Analysis ‘Of Mice and Men’ (setting, Foreshadowing, Irony, Symbol, Relationship)

George is a worker from the farm with his mentally impaired friend lennie. He dreams of making enough money to buy a small farm. George acts as a parent to Lennie. George is responsible, calm, sensable, and ready to deal with anything that lays ahead of him. Even though lennie causes George a lot of problems he still sticks with him. Lennie is a huge mentally disabled man. Lennie is simplistic. Lennie loves to touch soft things from silky dresses to a soft puppy. Lennie is capable of violence even though he completely innocent. He lacks of the capability to control himself physically. He does not know his own strength. “And lennie said softly to the puppy, ‘why do you got to get killed?’ You ain't so little as mice. I didn't bounce you hard.”(pg.85) He is very protective over his friends. Lennie can not make decisions by himself he realizes on george.

Lennie is dependent on George for his direction and decision. George also needs Lennies protection because he is so small. Lennie also takes care of George in a way to. They both dont have any family. “ With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to us that gives a damn about us. We don't have to sit in no bar blown’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys get in jail they can rot for anyone that gives a damn. But not us.” (pg.14)

Crooks is a very lively guy. He is the stable hand. He is actually a black stable hand. He gets the name Crooks from his crooked back. He is lonely he lives in the barn. He gets called names such as negro or nigger and doesn't get to do the same thing as everyone else does and he feels if the whites don't want him around, that he doesn't want them around either. “Crooks, the negro stable buck, had his bunk in the harness room; a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn. One side window, and on the other, a narrow plank door leading into the barn.” (pg.66)

Curley and Lennie get into a physical fight because Curely thought Lennie was laughing at him. In the fight lennie crushes Curleys hand because he squeezed really hard because curley kept hitting Lennie and lennie was just taking it and everyone told lennie to fight back so he did and grabbed his hand and it crushed it. “Suddenly Lennie let go of his hold. He crouched cowering against the wall.’You tol’ me to, George’, he said misablrley. Curley sat down on the floor looking in wonder at his crushed hand.”(pg.64)

In chapter one the setting is a few miles south of soledad. Chapter two the setting is saturday morning in the bunkhouse. In chapter three the setting is saturday afternoon in the bunkhouse. In chapter four the setting is saturday night in Crooks room. In Chapter five the setting is sunday afternoon in the barn. In chapter six the setting is sunday morning in the brush.

The bunk house is a place where the ranch hand stays while they are working on the ranch. The bunkhouse is white wash, and the floor is unpainted. THey have eight bunk beds. Each bed has a opened apple box above them so they can store there stuff. There is a stove, and a poker table. The bunk house is where they spend most of their time. “The bunkhouse was a long rectangular building...Against the walls were eight bunks, five of them made up with blankets and the other three showing there burlap ticking.(pg.17)

The foreshadowing in this book is when George tells lennie to meet at the spit next to the river if he ever got into trouble again. Since Lennie always gets in trouble we know that he will be going there. “ Well, look. Lennie if you jus’ happen to get inrouble like you always done before, i want you to come right her an’ hide in the brush.” (pg.15)

The irony in George and lennie becoming partners with candy is because candy's relationship with his dog is like George and Lennie's is. Candy know that when he gets to old he will be replaces like his dog, how George puts lennie out of misery.

I think it could be perceived as a symbol because it symbolizes that the American dream and the respect of men they are no longer in conflict with one another. There dream is no more than a everyday American dream. The dream of ownership was so threatened by the great depression which affects poverty for so many people. “Guys like us , that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world...they don’t belong no place...with us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us...someday we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres...an’ live off the fatta lan’, an have rabbits.”(pg.13-14)

I think that relationship differs from the other men on the ranch because they are completely different but they act of each others care giver or brother even. They have such a tight relationship. One is so childlike and the other needs protection and they both take care of eachother. I think this acts as a symbol because it shows no one else can replace one of them. “I need George I need George really bad” (pg.29)

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