- Published: October 3, 2022
- Updated: October 3, 2022
- University / College: California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
- Language: English
- Downloads: 38
John Steinbeck use of foreshadowing in Of Mice and Men is what causes the book to have character. Unlike most uses of foreshadowing which happen in dreams and thoughts, John Steinbeck uses actual events. That helps contribute to the fact that the book is a lot like a play because the reader can’t see the characters thoughts. The other unique way he uses foreshadowing is in some examples the reader can tell it is foreshadowing but other examples are a lot more subtle. Foreshadowing in Of Mice and Men is used to show what happens to Lennie and what Lennie will do.
To tie foreshadowing into another theme in both the foreshadowing and the event the group has power because they overrule one person. The first example of foreshadowing tells us what Lennie will do. There are a few events that foreshadow the first example. The first being Lennie “ broke it pettin’ it (11)” it being the mouse. The second being what Lennie did in Weed to the girl with the red dress. The last example being the puppy “ an’ he made like he’s gonna bite me…an’ I made like was gonna smack him…an’…an’ I done it (85)”.
All of these events foreshadow Lennie killing Curley’s wife. John Steinbeck chose to drop these hints because it makes the reader question whether Lennie is worth it to George. Right from the beginning Lennie is getting George in trouble because he can’t control himself. These are only a few examples of Lennie being a trouble maker but it shows the reader what George has put up with before the book started. The last connection between the events is that they are accidents, which is an immediate signifier to the reader that Lennie will have a big accident at the end of the book.
The main foreshadowed event is Lennie’s death. What foreshadowed it was the death of candy’s dog. Carlson and the other farm hands are tired of the dogs stink. After a little talk he decides to let them shoot the dog right in the back of its head. This is nearly identical to the end of the book. The group wants to kill Lennie for killing Curley’s wife. George forced by the group shoots Lennie “ Right in the back of the head (104)”. This event was foreshadowed because it shows a lot about how much power a group has compared to a single person.