Symbols In Of Mice And Men
Symbols, Characters, and Exploitation in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men There are many symbols in Of Mice and Men. Symbols such as setting, animals, and language all provide a deeper meaning to the story. The first symbol is setting. The novel begins and ends on the bank of the river (Lisca). The riverbed is located in rural California. In the beginning of the novel, George and Lennie involuntary ran away from Weed when Lennie was accused of trying to have non-consensual intercourse with a girl. When news about this broke out, the men of Weed formed a group of men to try to catch Lennie. George and Lennie were able to get away by hiding in a ditch. They left the area when they knew that the group of men was gone. After leaving the area they found the riverbed and decided that that is where they were going to stay for the night (Steinbeck loc. 86).
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The river was typically another “safe place” for Lennie. At one point in the novel, George told Lennie that if he had just happened to get into trouble that he wants him to come to this spot and hide in the brush until George comes for him (Steinbeck loc. 191). At the end of the novel when Lennie accidently killed Curley’s wife, Lennie went to the river like George had told him to do if he had ever gotten into trouble. There Lennie waited for George to come for him. Little did Lennie know that George was there to kill him himself. George did not want Lennie to suffer a more painful death that Curley was going to inflict on him (Steinbeck loc.
The river was typically another “safe place” for Lennie. At one point in the novel, George told Lennie that if he had just happened to get into trouble that he wants him to come to this spot and hide in the brush until George comes for him (Steinbeck loc. 191). At the end of the novel when Lennie accidently killed Curley’s wife, Lennie went to the river like George had told him to do if he had ever gotten into trouble. There Lennie waited for George to come for him. Little did Lennie know that George was there to kill him himself. George did not want Lennie to suffer a more painful death that Curley was going to inflict on him (Steinbeck loc.