Setting In Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

In the novella ‘Of Mice and Men’ Steinbeck makes use of setting in through many process’s. The novella has four main settings: the poolside, the Bunkhouse, Crooks’s room, the barn. Steinbeck uses certain techniques in these four settings to show how he uses each setting to establish mood, convey and highlight key themes - the novella is based in ‘Soledad’ which means loneliness in Spanish, which is a key theme in the book. It is also used to introduce and accentuate character intentions, portray 1930’s social and historical environment and crucially to develop the plot.

The setting the reader first encounters is the poolside which is one of the most important settings. This scene conveys moods and themes through animal imagery and drawing parallels with characters and animals in the opening description of nature. A snake’s head is ‘held up’ like a ‘periscope’, this shows a parallel with Lennie and George as it symbolises the duo searching into the future with hopes and dreams. This ‘periscope movement foreshadows Lennie’s and George’s dreams to own their own ranch. Also, the same scene of the snake is repeated near the end of the novella. Although, this time the snake is violently ‘lanced’ by a ‘heron’. The similarities between the two descriptions highlight the cyclical structure of nature as the snake is still there. However, the juxtaposition shows that the second time the snake is killed, it did not choose to get killed but was killed by chance. Also, Steinbeck uses pathetic fallacy to create different moods. The natural surrounding is ‘deep green’. This has many connotations as ‘green’ can be symbolised as a quiet, tranquil colour. This could be perceived to prepare you for the violent horrific events to come. However,...

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...hows use of pathetic fallacy to speed up the time and tension as George hear the men coming nearer. Lennie sees the ‘darkening slope’ of the Mountains. This contrasts to the blue scene before and it foreshadows death as death is associated with ‘black’. As Lennie notices this it may show that Lennie is aware of what’s coming.

In conclusion Steinbeck uses the setting to explain the isolation the characters often feel and the hopes and dreams they have. The story is set during the Great Depression of the 1930s and shows the life of itinerant migrant workers. The setting creates the mood and environment and influences main themes and character. Steinbeck uses the setting by including a range f techniques. Pathetic fallacy and animal imagery is often used as Steinbeck was a naturalist and determinism is used. This shows that setting plays a big part in the book.