John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men Animal imagery is also very important in creating atmosphere. By

describing people and things using it, Steinbeck can paint a vivid

picture of events which every reader can relate to, because we all

have experience of animals.

Lennie is described as "the way a bear drags his paws". This

immediately gives the reader an idea of what is meant. "Snorting like

a horse" is used too. As we go through the book, more and more animal

imagery is used, especially regarding the relationship between Lennie

and George. This is important in atmospheric description, because the

relationship is central to things happening around them, and gives us

reasons for many of the twists of the plot, so it is imperative that

we understand and have a picture of how George and Lennie interact.

Their relationship is a 'master and dog' one, and the animal imagery

used is vividly describing the atmosphere in which George and Lennie

co-exist.

Animal imagery is not only used to describe the characters, but also

their movements, which give us an idea of the overall atmosphere. For

example, "Lennie lumbered" shows us that there is tension and that the