Of Mice and Men - Form, structure and language - CCEA

Of Mice and Men is written in the form of a novella, which is fictional and shorter than a novel but longer than a short story. Steinbeck said that he decided to write the story in a similar way to a play, with a focus on using dialogue, and less description than is usual for prose fiction.

The play style is also evident in the structure as the book has three sections, like acts – each a pair of chapters, like scenes. Each chapter starts with an overview of the setting of that ‘scene’, similar to stage directions in a play.

The book has a third person narrator, but there is less narration than in traditional prose fiction and the action often moves on through the characters’ dialogue. Although the narrator is omniscient, they do not give a lot of insight into the characters’ thoughts and feelings, as some omniscient third person narrators do. Instead, this is suggested to the reader through the characters’ actions and what they say.This makes the style of writing quite direct and unemotional, which reflects the way that the characters live and relate to each other.

The structure of Of Mice and Men is cyclical – there is a sense of things happening in a certain order and being repeated. This is reflected in the way that the book starts and ends in the same place – the brush by the Salinas River. This gives the reader the impression that the ending is inevitable and nothing can be done to stop it. The sense of repetition created through this element of the structure also creates a sense of hopelessness for the reader, reflecting the lack of choices that itinerant workers like George would have had at the time. The men’s lives are also repetitive and it is only the American dream that gives them any hope of changing this cycle. However, Steinbeck shows at the end that even this dream is pointless.

Death is present throughout the novella, from the very beginning where Lennie is carrying a mouse that he has accidentally killed to the very end when he kills Curley’s wife. Lennie’s lack of awareness of his ability to cause harm is presented as being a problem straight away and this escalates: first he kills a mouse, then a puppy, then finally Curley’s wife. His inability to control himself when panicked is also revealed at different stages (George describes when Lennie grabbed a girl’s dress in Weed and then Lennie crushes Curley’s hand when attacked), adding to the sense that he will inevitably cause destruction.

The increasing violence in Of Mice and Menforeshadows the tragic events at the end. Life is not valued in the book; Lennie accidentally kills the creatures he pets and Candy’s dog is shot by Carlson when he is no longer useful. The title itself foreshadows the characters’ unhappiness at the end of the book, as it provides a warning that things will not work out for the characters as they hope.

How to analyse structure

• Foreshadowing is used throughout the novel to suggest the tragic ending. From the title, to the death of Candy’s dog and Lennie killing animals, there are frequent suggestions that George and Lennie’s plan to buy their own farm and be happy will go wrong.
• The novel’s structure is cyclical, suggesting that the characters’ fates are inevitable. This makes the story seem fatalistic.
• Lennie’s dangerous behaviour escalates throughout the novel. George cannot seem to control him and Lennie cannot control himself, warning the reader that this will cause more serious harm.

Language refers to the choices of style and vocabulary made by the author. When analysing the language that John Steinbeck uses you should think about:

• What? The author's choice of specific words and literary devices (language techniques).
• Where/how? The way in which the writer uses them.
• Why? The effect on the reader.

Steinbeck includes a lot of dialogue in the book, and this is all written in colloquial language. This reflects the way that people would really have spoken, which shows Steinbeck’s focus on trying to show the hardship of life for itinerant workers during the Great Depression.

There is a lot of animalimagery used throughout the novella. Lennie in particular is linked to animals through similes and metaphors. This demonstrates his inability to understand the behaviour of others and the consequences of his own actions. The way that animals are treated, such as Candy’s dog, also reveals a lot about how society treats people.

Steinbeck writes in a direct and straightforward way, particularly when referring to things that happen on the ranch. This reflects the way in which the men on the ranch speak: they are honest and forthright. However, in the parts of the book (mainly at the beginning and end) which are set in unspoiled nature, Steinbeck is more descriptive, perhaps suggesting that beauty exists in this world primarily where man has not interfered.