Use Of Diction In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

In the novella Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck often employs animal imagery to dehumanize Lennie, in order to allow the reader to justify George putting him down at the end of the novella. As Steinbeck’s use of animal imagery progresses throughout the novel, Lennie is dehumanized by being compared to an animal that only hinders George’s pursuit of happiness. Starting with Lennie’s introduction, Steinbeck influences how the reader perceives Lennie. During the reader's first encounter with Lennie, he is described as walking “heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws," (Steinbeck 2). Steinbeck’s diction invokes animal imagery by comparing Lennie’s movements to that of a bear, which immediately dehumanizes Lennie to the reader.

In literature, animals are often used to describe the nature of humans. In the novel, Devil in a Blue Dress, author Walter Mosley uses animals and animal stereotypes to characterize Easy Rawlins, Raymond Alexander, and Daphne Monet. In addition, Mosley reveals complex issues of cultural identity through animal symbolism. Easy Rawlins contradicts racial stereotypes by being intelligent and resists violence and crime. Easy is compared to a jay because jays are not violent or savage creatures.

“I NEED FOOD, FOR MY NEST.” The mouse pointed her towards the brush, “ there is food on the other side of the brush. Do not worry, there is plenty for those who need it.” Upon hearing this, the bird started to calm, her wings no longer in a frenzied flapping. “ Thank you for your help, You have been very understanding.” As the bird took off towards the brush, the mouse happened to glance over the water. But this time, just enough to see his own reflection. He ws sppoked at first, but realizing it was nothing to fear, studied the reflection with intense conviction.

he natural imagery in "Frankenstein" is comparable to the best in the Romantic literature. Mary Shelley paints Nature and its divine grandeur with some rare strokes of a masterful hand. She deliberately juxtaposes the exalted vision of Mother Nature with the horrendous spectacle of a man-made monster and his ghastly deeds. This steep contrast sets reader thinking about the wisdom of departing away from the set norms of Nature. Mary's message to mankind is loud and clear; do not mess with Nature for your own good.

Whether it results in awe and delight or trepidation and fear, nature can wreak profound havoc on our senses. Humans loose themselves in the wonders of their natural environments and are compelled to revel in the simplicity with which wildlife thrives on. The beastliness of the reality of life in the wild can be jarring and unexpected because something about nature causes humans to consider it beautiful, even the dangerous, terror-inducing parts. In the excerpt from Coming into the Country by John McPhee, the author explores the beauty of the terror that is nature. McPhee illustrates the idea that humans are enthralled by the beauty of nature, even though in reality it is scary and unpredictable, because it appeals to the inherent primitiveness of human beings.

The reason being, Burns was ploughing in the fields and accidentally destroyed a mouse’s nest. In one of the poems stanzas, Burns says, “But mouse-friend, you are not alone in proving foresight may be vein: the best-laid schemes of Mice and Men go aft awry, and leave us only grief and pain for promised joy.” This is where the book, Of Mice And Men, got its title. It’s saying that no matter what happens, humans never end up happy. That they can’t have nice things because they always get destroyed. This is what the mice really represent in this book.

Admittedly, the character of Slim is meant to be the antithesis to the tension of the novel. He is cool-headed and calm even in a tense situation, such as in Chapter 3 in which Carlson is harassing Candy about getting rid of his senile dog. However, his antithetical behavior in Of Mice and Men is Steinbeck’s way of providing a buffer from the tension rather than a total solution to it. In Chapter 3, rather than diffuse the tense situation between Candy and Carlson, Slim stays quiet and relegates himself to the background. In contrast to Slim, the character of Curley’s Wife is the most-evident example of tension through character-interactions.

Therefore, the title “Of Mice and Men” is symbolic for how employees are treated like animals during the Great Depression. The author may have wanted people to think the title has no meaning, until the end of the book when the story has truly been

“In a matter of truth and justice, there is no difference between large and small problems, for issues concerning the treatment of people are all the same.” This quote by Albert Einstein relates to Of Mice & Men because it defines what justice really is. The novella Of Mice & Men, by John Steinbeck, has a broad theme of justice or injustice depending on how you perceive it. George killing Lennie was warranted because Lennie was incapable of caring for himself, Curley probably would’ve killed Lennie, and Lennie would’ve been locked up or institutionalized if he was caught. Lennie was incompetent as far as taking care of himself, therefore his death was justified. Lennie had trouble remembering things, “...tried and tried [to remember}... but it didn’t do no good.” What if Lennie forgets to pay his rent or forgets to buy food.

Frost and Owen both heavily use the contrast. Peacefulness against chaos, beauty against ugliness. One time is between personification and inhuman feelings to describe the brutality of nature. In “Disabled” other people in the town think the soldier as an animal. They also see him as a burden and a unwanted responsibility.