Student A
Ms. Bussolati
Honors Seminar English 1
3 October 2012
Foreshadowing in Of Mice and Men
In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses many examples of foreshadowing to predict the pivotal events and to create an uneasy mood. One event that is significantly foreshadowed is the scene where Curley fights Lennie. In addition, Steinbeck also foreshadows the pivotal event of Lennie accidentally killing Curley’s wife. The third major event that is foreshadowed is when George shoots Lennie. All of the hints that Steinbeck includes to foreshadow pivotal events contribute to the tense mood.
The first pivotal event that is foreshadowed in the book is when Curley and Lennie fight, creating an apprehensive mood. When George hears that Curley is looking for his wife, he says to Lennie “’If there’s any fightin’, Lennie, you keep out of it’” (Steinbeck 55). This foreshadows that there’s a potential for fighting, and that Lennie may have a problem with that. It also shows that George knows that Curley is watching for a chance to challenge Lennie. This knowledge makes the reader apprehensive, adding to the mood. Also, when George is talking to Candy about Lennie, he says “’Lennie ain’t handy, but this Curley punk is gonna get hurt if he messes around with Lennie’” (26). This foreshadows that Lennie is capable of fighting someone who has a lot of experience. This also reveals that Lennie is incredibly strong.
To contribute to the evidence explained above, there is also foreshadowing in the description of Curley when he meets Lennie. “He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. His glance was at once calculating and pugnacious. Lennie squirmed under the look and shifted his feet nervously” (25). This foreshadows that he will see Lennie as a threat. This situation is similar to when Curley and Lennie fight. When Curley tells Lennie to stand up, “Curley was balanced and poised… Lennie gave a cry of terror” (63). In both examples, Curley’s behavior is very stiff and hostile, and Lennie reacts in fear. The mood is affected because of the similarity of the two situations which makes the reader afraid and causes the reader to anticipate what is going to happen to Lennie, especially in the example that foreshadows the scene of the fight. Also, when Curley is telling Slim about Lennie, he says “’I’ve beat the hell outta him, and he coulda bust every bone in my body jus’ with his han’s, but he never lifted a finger against me’” (40). This example foreshadows how Lennie will break every bone in Curley’s hand with one hand. It also shows how George understands how strong Lennie is, and it foreshadows that Lennie can use his strength to do bad things like breaking someone’s bones. The description of Curley’s hand in the fight is almost exactly the same as this example. “’Looks to me like ever’ bone in his han’ is bust” (64). Since these descriptions are so alike, the mood is affected. The mood of the reader becomes shocked at Lennie’s strength and slightly uncomfortable that a human could do so much damage to someone with so little effort.
The second pivotal event that is foreshadowed in a significant way is when Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife, contributing to the frightened mood. When George is telling Slim what happened in Weed, he says “’…and he holds on, ‘cause that’s the only thing he can think to do’” (41). This foreshadows that when Lennie gets scared he can’t think clearly, especially since he has a mental deficiency, and that he will have a tendency to hold on no matter what. This also relates to the first point previously stated, since he just holds onto Curley’s fist. The description of the scene of the death is akin to the description in the evidence acknowledged above. “…Lennie’s fingers closed on her hair and hung on…Lennie was in a panic” (91). This shows that Lennie was scared and hung on to her hair because he didn’t know what to do, which is exactly what George said he would do. This makes the reader nervous about how Lennie will handle difficult situations. To contribute to this, when Lennie fights Curley “The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on a line… but Lennie watched in terror the flopping little man whom he held” (63). This foreshadows that Lennie acts out of fear in trying situations and just wants to protect himself. He also wants to protect himself from George’s wrath when he accidentally kills Curley’s wife. It foreshadows that when Lennie is afraid, his actions are that of self-preservation. “…And he shook her; and her body flopped like a fish” (91). This is when Lennie unintentionally kills Curley’s wife, and the descriptions of Curley in the fight and Curley’s wife as she is killed are exactly alike; they are both described as a flopping fish. This contributes to the mood by making the reader amazed by Lennie’s strength and also apprehensive of it.
To continue with the pivotal event of Lennie killing Curley’s wife, when Lennie is explaining how he kills the mice to George, he says “’…pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead--- because they was so little’” (10). This foreshadows that Lennie doesn’t know his strength, and a small punishment such as a pinch to Lennie is strong enough to kill an animal. This foreshadows that he also doesn’t know how his abundant strength affects other creatures, including Curley’s wife. When Lennie is telling Curley’s wife how he killed the puppy, he says “’He was so little, I was jus’ playin’ with him… an’ he made like he was gonna bite me… an’ I made like I was gonna smack him… an’… an’ I done it’” (87). This also foreshadows that Lennie doesn’t know his own strength, and furthermore, it foreshadows that Lennie will attempt to invoke punishment and cause more harm than he intended. This is evident when he covers Curley’s wife’s mouth and shakes her to keep her quiet. He is doing this so that she won’t get him in trouble, but he doesn’t realize his strength and inadvertently kills her. This affects the mood by making the reader sad that small animals are killed but also uneasy that he is capable of such consequences with so little exertion.
Finally, Steinbeck uses foreshadowing to hint at the pivotal event of George shooting Lennie, adding to the anxious mood. When Curley is fighting Lennie, “Lennie covered his face with huge paws and bleated with terror” (63). This foreshadows that Lennie will be treated like an animal. He is treated like an animal by getting shot in the head to save him from the inevitable misery that is about to overcome him. This affects the mood by making the reader uncomfortable that he is referred to so blatantly as a farm animal like that of a sheep, a very dumb and simple animal. When George tells Slim about the Sacramento River incident, he says “’Why he’d do any damn thing I tol’ him to’” (40). This foreshadows that Lennie will obey George no matter what. The situation of George telling Lennie to jump in the river even though he couldn’t swim is similar to the situation of the pivotal event. While in the clearing, George says “’No, Lennie. Look down there acrost the river, like you can almost see the place.’ Lennie obeyed him” (106). These two situations both show that Lennie is utterly obedient to George, even if it is detrimental to him. Therefore, the first situation foreshadows the situation in the scene of the pivotal event. This makes the reader feel amazed that Lennie would obey his friend in almost all circumstances, even those of death.
To expand on the evidence explained above, when Carlson is attempting to convince Candy to shoot his dog, he says “’The way I’d shoot him, he wouldn’t feel nothing. I’d put the gun right there. Right back of the head. He wouldn’t even quiver’” (45). This foreshadows that this type of death will be important later on in the book, especially since it is emphasized so much. It also foreshadows that Lennie will be shot just like this dog. The description of how Candy’s dog is shot is of the same kind as that of how Lennie is shot. When Slim sees Lennie after he has been shot, he says “’Right in the back of the head’” (107). These descriptions are so alike, that it adds to the fearful mood. The in-depth explanation of how a bullet in the back of the head brings death makes the reader anxious, especially when this emphasis is referred to during a pivotal event of the book. When George demands the dead mouse from Lennie, “Slowly, like a terrier who doesn’t want to bring a ball to its master, Lennie approached…” (9). This foreshadows that not only will Lennie be treated like an animal, but more specifically, a dog. He has already been referred to as an animal, but this also assists in foreshadowing that he will be shot exactly like how Candy’s dog was shot. It also displays how Lennie is so obedient to George when George is compared to his master. The mood is very uneasy and foreboding as these descriptions are read.
In conclusion, Steinbeck uses many examples of foreshadowing to predict the pivotal events and to create an apprehensive mood. The first event that is significantly foreshadowed is when Curley fights Lennie. The second event that is foreshadowed is when Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife. The third event that is foreshadowed is when George shoots Lennie. All in all, Steinbeck implements many examples of foreshadowing to create an uneasy mood and to predict the pivotal events of the book.
Student B
Ms. Bussolati
Honors Seminar English 1
4 October 2012
Foreshadowing in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck is a well-known writer who uses many forms of craft in his writing. A form of craft he uses very often is foreshadowing which he manipulates to his favor in Of Mice and Men. During the course of the book, he clearly foreshadows many pivotal events such as the fight between Lennie and Curley, the death of Curley’s wife by Lennie’s hand, and George shooting Lennie in the end. Due to this foreshadowing, the mood is also greatly affected as the reader continues through the book.
The first pivotal event that is foreshadowed heavily in the book is the fight between Curley and Lennie, which contributes to a very anxious mood. Thefirst time this event is foreshadowed is when Curley first appears in the book, where he wanders into the bunkhouse, looking for his dad. He was in a neutral mood until his eyes caught a glance of Lennie, which makes his stance turn predatoryimmediately. “His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. His glance was at once calculating and pugnacious” (Steinbeck 25). This is a vibrant representation of how easily Curley’s mood can change and a sign of his immediate abhorrence towards Lennie, notifying the reader that Curley and Lennie will have a conflict later on in the book. The conflict later on in the book happens to be their fight. Furthermore, the way his glance is described shows that he is already trying to gauge Lennie’s ability, and the aggressiveness radiating off of Curley attests his need for violence. Curley’s need for violence is finally satiated when he gets mad at Lennie for laughing and throws the first punch during the fight. On the next page, the red flag rises even higher when George is talking to the swamper about Curley, who had just left the room. The swamper had confided in George that Curley was one of those little guys who were known for picking fights with big guys because he hated big guys for being bigger than him. To this, George responded by saying, “‘I seen plenty tough little guys. But this Curley better not make no mistakes about Lennie. Lennie ain’t handy, but this Curley punk is gonna get hurt if he messes around with Lennie’” (26). Although George is just talking to the swamper, it is also Steinbeck’s way of warning the reader that if a fight were to happen between Curley and Lennie, the outlook is both grim and painful for Curley. Lennie is not very good at fighting, but he is still bigger and much stronger. In effect, just as George said, Curley does end up getting hurt when he messes with Lennie during the fight because Curley’s hand gets crushed into pieces.Another place that suggests the fight between Lennie and Curley is when George is talking to Lennie about protecting himself. “‘Don’t let him pull you in—but if that son-of-a-bitch socks you—you let ‘im have it’” (30). George saying this not only rings a warning bell that there will be a fight, but it also shows that Lennie will most likely not be the one to start it, and that Lennie is probably only going to retaliate in self-defense. Moreover, Steinbeck also foreshadows the fight between Curley and Lennie when George is telling Slim about all the pranks he used to pull on Lennie and how Lennie never got mad. In fact, George’s exact words were, “‘I’ve beat the hell out of him, and he coulda bust every bone in my body jus with his han’s’” (40). Undoubtedly, Steinbeck wrote this to show the reader just how strong Lennie is because no normal human could break anyone’s bones with just his hands. Additionally, Steinbeck’s wording in this, “bust every bone” is used again when he describes what Lennie does to Curley’s hand during the fight. “‘Looks to me like ever’ bone in his han’ is bust’” (64). Thus, when George was talking aboutwhat Lennie could have done to him; it was also to show the reader what Lennie was capable of and what Lennie would most likely end up doing to Curley. Due to all the evidences stated previously, the mood is very anxious because the reader is now expecting a conflict to occur between Curley and Lennie, and they also know that there will be a result that is both violent and painful.
The subsequent pivotal event John Steinbeck foreshadows heavily is the death of Curley’s wife by Lennie’s hand leading to the mood being intensely uneasy. The leading thing that gives away Curley’s wife’s death is in the very beginning of the book where Lennie is talking to George about how he accidentally kills mice without meaning to. “‘I’d pet ‘em, and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead—because they was so little’” (10). This shows how Lennie kills things without meaning to because he is unaware of his own strength. Also, the sequence Lennie described it happening is almost identical to the sequence of Curley’s wife being killed. He’d pet the mice,then they bit him, and then he killed them. When he killed Curley’s wife, he was also petting her hair and then she overreacted which led to him killing her. Another place where the reader is shown Lennie’s habit of accidentally killing things when he is angered is the accident with the puppy. He had been in the barn with the dead puppy when Curley’s wife wandered in, inquiring about the pup. “‘He was so little,’ said Lennie. ‘I was jus’ playin’ with him… an’ he made like he’s gonna bite me… an’ I made like I was gonna smack him… an’… an’ I done it. An’ then he was dead’” (87). This further shows Lennie’s obliviousness towards his own strength as well as his lack of restraint. Add his strength to his mentality of a child; it is a recipe for disaster. This is proven even further in a similar, but less serious, incident that had happened in Weed. Previously in the book, George had told Slim about an incident that had happened in Weed, where Lennie and George had worked before. “‘Well, he seen this girl in a red dress. Dumb bastard like he is, he wants to touch ever’thing he likes. Just wants to feel it. So he reaches out to feel this red dress an’ the girl lets out a squawk, and that gets Lennie all mixed up, and he holds on ‘cause that’s the only thing he can think to do … He was so scairt he couldn’t let go of that dress. And he’s so God damn strong, you know’” (41). Like the previous evidences provided, this is also a flashing red light telling the reader of Lennie’s reactions when he is scared. In Weed, he had clung to the girl’s dress out of confusion, and when he kills Curley’s wife, he also holds on to her hair out of confusion and fright due to her screaming. In addition to that, this evidence also restates how strong Lennie is which is how he was able to break her neck the way he did. However, Curley’s wife’s death is not only foreshadowed by Lennie’s lack of control and strength but also by the many times Lennie is warned by George to stay away from Curley’s wife. For example, earlier in the book after Curley’s wife left the bunkhouse, George had scolded Lennie for staring at her and also blatantly told Lennie to stay away from her. “‘Listen to me, you crazy bastard,’ he said fiercely. ‘Don’t you even take a look at that bitch. I don’t care what she says and what she does. I seen ‘em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait worse that her, you leave her be’” (32). George’s warning is meant to warn the reader that Curley’s wife is trouble and that if Lennie does not stay away from her, he will be in a lot of trouble. In addition to that, George’s choice of the phrase “jail bait” is most appropriate because after Lennie killed Curley’s wife, he would most likely serve jail time if he didn’t die first. George’s warning is even resounded right before the incident when Lennie sees Curley’s wife in the barn. “‘George says I ain’t to have nothing to do with you—talk to you or nothing’” (32). This example shows his understanding of George’s warning and it is also to convey exactly how bad Curley’s wife is. All these events add to a very uneasy mood as the reader is reading for many reasons such as the reader being afraid of Lennie’s strength and lack of control as well as the unease one feels every time Curley’s wife is mentioned due to her epithet of trouble.