Student Question
What is the symbolic meaning of the horses in the barn scenes with Crooks, Lennie, and Curley's wife?
Quick answer:
The horses in the barn scenes symbolize strength and confinement, mirroring the characters' situations. Both Crooks and Lennie are societal outcasts, with Crooks living among the animals and Lennie being likened to a wild animal unable to fit into societal constraints. The horses, like Lennie, are powerful but constrained creatures capable of causing harm unintentionally, emphasizing themes of isolation and the inability to conform.
Nature is symbolic in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. The horse stable is important because it is where Crooks is forced to live. Lennie and Crooks are alike in that they are both outcasts from society, though for different reasons. Crooks lives with the animals in the stable, and through him a stronger connection between the animals and Lennie is established. The horses are strong creatures that are confined in a small space. Like Lennie, they can inflict great harm without really intending to do so. It is in the stables that Lennie accidentally kills Curley's wife. He is much like a wild animal that is unable to conform or fit into society's constraints.
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