie’s own mind suggests that he knows deep down he’ll never have his dream. The fact that rabbits never actually appear in the book except to set the scene and impose on the story shows the realization that Lennie’s dreams can never come true.
Secondly, Lennie’s relationship with mice. Mice represent the false hope of a safe space for Lennie. The title is a good hint that mice are important here, but the first mouse we encounter is a dead one. Actually, it’s a dead one that Lennie keeps in his pocket to pet. This is a huge clue: Lennie doesn’t care much about death, and he’s more concerned with comfort – remembering this makes Lennie’s death a bit more palatable. He’ll be more comfortable if dead by his friend’s gentle hand than with a violent end from Curley or the cage of an asylum.
Mice are a source of comfort for Lennie, as he links them to his Aunt Clara. She throughout the book is always described as a nice person. In fact the only things that Lennie can remember about Aunt Clara is the way she gave him mice (Page 10-11). This is also one of the first times that you become aware of Lennie’s problem with killing things even though it is only meant to be a fond memory though as George says, “You always killed them” and next “You aint to be trusted with no live mice”. He likes to pet soft things, which leads him to kill the mice, his puppy (P95), and Curley’s wife (P103) meaning Lennie’s happiness tends to end in some form of suffering. You could refer back to the title, Mice And Men. Mice, like men, suffer from the randomness of destiny. As the Burns poem goes, both mice and men are victim to their best laid plans going awry. From the largest to the smallest creature, the most important to the least important man. This means that destiny doesn’t discriminate in laying out cruel fates. This makes out that Lennie in spite of his innocence is killed just because he was vulnerable like mice.
There are however other references to relationships between animals and humans with different characters to Lennie. For instance Crooks. Steinbeck present Crooks as less of a man and more of an animal as it suggests in this quotation “Crook's bunk was a long box filled with straw, on which is blankets were flung.” (Page 75) The others such as Candy also have less respect for him as he shouts “Stable-Buck. Oh! Sta-able Buck” at him. Crooks got his back problem from when a mule kicked him. This suggests that everything could be up to get him because of his skin colour. This is echoed all the time by the characters but it gives more impact when Steinbeck gives the impression he is worse than an animal
Candy has a strong relationship with his dog. It shares Candy’s plight. His dog was once a great sheepherder, it was put out to die once it had got old. Candy realizes that this could happen to him as well as soon as he’s no longer useful; on the ranch, he won’t be treated any differently than his dog. For Candy it is worse though because unlike his dog he is emotionally broken by this whole affair. He can’t bring himself to shoot his pet himself, he gets Carlson to do it and this makes you think that he will give in on his life and just reside himself to his faith. Candy couldn’t stand up for his pet because he couldn’t even stand up for himself.
Steinbeck also uses settings to engage the reader. The first would be “rabbits came out of the bush” This is to make the reader believe that there is a sense of wilderness where they are but the next quote “on the sand banks the rabbits sat as quietly as little grey, sculptured stones” makes the setting peaceful. The comparison of the rabbits to stones stresses the idea of stillness,
George and Lennie are in an environment where everything is lifeless, and this reflects their own lives. Straight after Steinbeck writes “The rabbits ran noisily for cover” (Page 2) breaks the calmness and in turn make the approaching men look dominant as if they control nature. Again on page 2 he writes “A stilted heron laboured up in the air and pounded up river” is a foreshadow as it is mentioned again on page 109. On page 2 however it describes the scene peacefully where everything is gentle and calm but the quotes from 109 “A silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the water snake while its tail waved franticly.” And “The heron pounded the air with his wings, jacked itself clear of the water”. This is a contrast as Steinbeck now is starting to describe the scene violently as if it is empathizing there is something bad that is going to happen.
As it has been shown Steinbeck uses a wide range of animal imagery to elaborate on his characters and to build a more vivid picture of the atmosphere. The reader is given a clearer picture of Lennie’s character through the reference to rabbits and mice, both gentle and small creatures whilst Curley, the villain of the story is described as a terrier. Furthermore in the case of Candy the reader is made to see similarities between him and his dog showing how in the society of the time, humans like animals will outlive there usefulness and they will no longer be treated with respect in their society. He also uses the repeated use of Heron’s and rabbits to create subtle changes in the atmosphere that have taken place in the story from one of optimism to one of inevitability that the dreams will not come true.
