Symbolism

Symbolism

Animals are symbolic of the cruelty of life
1. George throws away Lennie's dead mouse
2. Lennie 'hurled' his dead puppy away in the barn
3. Slim drowns most of his puppies
4. Animals aren't treated with respect on the ranch
5. Candy had his dog since it was a puppy
  1. When Carlson wants to shoot it, it becomes useless
    1. No one defends Candy or helps him save his dog
6. Reflects how American Society at the time treated the weak and vulnerable
  1. No sense of life being valuable
7. Similarities between Candy's dog's death and Lennie's death
  1. Both shot in the back of the head
  2. Lennie lies 'without quivering'
    1. Carlson promised Candy his dog 'wouldn't even quiver'
Light and Dark symbolise Hope and Despair
1. Things seem to get darker and darker
  1. There is a warning that 'It'll be dark before long'
2. At the end the light fades and disappears completely
  1. 'The light climbed out of the valley'
    1. It's the end of the day and the end of Lennie's life
3. Symbol of hope
  1. As light fades, George and Lennie's hopes of getting a ranch fade
    1. Paradise is out of reach
      1. George says, 'I think I knowed we'd never do her'
Religious Symbolism
1. George and Lennie's dream farm can be seen as a symbol of heaven
  1. When Lennie kills Curley's wife, he has done something unforgiveable
    1. Destroys their dream
2. Slim is portrayed as 'Godlike'
  1. Has 'authority', is 'ageless' and has 'calm Godlike eyes'
    1. Encourages George to confide in him about what happened at Weed
      1. George's voice has a 'tone of confession' - just like a sinner confessing to a priest
3. Curley's wife is a bit like the snake in the Garden of Eden
  1. She tempt the men and wears red like the devil
Red is the magic colour
1. The colour of danger, warning and bloodshed
  1. Also associated with sex so sex = danger
2. The only colour used to describe Curley's wife
3. The colour of the girl's dress Lennie touched in Weed was red
  1. This emphasises that the story is a cyclical structure from which the can't escape

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	Created by chrishenry97 about 11 years ago