Emphasizing the Sense of Futililiy through the Symbolism of the Mice

By Diah Hasna (c0314010)

The American Dreams give people the optimism that if they worked hard enough, they
can reach their dreams. However, John Steinbeicks Of Mice and Men said otherwise, that some
can work hard and dream big and still just as powerless in reaching those dreams as those who
had given up. This futility is shown through the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two
second class citizens, who moved from ranch to ranch in search of a job so that they can build
their own. Set in Western America of the 1930s with the atmosphere of the Great Depression,
Steinbecks story is not wrapped in a heroic and grand scheme of revolution of the lower class,
but the bleak, desperate, and realistic representation of their useless fight in the search of work,
home, and freedom. Steinbeck employed mice symbolism to emphasize the futility, the
uselessness, of the characters hopes and aspirations as they struggle against fate.
Steinbecks use of mice as part of the title already said to its importance to the whole
story, although the reference to the animal in the text is limited to its first chapter. This paradox
can be explained as the mice having two layers of meanings where one supports the other. The
first meaning is that it is a prophetic event of Curleys wife and Lennies death, which are seen
through the written reference to mice in the text. The second meaning is that it represents the
characters in Of Mice And Men which have to be seen through the characters and the story as a
whole. Both meanings, then combines to construct a futile atmosphere.
The prophetic use of the symbolism of the mice foreshadows the death of a character in
Lennies hand. When George and Lennie were resting on the bank of a river, George was
carrying a dead mouse in his pocket:

Its only a mouse, George.

A mouse? A live mouse?
Uh- uh. Jus a dead mouse, George. I didnt kill it. Honest! I found it. I found
it dead. (p. 6)

In this conversation between George and Lennie, we are first reminded of the title of the
book. However, the image of a dead mouse is disturbing because when the title associate a man
with a mouse, then logically it follows a dead mouse is a dead man. Thus, foreshadowing a
character death in the story.
As the conversation continues, readers are given a broader background about the
significance of a mouse to Lennie:I could pet it with my thumb while we walked along, said
Lennie. (p.6). Lennie liked the mouse because he liked to pet the soft fur of the mouse, however,
because of his strength, as he stroked the mouse he always killed them by accident: I'd pet 'em,
and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead-
because they was so little (p. 10). Additionally, Lennies obsession over petting and stroking
soft furs already gave them trouble in the past:

"Jus' wanted to feel that girl's dress- jus' wanted to pet it like it was a mouse- Well,
how the hell did she know you jus' wanted to feel her dress? She jerks back and
you hold on like it was a mouse. She yells and we got to hide in a irrigation ditch
all day with guys lookin' for us, and we got to sneak out in the dark and get outa
the country. All the time somethin' like that- all the time. (p.17)

These three references give away to three future events, how Lennie was killed (by
accidentally crushing them with his strength), how it would happen (when Lennie stroke or pet
them), to whom it will happen (a girl). Moreover, Curleys wife is described by George as a rat
trap (p. 36) therefore alluding that the girl is in fact Curleys wife. The implication toward
deaths make the readers either subsciously or consciously aware of the pessimistic tone of the
story.
This first glimpse of the pessimistic tone of the story is combined with the second
meaning that is the mice are representative of the working and second class characters. To see the
relation within the mices representation of the characters, I propose to see the link in two ways:
to see it in correlation with the titles inspiration which is Robert Burns To a Mouse, and to
compare the characters with the common perception of mice and its characteristics.
Before employing the two methods, however, I would like to elaborate the one and only
written reference in the text which can be interpreted to support the suggestion that the mice are
representative of the characters. This reference can be found when George warned Lennie about
Curleys wife, Well, you keep away from her, cause shes a rat-trap if I ever seen one (p. 36).
Rats are still closely linked to mice, so similar they both are that some people consider them the
same. We know that Lennie would accidentally kill Curleys wife and to be killed in return, the
implication is thus that Lennie is the rat that Curley wife had trapped. But, its not just in
relation to Lennie but also Lennie and Georges dreams that were killed.
Peter Cash (2012) stated in his article John Steinbeck (1902-1968) Of Mice and Men
(1937) that the Steinbecks title can be traced back to a Robert Burns poem entitled To A
Mouse. Below is the particular stanza, which inspired Steinbecks of Mice and Men:

But Mousie, thou art no thy lane.

In proving foresight may be vain:
The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley.
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain.
For promised joy!

This poem regards a man who accidently ploughs the nest of a mouse. The man feels bad
and starts to apologize on behalf of all mankind. But, then he reasons, a mouse is luckier than a
man because although both creatures plans are most of the time destroyed or unrealized, a
mouse live in the present while a man ruminate his past and worry about his future
(http://www.shmoop.com/to-a-mouse/summary.html).
There is a suggestion that this poem partly reflects the life of poverty experienced by
Burn and his family (http://www.robertburns.plus.com/mouse.htm). The mouse itself represents
Burn while the man represents people who hold power and control over him. Meanwhile, another
interpretation narrates that that men and mice is not much different, they both make plans for the
future, but these plans are subject to fate, meaning that however we prepare for something our
plans are often failed. This sense of poverty, hopelessness, failure, and unfulfilled dreams
through the hands of fate is deeply reflected in Steinbecks Of Mice and Men especially in the
way George and Lennies dreams end unfulfilled. Fate had put a stop in their plans and dreams
when Lennies accidentally killed Curleys wife. Consequently, forcing George to kill him to
prevent a lynching.
 The second method to see the relation between the mice and characters is through
comparison between the characteristics and common perception of a mouse with those of the
characters. The characteristics that will be discussed here are physical characteristics and
behavioral characteristics while the common perception means how the society in general
perceives a mouse.
Physically mice are small, furry rodents.The characters described as having a small
stature are George (p. 2), the ranch owner (p. 23), and Curley (p. 29). This physical
characteristics of mice, however, are less important to the story than its consequences. Meaning
that in the world of animals, physical strength which mainly came from body size is the
determining point of power. Therefore, mice are powerless and lowly compared to some of the
other animals. This lack of physical strength is then coupled with the mices behavioral
characteristics of commonly non-aggressive, omnivorous animal with run-and-hide response put
the mice in the lower level of the food chain, the prey.
In the world of men, the food chain is no other than social hierarchy. Unlike animals, the
determining points of man-made hierarchy is not physical strength but most commonly
economic and social standings. This type hierarchy, however, only divides the bourgeois (ranch
owner and Curley) with the working and second class characters. The working class itself is
structured based on gender, race, physical and mental attribution. Therefore, the sense of
powerlessness and the characters potentials in fulfilling their aspirations are multilayered,
influenced by various factors, mostly, outside of an individual control.
Other behavioral characteristics of mice is they are omnivorous and highly adaptable to
many unfriendly situations. They can survive by taking their nourishment from scraping trash
bins, eating insects, even in the worst case, they eat their own tail
(http://www.whatdomiceeat.info/). In other words, they follow the food source anywhere, in any
form. Because of this trait, mice are commonly regarded as pets by humans. Their only means of
self-defense is running as fast as they can. This behavior seems to be similar to how Lennie and
George move from one place to another in search of money to survive and how they run and hide
from the people that chase Lennie after his misunderstood action.
Mice as pests and disease vectors that should be exterminated are some of the general
populations opinion toward mice. Sometimes, forgetting that the mice actually hold an
important role in supporting an ecosystem. In the novelette, this perception is reflected by poor
treatment of the characters. At the beginning, it is subtly shown through the imagery of a dead
mouse on the side of the road: "I don't know why I can't keep it. It ain't nobody's mouse. I didn't
steal it. I found it lyin' right beside the road" (p.9). This statement, when seen through the context
of mice as the representative of the characters gives a disturbing image. Firstly, the characters are
property probably in relation to their employer. Secondly, as soon as they are dead, they will be
thrown away and forgotten.
Other supporting evidence is the treatment toward Crooks, Curleys wife, Curleys power
in firing the labor workers, and the acceptance of the inhuman act of lynching. The treatment
toward Crooks is seen in the following dialog, If he coulda used his feet, Smitty says he woulda
killed the nigger. The guys said on account of the nigger's got a crooked back, Smitty can't use
his feet" (p. 22). This reflects the treatment toward the African-American people who are barely
regarded as a human being. Next, is the derogatory and pejorative statements freely directed
toward Curleys wife even though some of the men may actually enjoy her behavior: Well, I
think Curleys married.... a tart (p. 31), Jesus, what a tramp (p. 36), a rat trap (p. 36).
Third, the fact that Curley was able to fire any laborers unreasonably:if he tangled with you,
Lennie, were gonna get the can (p. 32). Lastly, the acceptance of lynching especially toward
the lower class and second class citizens: the guys in Weed start a party out to lynch Lennie
(p. 46), We oughta let 'im get away. You don't know that Curley. Curley gon'ta wanta get 'im
lynched. Curley'll get 'im killed." George watched Candy's lips. "Yeah," he said at last, "that's
right, Curley will. An' the other guys will."(p. 104)
The characters in the novel live in the margin of the society similarly with the mice who
lives on the fringes of the animal kingdom. As a lower class and second class citizens they try
their hardest just to survive financially and emotionally. Harold Bloom pointed out that
Steinbecks style is to use the low and second class citizens as his characters:

Chapter four refines Steinbecks theme by casting the second-class

individualsthe rejected (Crooks), the old and infirm (Candy), the mentally
feeble (Lennie), and the vapid (Curleys wife) into a circumstance where
they each feel their status. (Bloom, 2006, p. 17)
 The perception toward these second class citizens seems to mirror the common
perception toward mice in general that they are barely useless and sometimes even annoying.
With the background of the bleak Great Depression looming over the United States of America,
the perception is not limited toward the second class citizens, but also toward the young, healthy,
and poor whites such as George and Slim. According to Bloom (2006:13), by early 1930s
machine had already replaced some of the use of human labors with the estimation that the
combine did the work of more than 300 men, leaving a minimal need for laborers. Moreover,
with the stigma of the Great Depression and The New Deal, many property owners resented
working class because they paid the taxes to support the unemployed working class
(http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug02/ newyorker/class.html)
John Steinbecks novels often take place during the Great Depression. John Steinbeck
writings is realistic, naturalistic, and straightforward and his characters come from the margin of
the society. Steinbeck liked to write stories not far from the life that he knew best, his own, to
create accurate and lively descriptions. Therefore, Steinbecks background played a great role in
his writings. Steinbeck, who was born in California, 1902 was the grandson of the ranch owner.
He worked on ranches since his youth and even during and after his college years. His credibility
as a great writer has been proven by many awards and accolades among the most prestigious are
the Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize. (Bloom: 2006).
Conclusion
From the elaboration above, we see that at the beginning mice is used to foreshadow
death and the tragic end of the novelette. Later on as the story progresses, mice had taken another
meaning which a representative of the labor workers and second class citizens in of mice and
men. The thread between the two subjects were seen through the same characteristics both have
through the common perception and association of mice. Mice are seen as useless, disturbing,
even pests. They are also powerless, the prey in the scheme of the natural food webs.
The futility can be felt at first by the disturbing sense of future death and tragedy. As
George reiterates his dreams countless of times throughout the novelette we sense that it will end
badly. Moreover, positioning the men similarly with mice in terms of power underline the futility
of Georges dreams. No mouse will ever become an eagle or a lion to move up in the ladder of
the food chain. It is a biological and unchanging construction. Meanwhile, although social
hierarchy is mens construction, it is very hard and almost impossible to change similar to the
biological construction.
REFERENCES
Bloom, H. (2006). Blooms guide: Of mice and men. New York: Chelsea House

Cash, P. (2012). John steinbeck (1902-1968) of mice and men (1937). Use of
English, 63(3). Retrieved from https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/english-
association/schools/resources-for-trainee-teachers-and-nqts/Of%20Mice
%20and%20Men%2063.3.pdf

Steinbeck, J. (1937). Of mice and men.

http://www.shmoop.com/to-a-mouse/summary.html
http://www.robertburns.plus.com/mouse.htm
http://www.whatdomiceeat.info/
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug02/newyorker/class.html