Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck – Literature Essay
In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, there are many recurring events. Out of all of the recurring events within the novel, the most significant events were the death of Candy’s dog and the murder of Lennie. These two
killings have very much in common, and yet at the same time they have very many differences. Foreshadowing is one reason why many events reoccur throughout the novel.
The first most significant event of the novel would have to be to death of Candy’s dog. The main reason why this event is significant is because it shows some meaning of foreshadowing about Lennie’s death. “A shot sounded in the distance. The men looked quickly at the old man. Every head turned torward him.” This quote shows that Carlson had finally shot the dog and put him out of his misery. Later on in the novel, Candy says that she should have shot the dog instead of making someone else do it. This little message plays a major role of foreshadowing for the murder of Lennie.
The other most significant event of the novel is Lennie’s death. The way Lennie died was that he was shot and killed by his best friend george. Going back to when Candy said that she wished she had killed her dog, this is prime case of foreshadowing because it is the only reason why George killed Lennie because Curly was going to shoot him anyways. George did the right thing that he had to do, but also he did the one thing he didn’t want to do.
There are also some differences between these two deaths. The most common difference is that Candy’s dog is an animal and Lennie is a human being.