What are some examples of figurative language in Chapters 1-5 of Of Mice and Men?

• Chapter One of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is replete with symbolism and imagery.  The town of Soledad, for instance, a name that means alone, symbolizes the loneliness and alienation of the bindle stiffs who enter the clearing.  And, the color imagery prevails throughout the passage as the hillside, also personified as having "slipped," twinkles over yellow sands as the hillside is "deep and green."  Then, there are the "golden foothill slopes" that face the valley side with its fresh and green willows. Nature abounds in this visual scene as rabbits, lizards, and the evidence of deer.
• In Chapter Two, Steinbeck's description of Slim, the skinner is quite figurative:

A tall man stood in the doorway....Like the others he wore blue jeans and a short denim jacket.  When he had finished combing his hair, he moved into the room, and he moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsmen.  He was a jerkline skinner, the prince of the ranch [metaphor], capable of driving ten, sixteen, even twenty mules with a single line to the leaders....There was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he spoke.  His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics or love.  This was Slim, the jerkline skinner.  His hatchet face [metaphor]was ageless.  His hear heard more than was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought.  His hands, large and lean, were as delicate in their action as those of a temple dancer [simile].

• Chapter Three furthers the description of Slim with the simile of Slim's "God-like eyes." In a much lesser comparison, George describes Lennie as "jes' like a kid."  Then, of course, Candy's dog is rather symbolic of Candy himself, who is old, too, and has outserved his usefulness.  Some of the slang of the men is figurative, as well.  For instance, George tells Whit, "We're gonna stick aroun' a while,...Me an' Lennie gonna roll up a stake."  "Roll up a stake" is a metaphor for saving money.  
• In Chapter Four, Crooks talks with Lennie, taunting him with the idea that George may not return from town and then, "They'll take ya to the booby hatch.  They'll tie ya up with a collar, like a dog [simile]"  Later, Crooks softens and confides in Lennie how lonely he is, how he misses having someone else with him because without another person "He got nothing to measure by."  This phrase is a figure of speech meaning that a man needs someone to compare himself to in order to know what is real.
• There is imagery in the third paragraph:

From outside came the clang of horseshoes on the playing peg and the shouts of men, playing, encouraging, jeering. But, in the barn, it was quiet and humming, lazy and warm.

• Of course, the little pup that Lennie has petted plays at smacking dies and, in so doing, becomes symbolic of  Curley's wife who will shortly die as Lennie pets her hair.
• In Chapter Five, the visual and aural imagery of the clearing reappears with the "deep green pool" of the Salinas River and "a far rush of wind." The water snake that glides "smoothly up the pool" is symbolic of the evil that approaches.  As Lennie waits, he sees the "darkening slopes of the Gabilans."

What is an example of figurative language in Chapter 3 of Of Mice and Men and its effect?

A simile is a figure of speech where you compare two completely different things using the words "like," or "as." Examples would include "As strong as an ox," and "They fought like cats and dogs." There are some wonderful similes in Of Mice and Men, Chapter 3. My own personal favorite is the one used by Carlson in relation to Curley:

"You're yella as a frog belly."

Carlson's referring to Curley's cowardice. Yellow is the color traditionally associated with cowardice and so Carlson feels perfectly entitled to describe Curley in this way. Curley's a notoriously aggressive man with a huge chip on his shoulder. He's always picking fights with other men, though he selectively chooses those he knows he can intimidate. Hence the stinging accusation of cowardice from Carlson.

After being put in his place by Carlson, Curley's still fired up and takes out his rage and frustration on Lennie, a nice easy target. (Or so he thinks).

Curley stepped over to Lennie like a terrier.

This is a great simile because it perfectly captures Curley's character. He's a small man with an aggressive personality, and strongly resembles a little terrier in the way that he approaches Lennie.

Near the beginning of Chapter 3 of the novella, George confides in Slim about his relationship with Lennie.  Slim had made the comment that it was "funny" that George and Lennie traveled around together because so many migrant workers were solitary figures.  George sees that he can trust Slim and begins to explain to him that while Lennie has done some troublesome things in the past, he does not mean anything by those incidents.  As evidence, George describes the incident in Weed to Slim, telling him about Lennie grabbing the girl's dress and not letting go of it.  Then George comments,

"Well, that girl rabbits in an' tells the law she been raped." (42)

Steinbeck's choice of the word "rabbits" serves two purposes. First, it means "hops" in this context, implying that the girl was quick to assume what Lennie's intentions were and gave no thought to the seriousness of her charges.

Secondly, the word refers to the literal rabbits that Lennie wants so badly. Steinbeck cleverly ties together in one word two of the "soft" things Lennie likes to touch and hold onto--girls and rabbits--thus, foreshadowing the future trouble that the gentle giant might have with one or the other or both.

I think that one of the strongest examples of figurative language exists when Steinbeck is discussing the manner in which George and Slim talk with one another.  It is a significant moment because it's the first real moment where George opens up about his life and Lennie's life.  Steinbeck uses the language of a "priest" and penitent in discussing how George speaks with Slim.  George "opens up" like one who is confession and Slim is the "priest- like" figure in this dialogue.  This is significant as it reflects much about George's difficulty in being able to speak to another and also makes clear how Steinbeck feels about Silm being someone of a true force of valor in the novella.  I think that the metaphor of Candy's dog being taken out and shot is a significant symbol of human cruelty and the silence that often enables it.  No one speaks in defense of Candy's dog, and the voices of destruction go unchecked.  The "silence" that permeates this scene is representative of the lack of human affect, enabling cruelty to take hold. This is a symbol that ends up haunting the entire novella, especially given the ending.

What literary devices are used in chapter 4 of Of Mice and Men?

A literary device is generally defined as techniques that a writer uses to convey deeper meaning in their work. One example of a literary device in Of Mice and Men chapter 4 is symbolism.

Crooks's physical disability (a crooked back) can be read as a symbol of his loneliness and isolation as a black man in a discriminatory society. His disability limits what he can and cannot do as a worker, and it sometimes holds him back from experiencing things that others just consider part of everyday life. Likewise, his identity as a black man inhibits him from visiting certain buildings in town or playing cards with white men.

Just as he tries to work as hard as other stable-hands who don't have broken backs, he tries to find a place for himself in this discriminatory society. In chapter 4, Crooks tries to push back against the isolation by declaring that white men are not allowed in his quarters since he is not allowed in their quarters when Lennie tries to enter his room.

What type of figurative language does Steinbeck use in Chapter 5 of Of Mice and Men?

The sentence "In a panic he shoveled hay over the puppy with his fingers" is not an example of figurative language. Lennie is literally trying to cover up the dead puppy with hay. Figurative language is used to make writing or speech more interesting or persuasive. It often uses a comparison between two unlike things to enhance the meaning of one of those things. Figurative language used in chapter five of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men includes simile, metaphor, personification and onomatopoeia. 

In the first paragraph, Steinbeck uses a simile when he writes: "The hay came down like a mountain slope to the other end of the barn." The mound of hay is compared to a mountain using the word "like." In the next paragraph the reader is given personification when Steinbeck calls the afternoon lazy. Lazy is a word that is usually applied to people. Personification is when non-human things are given human qualities. Another example is later in the chapter when  Steinbeck says, "the sun streaks climbed up the wall." And right after Curley's wife is killed Steinbeck writes, "gradually time awakened."

Onomatopoeia is when words mimic a sound. For example, Steinbeck uses the words "humming," to describe the sounds in the barn, and "clang," for the sound the horseshoes make hitting the stake. Curley's wife's hair being compared to little sausages is an example of a metaphor.

An extended metaphor in the chapter is much more subtle. Steinbeck mentions the horses rattling their halter chains four times in the chapter. Steinbeck wants to compare the fate of George and Lennie to that of the horses. They are not free. Circumstances always intervene to prevent them from living the dream of owning their own farm and exerting free will. Like the horses they are chained to a fate they cannot change.  

What literary terms are used in Chapter 5 of Of Mice and Men?

I think you may be asking about literary devices which can be found in Chapter 5, as opposed to literary terms; the terms are the words that describe the devices. There are any number of literary devices used in the chapter, and I will note here only a few, explaining the terms and pointing to the devices as examples.

Personification is a literary device whereby inanimate objects are endowed with human characteristics. Some examples are,

"The afternoon sun sliced in through the cracks of the barn walls...",

and

"...the lazy afternoon humming."

Both of these examples can be found in the second paragraph of Chapter 5; "slicing" and "humming" are things humans can do, but they are attributed to the sun and the afternoon, which cannot do either of these things.

Imagery is the formation of mental pictures through words. An example of imagery occurs in the tenth paragraph of Chapter 5, in the description of Curley's wife. The author says,

"She wore her bright cotton dress and the mules with the red ostrich feathers. Her face was made up and the little sausage curls were all in place."

Juxtaposition is a literary term which describes when an author puts two images side by side to emphasize their likenesses or differences. An example of juxtaposition occurs about halfway through Chapter 5, when Lennie is talking to Curley's wife. Curley's wife is explaining about her lost dreams, while Lennie describes the dream he and George hope to achieve. Curley's wife says,

"...a show come through, an' I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol' lady wouldn't let me...If I'd went, I wouldn't be livin' like this, you bet."

Lennie, lost in his own thoughts, responds,

"We gonna have a little place - an' rabbits."

Curley's wife goes on with her own story, concluding,

"Coulda been in the movies, an' had nice clothes - all them nice clothes like they wear."

The juxtaposition of Lennie's and Curley's wife's dreams, both so similar and filled with longing, allows the reader to see their likenesses, and foreshadows that Lennie's dream of having a place of his own with George is as futile and hopeless as Curley's wife's dream of being in the movies and having a rich and glamorous life. Foreshadowing, which describes a device in which the author hints at something that will happen later in the story, is another literary term. 

What are three similes in the first two chapters of Of Mice and Men?

A simile is a literary device that makes a comparison that shows the similarities between two different things.  A simile can be easily identified because the words "like" or "as" signal to readers that a comparison is going to be made.  Similes often help readers out because similes allow a greater amount of meaning and understanding to be placed with a relatively simple sentence.  

The similes that I have chosen from the first two chapters of the book all involve animals in the comparison.  The first simile is a description of Lennie and the way that he drinks water. 

His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool; drank with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse.

 The second simile happens about a page or two later.  George and Lennie have finished drinking from the pool, and the two men sit down on the sand to discuss their plans.  As they are sitting there, a water snake swims across the water.  It holds its head above the water, but the simile in the sentence really gives readers an excellent picture of what this particular water snake must look like. 

A water snake slipped along on the pool, its head held up like a little periscope.

On the next page is one of my favorite similes of the book.  It compares Lennie to a dog that doesn't want to drop its favorite toy.  Lennie doesn't want to give George the mouse that he is holding.   

George's hand remained outstretched imperiously. Slowly, like a terrier who doesn't want to bring a ball to its master, Lennie approached, drew back, approached again. George snapped his fingers sharply, and at the sound Lennie laid the mouse in his hand.

If you've ever owned a dog and tried to teach the "drop" command, you know what Lennie looks like. 

In the first chapter the narrator says that Lennie "walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws." In the next paragraph, Lennie drinks (from the green pool) "with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse." A few pages later, George recalls the trouble they escaped from in Weed. "He took on the elaborate manner of little girls when they are mimicking one another." His verbal castigation of Lennie serves to inform the reader of exactly what happened in Weed. Most of the exposition in the novel is conveyed through dialogue because Steinbeck intended to adapt the book to a stage play to be produced in New York City.

In the second chapter, Candy gives George a thumbnail description of Curley, who has just been in the bunkhouse behaving in his characteristic domineering and pugnacious manner.

"Well . . . tell you what. Curley's like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. . . ."

All four of these examples contain similes, although only two of them contain the word "like."

A simile is a type of figurative language which makes a comparison between two things using the words like or as. Like a metaphor, a simile seeks to show the qualities of one thing by comparing it to something quite different. Steinbeck often uses figurative language in his novella Of Mice and Men and similes are spread throughout the text in the third person narration (much of the novel is told through dialogue).

In chapter one, Lennie is described as being like a horse. In fact, Steinbeck frequently uses animal imagery to portray the big man:

His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool; drank with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse.

What are examples of verbal irony in Of Mice and Men?

Lennie and George have been forced to flee the town of Weed after Lennie touched a girl's dress, which caused her to scream out loud. Lennie didn't mean anything by it; he just likes stroking soft things. But not unreasonably, the girl got the wrong idea and took fright. She subsequently accused Lennie of rape, so he and George were forced to leave town.

After getting out of Weed, Lennie and George are forced to hide out in an irrigation ditch until nightfall to avoid any posses or lynching parties that might be looking for them. As one can imagine, George is not best pleased with the situation, and he's somewhat irate at Lennie for getting them into this mess.

It's here that we see an example of verbal irony. In reference to Lennie's penchant for stroking soft things like ladies' dresses and mice, George says that he wishes he could put Lennie in a cage with a million mice.

Of course, George doesn't mean this literally; he's just mad at the big guy. But Lennie, who has the mental age of a child, doesn't understand this and looks pretty anguished. Thankfully, George's anger immediately subsides, and he looks ashamed as he stares at the fire.

Verbal irony occurs when a person says one thing but really means something different. There are several examples of verbal irony in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. In chapter one Lennie insists that he can go live in a cave when George becomes angry about the dead mouse Lennie has been carrying. George eventually apologizes to him, but at the close of the chapter Lennie repeats his threat:

"’Cause I can jus’ as well go away, George, an’ live in a cave.” 

“You can jus’ as well go to hell,” said George. “Shut up now.”

What is an example of parallelism in Of Mice and Men?

The scene in which Candy, the swamper, allows Carlson to shoot his old dog parallels and foreshadows George shooting Lennie at the end of the book.

Candy is very attached to his dog, but Carlson, who shares the bunkhouse with Candy and the dog, complains that the dog stinks and is too old to be useful anymore. He says:

He ain't no good to you, Candy. An' he ain't no good to himself. Why'n't you shoot him, Candy?"

Candy, however, is deeply attached to the dog, who has been his companion during his lonely life as a migrant worker. When Carlson pushes killing the dog, Candy "squirmed uncomfortably. "Well- hell! I had him so long. Had him since he was a pup," Candy says.

Nevertheless, he allows Carlson to shoot the dog, seeing no way out, just as George later sees no way out of shooting Lennie, despite his deep attachment to him.

Candy is grieved over his dog's death. Like Lennie, the dog might have been allowed a more humane and dignified end had economic conditions not made life so hard for the workers. If Candy and George had each had a place of their own, they could have protected the ones they loved far better.

Parallelism in literature is the use of similar sentence or word structures to compare two things, ideas, or people. At the very beginning of Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses the following two parallel sentences, each beginning with the word "both," to compare Lennie and George: "Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons. Both wore black, shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders" (page numbers vary by edition). 

The author's repetition of the word "both" at the beginning of two consecutive sentences (and in later in the second sentence) sets up a parallel structure, and the purpose of this structure is to draw comparisons between Lennie and George. They are both dressed in denim and have similar hats and carry a blanket roll. In the sentences that follow, Steinbeck draws contrasts between George, who is "small and quick," and Lennie, who is "a huge man, shapeless of face." The author's use of parallel structures makes the reader immediately visualize the similarities between the two main characters before he delineates their differences. This type of structure also makes the reader feel like the characters are walking towards him or her; when the characters are farther away, the reader can only see their similarities in dress, but when the characters draw closer, the reader can see their distinctions. 

What literary devices does Steinbeck use in Of Mice and Men?

Steinbeck's strongest writing talent is in his use of characterization. In all of his novels, OMAM included, we really feel like we know the characters. In this case, we can relate to the struggles George has with Lenny; we can sympathize for Lenny and his trials; we also get a great stereotyped picture of the other ranch hands. Steinbeck is a master at getting his audience to empathize with his characters.

The other thing that Steinbeck does that draws in readers is creating situations that make us think "What if that was me?" In the case of OMAM, what if you or I was George? Could we shoot our best friend to help him? Steinbeck's ability to take modern ideas and place them in a setting and plot that are still pertinent 70 years later is why many people still enjoy his writing.

What makes Steinbeck's style unique is his dual use of omniscient narration combined with a real empathy for his characters. Lennie and George are not educated and they are transients. But they also possess a dignified humanity.

Steinbeck also writes with lyrical beauty of the Salinas Valley, a beauty that always runs as an undercurrent, no matter how tragic or tortured the action of the novel.

Lastly, the "American Dream" is one the author extends to every man (and woman). Lennie and George hope for the same things everyone else does: a place to call their own and the continual pursuit of happiness. Although their dreams might be unrealistic, they are no more so than those of most people.

Writing style refers to the way which an author chooses to write. Different writing styles pay special attention to formal/informal language, sentence forms, and diction.

Given that Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men is a piece of fiction which takes place on a ranch during the Great Depression, the novel is written using informal language.

Informal language is one which utilizes slang, improper sentence structure (for the speakers), and hold a specific "tell" regarding where the characters are located.

The sentences are not written with worry about formal structure. Instead, the sentences vary in length, detail, and power.Some are shorter, which some could say mirror the mental ability of Lennie), while others are longer and more involved (which would mirror the mental ability of George).

In addition to the use of informal language, one can easily note Steinbeck's use of diction as matching his use of informal language. The text is filled with words ranchers would typically speak (which supports the reliability of the text for the reader).

Steinbeck’s most profound use of literary devices comes in the form of symbols.  The symbolic images in the novel bring out its primary and secondary themes.  Consider Steinbeck’s use of Candy’s dog’s murder.  The killing of this old dog is something that haunts the landscape of the novel.  It is a symbol, and a great literary device to reflect how the world filled of Carlsons and Curleys have no regard for that which does not bring immediate benefit to them.  The image of the farm, and the manner in which George tells the story is something that is repeated, first introduced at the start of the novel and brought out all the way until the end.  In this, the literary device of repetition is used effectively in order to maximize its impact.  I would say that the use of foreshadowing is another great literary device that brings out much in way of meaning and purpose in the novel.  From the opening, when George tells Lennie about their special rendezvous point to George insisting to Lennie that he stay away from Curley and Curley’s wife, there are multiple uses of foreshadowing whereby the reader has a sense that Steinbeck is reminding them that this seemingly simple story will carry tremendous implications by its end.

Most of the novel, or novella, is told through description and dialogue. There is hardly any prose exposition. This is because John Steinbeck fully intended to convert the book into a stage play to be produced in New York in 1937, the same year the book was published. He called his book "a playable novel" because it reads pretty much like a script for a stage play. It was extremely easy to adapt it into a script. All the dialogue is already written. The descriptions could be converted into stage directions in the script. Most importantly, everything the audience learns is conveyed through what the characters say and do. This makes Of Mice and Men different from most novels, in which there is either an anonymous narrator telling the story or a minor-character narrator such as Nick Carraway in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Of Mice and Men contains virtually no narration or exposition, only description and dialogue. It is impossible to understand this work stylistically without knowing that it is "a playable novel," intended to be swiftly turned into a stage play. This explains why there are really only two important sets, both indoors. One is the bunkhouse, where most of the action takes place. The other is the barn where Curley's wife is murdered. Crooks' room is really just a part of the barn. The scene by the river could be represented on stage by little more than a fake campfire lighted by a couple of red lightbulbs.

Steinbeck needed two principal characters rather than just one. He relied heavily on dialogue and was a good dialogue writer, one of the best in America. George and Lennie can talk to each other and convey all necessary information to the reader, just as in a stage play. If Steinbeck had used an anonymous narrator or a minor-character narrator, he might have had only one main character. George has to keep explaining why he and Lennie travel around together. The main reason is that Steinbeck needed two main characters so that they could do a lot of talking to each other. The fact that Lennie is mentally handicapped means that George is always explaining things to him--and at the same time George is conveying information to the reader or the audience.

Although the story takes place on a big California ranch where men and horses toil in the fields, this is never shown. Some things are suggested by sound effects, such as horses stomping and horseshoes hitting "ringers" on the iron stake outside the barn. There is also the sound of a shot to signify that Carlson has just killed Candy's old dog outside. The sound effects described in the novel are intended to be used offstage in the play. You might refer to this as a stylistic device.

The most important things to emphasize about stylistic devices in Of Mice and Men would be dialogue and description. Much of the dialogue is in dialect, which is something you might comment on. These men are all uneducated and show their ignorance of grammar and proper verb tenses. You can see how Steinbeck characterizes Crooks, for example, mainly by describing his room and contents, along with his uniique dialogue. The description of the bunkhouse in the second chapter is excellent, and it is intended to be the stage set in the play. Readers appreciate the details such as the apple boxes over each bunk containing the men's meager possessions.

Both the book and the play were successful when they came out in 1937 and made Steinbeck famous. The story was twice made into important Hollywood motion pictures because it is so "playable."

Of Mice and Men is a novel in the genre of Realism, dealing with actual events and the sort of people who lived and worked through the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl of 1930s America. Steinbeck dismisses metaphor and allegory, instead telling the straightforward story of two men seeking a dream, and the harsh reality that keeps them from achieving it.

...two men emerged from the path and came into the opening by the green pool.

They had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other. Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons. Both wore black, shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders.
(Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men, Google Books)

Using short, simple description instead of ceaselessly comparing every attribute of the men to something else allows them a defined realistic quality, instead of the generic everyman that is common in fiction. The characters speak in era-appropriate vernacular, and talk about their own situation, not about world events or politics. Steinbeck was drawing on his own experiences as a migrant worker, and so knew that reality was far more interesting than anything fake he could make up. The feel and tone of the novel place it firmly in its era, and the novel's historical accuracy allow it to read as an overall representation of the exhausted people who traveled the country, looking for work.

John Steinbeck was both a storyteller and a social critic. In his novella Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck employs what has been termed a "visionary style" with realism providing the surface form for Steinbeck's broader interest in the unconscious, recurring myths, and symbolic characters in a carefully structured narrative.

Steinbeck's realism is often veneering for his keen interest in the philosophy of fraternity, symbolic characters, and the psychology of the unconscious and that of the mob. Often his narratives demonstrate how the pastoral setting in which there appears to be a certain contentment deteriorates because of the actions of men. The opening scene of Section 1, the clearing into which George and Lennie enter is a scene of harmony for the various animals that come to drink from the pool. But, while George and Lennie are there, they quarrel, breaking the peace and foreshadowing future social dynamics in the narrative. Later, in the quiet of nature--"A dove's wings whistled over the water"--George recites their dream of owning a farm and Lennie laughs "delightedly." Shortly after this recitation and their meal, George goes over with Lennie how he will conduct himself before the new boss and keep quiet, suggesting future tension.

Later in the narrative, George and Lennie interact with other men at the ranch where they work. As one of Steinbeck's symbolic characters, the muleskinner named Slim is "calm" and possessive of "God-like eyes," and his skill and intelligence are apparent. One day he talks with George about Lennie. George tells Slim how he and Lenny began "going around together," and he admits to how he took advantage of Lennie until the trusting man almost drowned when he jumped into deep water simply because George told him to do so. Ashamed of his cruelty, George stopped exploiting Lennie. However, in contrast to George's sympathy for Lennie, Carlson wants to kill the swamper's old dog, and he is later part of the mob who go after Lennie when Curley's wife is found dead.

Throughout Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men there are peaceful and hopeful incidents and interactions when the fraternity of men exists, but just as in the poem after which the novella is entitled, the cruelty of human nature intervenes, and

The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley, [often go awry]
An' lea'e us nought [leave us nothing] but grief an' pain,
For promised joy.

When Curley's wife's lifeless body is discovered, all social dynamics deteriorate with the mob psychology that takes hold of the men. Then, as in other works of Steinbeck's, the pastoral world disappears. The once peaceful clearing to which Lennie has fled in obedience to George's instructions now becomes a place of "grief and pain."

In one sense, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is a very simple novel. The reading level has been assessed at 8.1, meaning an eighth-grader in the first month of school should be able to understand the writing, though the thematic elements are certainly more challenging than the reading itself. In another way, his style is complex and perfectly suited to his subject matter.

Steinbeck uses simple language, which perfectly fits the characters, theme, and setting of this novel. The two main characters are simple (in fact, one is simple-minded) ranch hands who want very little out of life. They work hard and hope it will one day pay off for them in the form of a farm. Steinbeck's description is not ornate in any way; in fact, he is almost terse in his brevity.

Crooks had reduced himself to nothing. There was no personality, no ego--nothing to arouse either like or dislike.

In these few words, Steinbeck manages to convey Crooks and his approach to life: he has allowed himself to be reduced to nothing. 

Steinbeck also writes colloquially, meaning he writes just as his characters (in this novel, these ranch hands) would talk. They are men who are not used to being around women, so their conversation is a little "salty." Steinbeck uses the same slang, rhythms, repetitions, and contractions these men would have used when talking, as in the following passage:

“A guy needs somebody―to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick.” 

Conversely, the dialogue of a more refined character would be different, a reflection of that character's speech patterns.

Finally, Steinbeck uses figurative language sparingly but effectively. Note the following two passages; while they are simple and straightforward, they are only as detailed as they need to be to evoke a response in his readers.

A water snake glided smoothly up the pool, twisting its periscope head from side to side; and it swam the length of the pool and came to the legs of a motionless heron that stood in the shadows. A silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically.

At about 10 o'clock in the morning the sun threw a bright dust-laden bar through one of the side windows and in and out of the beam flies shot like rushing stars. 

We see and hear what we need to see and hear, but nothing more than that. The figurative language does not intrude or deflect; it only enhances.

Steinbeck's style is distinctive and known for its simplicity, its colloquialisms, and its effective imagery.

Can you give an example of irony in Of Mice and Men?

John Steinbeck is a very clever writer. Hence, he uses irony in his book in various ways. Some of them are clear and in your face; others are subtle. 

One of the clear uses of irony emerges right way.  Steinbeck gives the biggest man in the book the name of Lennie Small. There is nothing small about Lennie. He is a hulk of man, and he shows it in the fields as he works and when he crushes Curley's hand in a fight. 

Another clear use of irony can be seen in Curley's wife. She comes onto all the men and she is attractive, but all the men turn her away and shut her down. 

A more serious use of irony is the death of Lennie. When Lennie accidentally kills Curley's wife, George knows that the only fate left for Lennie is a slow death by an angry mob of men.  Therefore, as his best friend, he has to find Lennie before the others do. When he finds him, he tells him the story of how they will live off the fat of the land and then he shoots him in the head. George's love and loyalty to Lennie made him take his life. This type of irony can only make the reader shed a tear at the hardships of migrant workers. 

Also I should say that not all ironies are created equally. Some are funny, others are clever, and still others are tragic. 

There are lots of examples of irony in Steinbeck's novel, but the most glaring one is the fact that George must kill Lennie because he loves him.

It is a heart-wrenching scene. Lennie thinks, in his naive, child-like way, that he and George are finally going to get the land with the rabbits for him to tend. Instead, George must kill him. He does so because there is no choice. It is either kill Lennie humanely and quickly or watch as the brutal posse tortures him first:

The voices came close now. George raised the gun and listend to the voices.

Lennie begged, "Le's do it now. Le's get that place now."

"Sure Right now. I gotta. We gotta."

And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie's head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger."

Other examples:

Lennie's last name is small.
Lennie is a big, strong, powerful worker who doesn't use his physicality to harm people (on purpose).
The same gun that put Candy's dog out of its suffering and misery does the same for Lennie.
Everyone on the ranch feels really badly for Candy when his dog is shot, but no one except Slim feels that way for George after losing his best friend.
George spends the novel complaining about having to take care of Lennie but doesn't feel the real pain until Lennie is dead.
There are other smaller examples, too.

What are some examples of figurative language in Of Mice and Men that describe a character or setting?

In Of Mice and Men, the great American writer, John Steinbeck, embellishes his narrative with figurative language:

• Visual (colors) and auditory imagery, along with personification, is used in the opening paragraph, a description of the Salinas area:

1-2...the Slina River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green.  The water is warm...it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight...the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains [personification]...willows fresh and green...sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs...

• Animal imagery is employed in his description of Lennie Small, images that underscore the brute strength of the man and lower intelligence as Lennie is likened to a bear.  He is portrayed as "dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws."

3. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely....Lennie dabled his big paw in the water and wiggled his fingers so the wter arose in little splashes...

• A metaphoric description of Slim, the mule-skinner is given in section 3:

4.George looked over at Slim and saw the calm, God-like eyes fastened on him.

 As Slim looks at Candy's old dog, there is a metaphoric affinity to an animal:

 5.He seemed to shake himself free for speech

• Another metaphor is found in the beginning of Section 3:

6. Slim reached up over the card table and turned on the tin-shaded electric light.  Instantly the table was brillaint with light; and the cone of the shade  threw its brightness straight downward...

• In Section 4, Crooks uses a simile when he taunts Lennie, \

7. They'll tie ya up with a collar, like a dog.

• In a description of Crooks, figurative language is used:  

8.Crooks face lighted with pleasure in his torture.

• In Section 4, the description of Curley's wife a simile is used,

 9.She breathed strongly, as though she had been running.

• As the men grow angry with her, she looks from face to face

10.and they were all closed against her [metaphor]

What quotes in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men reveal strong imagery?

Steinbeck uses language which appeals to the reader's senses of sight and sound throughout the novella Of Mice and Men. Specifically he uses strong imagery in his description of setting, particularly at the beginning of each chapter. He also uses imagery in the various descriptions of the characters.

In the beginning of chapter one he creates a calm setting as he describes the tranquil area between the Gabilan Mountains and Salinas River where George and Lennie first camp. Steinbeck writes,

Rabbits come out of the brush to sit on the sand in the evening, and the damp flats are covered with the night tracks of ‘coons, and with the spreadpads of dogs from the ranches, and with the split-wedge tracks of deer that come to drink in the dark. 

What is an example of figurative language in Of Mice and Men?

Steinbeck's description of Slim, the skinner in "Of Mice and Men is quite figurative:

A tall man stood in the doorway....Like the others he wore blue jeans and a short denim jacket.  When he had finished combing his hair, he moved into the room, and he moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsmen.  He was a jerkline skinner, the prince of the ranch [metaphor], capable of driving ten, sixteen, even twenty mules with a single line to the leaders....There was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he spoke.  His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics or love.  This was Slim, the jerkline skinner.  His hatchet face [metaphor]was ageless.  His hear heard more than was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought.  His hands, large and lean, were as delicate in their action as those of a temple dancer [simile].

In another passage, Steinbeck writes of Slim's "calm,God-like eyes"; he is perceptive and understanding. A doer rather than a dreamer, Slim is the only one who comforts George after the death of Lennie.  He is the one heroic character in "Of Mice and Men" who acts with wisdom and stands "with dignity." 

Of course, the title of the novella, "Of Mice and Men" is a phrase pulled from a Robert Burns poem who rued that the "best laid schemes of mice and men oft go awry" ; these lines prove prophetic in this work.  In addition, the setting of the Salinas Valley is metaphoric since Salinas in Spanish means solitary. And the loneliness of the men is significantly pivotal to the plot.

There is plenty of literal language in Of Mice and Men. The book largely deals with Realist and Naturalist themes; the descriptions of characters and landscapes are often straightforward. Also, George tries to speak directly and clearly to Lennie so that Lennie can understand him. Figurative language might be too confusing. Lennie also speaks literally; figurative language is a little over his head. 

However, there are examples of figurative language. In Chapter 2, George asks the swamper why Curley is so abrasive. The swamper says that Curley is "handy" meaning that he is always trying to start a fight, ready to use his hands. Curley keeps one hand "soft" for his wife. He defines himself by his hands because they are his means of pleasing his wife and his means of working. This repetition of hands and being "handy" establishes hands (ranch hands) as a theme. When Lennie crushes Curley's hand, he limits his "handiness." 

In Chapter 4, Crooks says, "I seen too many guys with land in their head. They never get none under their hand." Crooks has seen plenty of guys who dream of owning their own land. But none have ever actually gotten it. 

What are some analogies in Of Mice and Men?

I'm assuming that by "analogies" you mean ways in which Steinbeck's characters resemble the mouse in Robert Burns' poem in having her best-laid plans turn out to be futile. The main analogy would be in the plan of George and Lennie to have their own farm. Then Candy is drawn into their plan and has his hopes destroyed too. Curley's wife wanted to go to Hollywood and get into the pictures, but she ended up a prisoner on an isolated farm, married to a man she hated. Crooks is very much like the wee mousie in Burns' famous poem. So far, his little nest has not been destroyed, but it is insecure because his physical condition and advancing age will eventually lead to his being discharged and evicted. In the meantime that little room off the stable seems very much analogous to the home the mouse has dug for herself and lined with dry grass and filled with food for the winter. I think that makes four "analogies." A fifth would be most of the other men working on the ranch. Slim seems fairly safe because he is highly valued as a skilled worker, but the other bindle stiffs, including George himself, are about as helpless and insignificant as so many little mice. The most they can hope for is a bunk in a big room and some grub. They have no security whatever--and security may be what Steinbeck had chiefly in mind when he wrote that story and The Grapes of Wrath. He believed that society should provide what is generally called a "safety net" for people, so that they wouldn't be devastated by old age or sickness or economic hard times.

What rhetorical devices or unusual sentences are used in Of Mice and Men?

Foreshadowing is a key rhetorical device in Of Mice and Men. These elements of foreshadowing would fall under the rhetorical category of "logos" which is using logical ideas to convince the reader of something. In the case of foreshadowing, the idea is that if X happens, something similar to, or deriving from, X is likely to occur. 

For example, when Candy finally agrees to allow Carlson to shoot his dog, he later regrets not doing so himself: "I ought to have shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to have let no stranger shoot my dog." This foreshadows the moment when George must choose whether to let Curley get to Lennie before he does. George chooses to do what Candy could not. 

Steinbeck uses similes to compare Lennie to animals. In Chapter 1, Lennie gets a drink from the pool, "snorting into the water like a horse." When George tells Lennie to give him the dead mouse, Lennie is reluctant: 

Slowly, like a terrier who doesn't want to bring a ball to its master, Lennie approached, drew back, approached again. George snapped his fingers sharply, and at the sound Lennie laid the mouse in his hand. 

Lennie is also compared to a child, again using simile (a comparison of two things using "like" or "as"): "Sure he's jes' like a kid. There ain't no more harm in him than a kid neither, except he's so strong." The reader can form a picture of Lennie's personality from his dialogue and interaction but these descriptions help develop his characteristics for the reader. 

The majority of the story is told from a relatively impersonal, third person narrator's perspective. The events are described as if they were seen by an objective observer who described the events with occasional insights into the character's minds. It is in the style of Realism. However, an unusual moment occurs when, in the last chapter, the narrator describes Lennie's hallucination, a departure from the Realist style. It is clear that Lennie is hallucinating because his hallucinations (Aunt Clara and the giant rabbit) speak in his voice. Lennie is essentially criticizing himself through these images. This is his usual routine and he knows George will do the same when they reunite. So, although Lennie does feel bad and is critical of himself, this routine is familiar and therefore it is comforting. In the past, George scolds him and they move on to another place. 

When George appears, the hallucination disappears. "George came quietly out of the brush and the rabbit scuttled back into Lennie's brain." 

How does Steinbeck use language to create mood in the intense passages of Of Mice and Men?

In John Steinbeck's novella, Of Mice and Men, the author uses language in several of the more emotionally intense passages, to enable one character to "beat down" a weaker character in a show of superiority.

When Crooks confronts Lennie out of Crooks' own sense of isolation and loneliness, his tone is threatening, and fear is a major component of the discussion between the two men. Crooks uses his words to exercise power and control over the weaker Lennie, at least until Lennie's erratic emotions frighten the older man. Crooks suggests that George might abandon Lennie, awakening in Lennie a sense of terror.

His voice grew soft and persuasive. 'S'pose George don't come back no more. S'pose he took a powder and just ain't coming back. What'll you do?...I said s'pose George went into town tonight and you never heard of him no more...'

Crooks suggestion of the fear of loneliness not only reflects Lennie's fear, but the fear of members of American society after the Great Crash of 1929. Lennie denies the possibility, but Crooks, knowing he can bully Lennie, continues until Lennie grows frightened and angry, denying the possibility:

'I don' know. Say, what you doin' anyways?' he cried. 'This ain't true...'

Crooks presses on threatening Lennie with life in an asylum until Lennie scares Crooks.

Crooks bored in on him. 'Want me ta tell ya what'll happen? They'll take ya to the booby hatch. They'll tie ya up with a collar like a dog.'

Crooks has gone too far, and backs off at Lennie's aggressive response:

Suddenly Lennie's eyes centered and grew quiet, and mad. He stood up and walked dangerously toward Crooks...Crooks saw the danger as it approached him.

Crooks backs off and tries now to explain his own loneliness without resorting to the intimidating tactics he has used till now. Lennie's fear is palpable.

Curley's wife, ironically, does the same thing to Crooks when the black man tries to stand up to her. She is almost as powerless as Crooks, but she reminds him that he is black and that she holds a greater power over him than she does anyone else: that of death. She manipulates Crooks with fear, but in this situation she does so to exercise authority in a world where she has no power at all. She, too, is isolated and lonely, but her mean streak is more deadly than Crooks'.

'Listen...,' she said. 'You know what I can do to you if you open your trap?'

Crooks stared hopelessly at her, and then he sat down on his bunk and drew into himself...[he] seemed to grow smaller, and he pressed himself against the wall.

'Well, you keep your place then...I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny.'

Crooks had reduced himself to nothing. There was no personality, no ego...'Yes ma'am,' and his voice was toneless.

Steinbeck uses the words of Curley's wife to strike terror into the heart of Crooks, knowing that she can easily destroy him—he will not only be quiet and accommodating, but she can feel the power she wields only with him because with her husband and the rest of the men, she is nothing.

Steinbeck uses the language of these two characters to instill fear within other, weaker characters. Whereas Crooks demonstrates power over Lennie, he becomes the target when Curley's wife does the same thing to him.

I would point to Steinbeck's description.  He describes the confrontations with a sense of quick intensity.  For example, when Curley's wife is particularly intense with Crooks, notice the narrative style:

For a moment, she stood over him as thought waiting for him to move so that she could whip at him again; but Crooks sat perfectly still, his eyes averted, everything that might be hurt drawn in.

The descriptions here is akin to a viper or a snake ready to strike at its prey.  In this setting, one can see how the conditions that surround individuals influence their manner of speak.  For example, Crooks tries to challenge Curley's wife.  Yet, the battle is disproportionate as Crooks possesses no power over Curley's wife.  She holds all of the cards, almost to the point where she can legitimate threaten lynching him in order to silence him.  In other instances, this quick cadence to both dialogue and narration, where characters speak to one another with a "whip" towards the other is how Steinbeck is able to create narration that reflects tension in the environment that settles in the characters.  In the earlier part of the chapter, Crooks is able to develop this with Lennie when he makes him believe George has left him.  The rise in tension is reflected in the manner of speaking, where characters are able to suggest alternate visions of reality with speed and momentum to cause fear ("S'pose he did," is how Crooks starts his avalanche of anxiety in Lennie.)  This is both a narrative tool of Steinbeck's style, but also reflects the tension in the environment where there is so little control that the individuals feel in their lives that the only autonomy present lies in tormenting others, making everyone feel bad, to different degrees.

What literary devices are used in Of Mice and Men?

Of Mice and Men, a novella, is a compact work that John Steinbeck wrote with the idea of using it as the basis of a movie script. It is laid out in a series of six scenes that cover a mere four days. Steinbeck uses literary devices such as contrast, imagery, dialogue, dialect, and simile to quickly establish theme, presenting a framework of good and evil.

The novella is framed at beginning and end by the Edenic natural setting of the pond near the ranch. Both it and George and Lennie's dream farm become a foil or contrast to the foreboding and oppressive ranch, a place of exploitative relationships based on capitalism.

Imagery renders the Salinas river area and the dream farm compelling. Steinbeck uses fresh, natural colors and the word "twinkling" to describe the natural setting were George and Lennie spend their first evening:

The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool. On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up . . . but on the valley side the water is lined with trees— willows fresh and green with every spring

Furthermore, the natural setting above is a place of stability. In contrast, the bunkhouse is described in terms infection and instability. George finds a disinfectant by his bunk and notes that it:

“‘positively kills lice, roaches and other scourges.’ What the hell kind of bed you giving us, anyways ..."

This leads to a conversation with Candy that involves assurances of the cleanliness of the last bunk occupant, emphasizing the turnover on the ranch.

The quote about the lice also illustrates Steinbeck's use of the literary devices of dialogue and dialect, which convey the working class and regional origins of most of the ranch occupants. The dialect helps bring the setting alive.

Furthermore, Steinbeck uses description to characterize various people on the ranch. For example, the honorable Slim's hands:

large and lean, were as delicate in their action as those of a temple dancer.

More specifically, the quote above uses the literary device of simile, comparison using the words like or as. Slim is contrasted to the bullying Curley, who swaggers around in high heeled boots and looks for a reason to fight.

What are examples of irony and symbolism in Of Mice and Men?

A good example of symbolism in Of Mice and Men comes with Curley's damaged hand. He was foolish enough to start picking on Lennie and ended up getting his hand crushed for his troubles. Although Curley likes to think of himself as a macho guy, his crushed hand comes to symbolize his impotence, which explains why his sexually alluring wife is always so lonely.

There's a delicious irony in Lennie's surname, Smalls: there's nothing remotely small about Lennie. He's a great big hulking giant, a gentle giant, but a giant all the same. Lennie is developmentally disabled and doesn't really know his own strength, which often leads him into serious trouble. And in the case of Curley's wife, it also leads to tragedy, both for Curley's wife and Lennie himself.

The connection between the men and the beasts of burden on the ranch are obvious. Both Candy and his dog were shepherds. Curly's wife and Slim's dog are both referred to as "Lulus" and bitches. Lenny is constantly described in animal imagery. He is strong like a bull, or has massive paws, etc. Slim has to drown 4 of the pups right off because there is not enough food for 9. In the same scene the men scurry to dinner before they run out of food. They respond to a ringing bell for dinner the way Pavlov trained his dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell. 

Slim drowns 4 of the pups and Lenny kills a 5th. A total of 5 lives are ruined at the ranch during the plot as well. Carlson, Whitt, Slim and the Boss all remain unscathed from the plot, while the rest endure hardship, pain or death.  

What literary techniques are used in Of Mice and Men?

Steinbeck turns the conventional buddy system on its ear by having one of the two good friends, Lennie, be mentally impaired.  Despite his disability, George, the more "with it" of the two friends, protects Lennie despite the costs to his livelihood and his status among his peers. 

The story is a fable of good vs. evil, of friendship vs. expolitation.  One of the primary characters, Curley's wife (never given a name) struggles with issues of dependancy and identity, a factor that is prevalent in all of the social situations of the novel, whether the relationship is between George and Lennie, Candy vs. Slim, or the "real" world vs. the idealized world to which George and Lennie aspire.

Steinbeck also examines the social system that puts characters who are uneducated and down-on-their luck against a system which seems to be designed to keep them down.  All in all, Of Mice and Men is an examination of the social constructs that existed in the early twentieth century and in some ways, still exists today. 

How does the setting in Of Mice and Men demonstrate irony?

This is a great question. The setting of Of Mice and Men is ironic, because Steinbeck describes the setting as beautiful and tranquil, but as the story progresses there is nothing beautiful or tranquil about life for the migrant workers in general and Lennie and George in particular. 

The opening lines of the book set the stage, the scenery cannot be more perfect. There are trees, a body of water, and beaten paths where children have played. The picture that emerges is a land flowing with milk and honey. Listen to Steinbeck's description:

There is a path through the willows and among the sycamores, a path beaten hard by boys coming down from the ranches to swim in the deep pool, and beaten hard by tramps who come wearily down from the highway in the evening to jungle-up near water. In front of the low horizontal limb of a giant sycamore there is an ash pile made by many fires; the limb is worn smooth by men who have sat on it.

Based on this description, you would expect a very different kind of novel, not the one that we read in Of Mice and Men. The contrast between a setting of plenitude and the dearth of resources for the migrant workers is ironic, to say the least. 

However, if we are astute and pay attention to details, there are clues that the setting might be misleading us. A comparison of the first and last chapters is illustrative. For example, in the first chapter, there is a water snake gliding effortlessly in the water. In the final chapter that snake is swallowed up by a bird. In other words, there is death, but it is only hinted at. For the most part, the setting is perfect, perhaps too perfect. Something bad must happen, and it does.