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Caroline Moran
Professor Samuel Uglow
English 1302
9 March 2016
Of Mice and Men Literary Analysis Essay
The classic story Of Mice and Men introduces many subjects on which to analyze their
meanings. Published in 1937, it has stood the test of time and become a classic among Americans
and shows a glimpse of life in an era past. Literature is meant to be picked through with a finetoothed comb and this story needs to be as well in order to properly see the setting, characters,
and details as they are meant to be.
The story Of Mice and Men implies in the text that it takes place in California. This is
seen in multiple instances of text throughout the story. However, it is mostly implied and only
directly stated twice in the story. The first time it is mentioned is on page 1, the first paragraph
and says, A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River and rocky Gablian Mountains
and it is stated once again towards the end of the story. Delving further into the setting, the story
starts off with the two main characters, George and Lennie, arriving at a clearing in the forest by
a creek. This hidden place is very much portrayed as a safe and calm environment with word
choices descriptions such as follows, The shade climbed up the hills toward the top. On the sand
banks the rabbits sat as quietly as little gray sculptured stones. (Steinbeck, pg. 1). Even though
it is painted in a nice light, there is irony in this safe place that is key at the end of the book.
During this scene, George and Lennie are talking after Lennie has run away due to accidentally
killing Curleys wife. There is some unease in the way George is described as speaking

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woodenly and right afterwards it said His voice was monotonous, had no emphasis (pg. 52).
In the end, George ends up shooting and killing Lennie in what was supposed to be a safe place
for him to go after something bad happened.
The in-story setting is not the only thing that is important to look at. A real-life
connection needs to be analyzed as well. This story was written in 1936 and published in 1937,
which is the era of the Great Depression in America. The Great Depression was a time in which
many Americans lived in poverty and could not afford much for themselves. This era started in
October of 1929 with the stock market crashing which sent Americas economy into a downward
spiral. The economy reached its lowest point in 1933 with around 13 to 15 million people
unemployed in America and did not pick back up until the start of World War II in 1939
(History.com Staff, 2009). This possibly explains why George and Lennie were travelling from
place to place trying to make ends meet. The story does a good job of describing conditions of
this era and goes into detail in several parts on how many have the dream of wanting to own a
plot of land but never can because it is only ever going to amount to a dream.
There is a plethora of interesting characters involved in this short novel. All of them play
a part in either foreshadowing or allowing certain characteristics of another character be brought
out into the light. The first notable relationship is between the two main characters, George and
Lennie. George is introduced as small and quick, making him the brains of the bunch
(Steinbeck, pg. 2). On the flipside, Lennie is introduced as the exact opposite of George and
presented as a character that has certain characteristics of having a mental illness. There could be
several illness that he could be contributed to having. One of which could be a Schizoaffective
Disorder which causes the person to experience hallucinations and experience manic episodes
which Lennie is presented as having both of these (NAMI, 2016). Not only does he hallucinate at

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the end of the story with visions of a giant rabbit telling him off, he also will go through episodes
in which he exerts his strength and hurts other living beings without realizing. These two
characters have been through thick-and-thin together, but this is not a typical duo portrayed. Due
to the multitude of problems Lennie has, he relies on George as both an emotional and financial
support. Another notable relationship is the dynamic between Curley and Curleys wife. These
two form a duo that are always talked about but never seen together at the same time in the book.
This is significant to show that these two are not on the same wavelength and that Curleys wife
continuously goes behind his back and avoids him, solidifying the message that something was
going to happen to them by the end of the story.
The buildup in this story was absolutely amazing in its execution. There was so much
foreshadowing that implied how the book would intertwine at the end. This foreshadowing is
subtly obvious and adds depth to how every detail was laid out. One example of foreshadowing
was when Lennie could not stop snapping the heads on mice. Another example was when
Curleys wife kept presenting herself and the way Lennie could not stop looking at her. This gave
rise to suspicion that Curleys wife would attempt to get closer with Lennie and that Lennie
would end up in a lot of trouble. Some insight into this is the way she uses body language.
Comparing female body language to how Curleys wife acts in the story sheds some more light
onto how she goes about seducing the men of the ranch. In the story she put her hands behind
her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward which is a sign
of flirting by accentuating the body. Typically women will also show their wrists when flirting
which she does when she starts looking at her nails the next line over (Steinbeck, pg.14; Van
Edwards, 2013). On the other hand, Lennie also exhibits signs of flirty body language. When
Curleys wife appears, he glances her up and down and appears mesmerized by her. This is listed

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as a major sign of flirting since maintaining eye contact is considered respectful while eyes
roaming over someone shows ones desire of another (Tyrrell, 2014). Another example was when
Curley was described as being one to pick fights with guys bigger than himself, thus ensuing the
fight with Lennie later on in the book. A looked over detail is how the book starts off, with
Lennie and George being dropped off far from the ranch when the driver said it was close. This
could possibly signify how things were not going to go their way throughout the rest of the story.
In conclusion, there are many elements of this short novel that can be scrutinized further.
It is a classic story that presents a setting true to the time, characters that show traits that twist
and turn in every line, and foreshadowing that would put a prophet to the test. Overall, this story
was executed well and all tied together in the end.
Word Count: 1188

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Works Cited
Staff, History.com. The Great Depression History.com A+E Networks, 2009.
Website. 5 March, 2016.
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men.
USA: Viking Penguin, 1937. Print.
Van Edwards, Vanessa. Female Body Language Science of People
Science of People, 2013. Website. 3 March, 2016.
Tyrrell, Mark. Flirting Body Language Psychologia Mark Tyrrell, 2014. Website.
7 March, 2016
NAMI Staff. Mental Health Conditions National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI, 2016.
Website. 7 March, 2016.