Examples Of Foreshadowing In Of Mice And Men

Kenny Hsieh

In the novella, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Steinbeck foreshadows Lennie's death in the novel in a numerous of ways. Foreshadowing gives people hints on what is going to happen further in the story. Steinbeck uses techniques, like actions, animals and animal imagery, and the title to foreshadow the last chapter.

The first technique is the actions of what someone did that foreshadows the last chapter of the novel. For example, Candy’s dog dying, Lennie's pup, and Lennie killing Curley's wife. The events of what happened to the dogs led us right to similar and bigger problems. In the novella it states, “For a moment he continued to stare at the ceiling. Then he rolled slowly over and faced the wall and lay silent.”(49) This quote is very similar to how George felt about Lennie at the end of the chapter, it connects because George also had to shoot someone he loved for the greater good. Lennie killing his pup foreshadows the death of what is coming further in the story. It could mean that Lennie is as fragile

Examples are, the dead mouse, Candy’s dog, and Lennie’s pup. The dead mouse foreshadows the failing of mens dream, like Lennie and George of having a dream to own a farm. Candy’s dog is very similar to Lennie because they both are hated by someone, dog to Carlson and Lennie to Curley. In the novella it says, ‘They way I’d shoot him, he wouldn’t feel nothing. I’d put the gun right there.’He pointed with his toe. ‘Right back of the head. He wouldn’t even quiver.’”(45) This quote give people the idea of what is going to happen to Lennie in the last chapter. Also Carlson says he is going to shoot him in the back of the head, just like what George did to Lennie. Now the last example is Lennie’s pup and he killed it by hitting it. It tells us that this death is preparing us for bigger deaths further in the