Literature Analysis: OF MICE AND MEN

 1.John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, is about two men named George and Lennie, they are going to a new job to work on a ranch.  George is a shorter man but very smart and witty, on the other hand Lennie is a bigger stronger man but slow on the intellectual side.  Lennie has a mental disability and George is the one who takes care of him.  There are times when George feels life would be a lot easier if he didn't have Lennie in his life, but its obvious their friendship and devotion to one another is mutual. When the men arrive at the ranch and George tells the boss that the two of them are cousins and Lennie was kicked in the head by a horse when he was young.  They are hired and meet the workers for the first time a short period after that. George admits to Slim that he and Lennie are not cousins and they are best friends.  He tells him that Lennie has gotten them into trouble in the past, like their last job where he got accused of rape.  Candy gives in to the pressure and lets Carlson kill his old dog. Curley picks a fight with Lennie and in the altercation Lennie breaks his hand.  The next night the men go out and Lennie is left behind with Crooks and Curleys wife.  While in the barn Curleys wife approaches Lennie in the barn, he tells her he likes to pet soft things and starts petting her hair.  He pulls to hard and she starts screaming and in an attempt to quiet her he snaps her neck.  Lennie leaves to the spot where George told him to go if he got into trouble.  George meets him there a short time later and doesn't seem mad but just talks to his best friend.  While his head is turned he puts the gun to his head and kills his friend out of mercy.  When the rest of the people get there, they are confused on what had happened as Slim and George walk off.
2.  The main theme in this novel is friendship. The friendship between George and Lennie is very strong and is the closest thing to brothers either of them have.  They both have one another's best interest in mind, protect each other, and know that there is someone in the world who is dedicated to looking over them.  They each have a dream that they shape their lives around and it also enhances their bond.  Even though there is a tragic end to the story, there is still no doubt that their friendship is as strong as ever at the end of the story.
3. The tone for Of Mice and Men is both tragic  sentimental.   It is tragic because right when you get a sense that things are starting to go right for George and Lennie, there is a turn in the story that brings a sense of failure for their life. It is sentimental in the fact that the audience starts to gain compassion for Lennie and then there is a plot twist towards the end.  The audience feels bad for Lennie and that's why there is a sentimental tone to it.

4.  A literary technique used in the novel is foreshadowing.  For example, when Lennie is petting the dead mouse at the beginning of the story.  We learn that he likes to pet soft stuff and ends up killing some animals.  At the end of the story he accidentally kills the bunny which leads to his downfall and eventually his death.One literary technique that is used often are symbols. One symbol is George and Lennie's Farm and this is what their dream is.  It also seduces all the characters in the story and it also makes the reader want to believe that there is the possibility of a free life.  The farm gives a sense of freedom and protection from the outside world. Another literary technique used is simile.  For example, "At about ten o'clock in the morning the sun threw a bright dust-laden bar through one of the side windows, and in and out of the beam flies shot like rushing stars."  Diction is also another literary technique that is used- "We could live offa the fatta the lan'." The final literary technique used is Imagery.  "Evening of a hot day started the little wind to moving among the leaves.  The shade climbed up the hills toward the top.  On the sand banks the rabbits sat as quitely as little gray, sculptured stones."