One of John Steinbeck most notable works, Of Mice and Men, a novella based on American life in the 1910s, tells the story of George and Lennie. Two ranch workers based in California who travel around the state trying to find work during the Great Depression. As George and Lennie are hired at a new farm, concepts such as friendship and violence appear in the novella. Steinbeck develops these ideas using elements such as imagery, syntax, and details. Towards the end of chapter one, Lennie and George had gotten into an argument, an argument bad enough for Lennie to suggest that he leaves. George realizes how much he and Lennie need each other, leading them to discuss what makes them so different compared to other guys. (Steinbeck 11-14) Steinbeck uses both imagery and syntax to help convey the message of friendship. After the fight, George tells Lennie the plan of their future ranch. Using imagery, the reader has a visual and can imagine the ranch, ¨O.K. Someday--we're gonna get the jack together and we're gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an´ a cow and some pigs and--” (Steinbeck 14). Right after, Lennie says “An´ have rabbits. Go on George!” (Steinbeck 14) This line uses syntax, and it helps convey Lennie’s excitement for he and George’s future. …show more content…
In this chapter, George has gone to ask Slim if Lennie could have one of his puppies. After agreeing, Slim mentions that he admires not only 2 guys traveling with each other, but to have them also care for each other (Steinbeck 39). For this chapter, details and syntax are used to communicate the theme. Details for example when George tells Slim that Lennie isn’t a mean guy, it just shows how close Lennie and George are. For syntax, George gets defensive when Slim laughs about Lennie and George, ¨´What's funny about it?´ George demanded defensively” (Steinbeck