Of Mice and Men Rhetorical Analysis The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck was a noteworthy 1930s classic that has become a literary example for the educational field ever since. Steinbeck’s piece traveled through the theme of dreams through foreshadowing, complemented with dialogue. Steinbeck used this to create an emotional reaction from the reader, pathos, in the novel. This was composed when the main characters, Lennie and George, pursued their dream by working on a ranch in the era of the Great Depression. Lennie and George’s dreams were challenged when Lennie’s destructive behavior with the other guests starts chaos. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Steinbeck used foreshadowing, through dialogue and diction, to create pathos, to perpetuate the theme of dreams. Lennie and George begin to discuss their dreams early on in the novel when George caught Lennie with a mouse. Lennie foretelled to another scene later, by telling George “‘I wasn’t doin’ nothing bad with it, George. Jus’ strokin’ it’” (Steinbeck 5). The discourse Steinbeck used allowed the reader to draw…show more content… Lennie has killed a mouse, a puppy, and now a woman and has been caught red handed. George went out to find Lennie in his hiding spot while the other guests at the ranch hunt for Lennie. George made a tough decision and prepared Lennie for his dreams to come true by telling him “‘look across the river, Lennie, an’ I’ll tell you so you can almost see it’” (Steinbeck 53). George then kills Lennie. Steinbeck established foreshadowing through the George’s dialogue that signals to the reader something bad is inevitably going to happen. The words “and I’ll tell you” appeared to the reader like George did not want Lennie to see something. This formulated a suspenseful conclusion to the novel but also tied the novel together with tension and emotional satisfaction, because of Lennie’s
