In addition, Lennie in the ending of the story is more alert to his surroundings than he was previously, as the writer describes how George attracts his attention in chapter one, “The small man…shook him…Lennie…then sat up.” Weighted against how he reacts afterwards in the novel, “…a little bird skittered…behind him, his head jerked up...and drank again.” With Lennie’s anxiety and fear of what his “friends” will do to him or even worse, George may leave him alone, his reactions and senses become more sensitive, making us see Lennie as someone with lots of concerns and panic.
Moreover, the description of the natural imagery in chapter six makes the reader feel like in heaven, possibly in the Garden of Eden. “...the Sun had left...and the hilltops were rosy in the sun...a pleasant shade had fallen.” Yet as the snake approaches bad luck as well, like the author pictures it: “…glided smoothly up the pool, twisting…its periscope head.” This might be a presage, comparing it with how Eden’s story ended and humans died. We already know Curley’s wife was killed and now Lennie will be assassinated. This is a symbol of religion; stereotyping a snake as a terrible reptile, linked with death and misfortune. However, the snake is taken by the heron; probably this represents Lennie as a snake and George being the heron, the evil and the good one, correspondingly, after all George did kill Lennie at the very end of the novel.
Furthermore, the heron and snake relationship is compared with George and Lennie’s friendship. At first the heron doesn’t eat the snake but in the end it “...swallowed the…snake while its tail waved frantically.” The same way Curley’s wife was killed “...her body flopped like a fish”; then the heron stays “ …motionless and waiting. Another little water snake...” This might foreshadow the very end, Lennie’s death.
Additionally, Lennie’s memory is visualized as a mental challenged one in chapter one, nevertheless throughout the chapters Lennie starts to remember more things than he would have usually, almost certainly because nervousness triggers our memory’s recalling power and as the story continues, problems widen. George says to Lennie, “So you forgot that awready” and Lennie responds, “I tried not to forget”, while in chapter six Lennie says “I di’n’t forget...” As the tension increases in the book Lennie starts to think harder and attempts to remember orders commanded by George, suggesting that he is more aware of what is happening, meaning more tense.
Also, in the beginning of the story Lennie is as a kid, that doesn’t remember things and doesn’t swear at all. Yet, as his anxiety rises he starts to swear more, “...God damn.” Lennie ‘s concerns increase and he becomes more desperate, not even thinking about the language he is using.
Steinbeck makes the farm look so beautiful from the opening of the book” . . .a little house and a couple of acres... a cow and … pigs...” Lennie becomes crazy with this idea, of having achieved this dream in the future. Therefore, in chapter six George retells the dream, but now with even more chances to succeed because of Candy’s money, “ . . .We gonna get a little place... a cow… a pig…you…tend the rabbits.” Lennie consequently gets very distracted and George takes the opportunity to shoot him, right “where the spine and skull were joined”. This was foreshadowed before, by how Carlson killed Candy’s dog, on the back of the head and with the same weapon.
In conclusion, the repetition of the opening lines in the choosing lines makes the character look more nervous, desperate and anxious. The author repeats the natural imagery and conversations from time to time to make the ambience look more dramatic and even more realistic by showing how humans would react too. The author makes the reappearance of phrases, occasionally indirect by comparing the lines in the first chapter with the ultimate section ‘s phrases, a satisfactory environment and then an unacceptable one, respectively.
Rodolfo Martinez.
Length: 848
