Animals+in+Steinbeck's+books

By: Chelsea Giacherio

Over the cover, and through the first pages, to meet the fate of a small, but important mouse that sets the stage for the nail biting novel, //Of Mice and Men.// With one sting of the tail, a petite, poisonous scorpion got the wheels turning as a story was about to unfold. If you think about it for a minute, subtract the scorpion from //The Pearl//, and how would the story happen without it. Steinbeck made animals the untold story in his novels by providing segues into a story only one simple, yet crucial character is needed. Why not make it an animal to set off the chain of events? By connecting to the audience, serving a strong purpose, and maybe even representing an understated symbol in the novels, animals can be a major factor into whether or not the book is good.

Pulling the audience in, not wanting them to put down your book, and making sure that is what they dream about, these things play into the role of how to make your book interesting. What better way to do that than using animals to lightly tug at the heart strings of readers? Readers can relate because they might have a pet similar to one in a John Steinbeck novel, or they might just be a die hard animal lover. Steinbeck “knew how to touch the sensitive area with creatures” (Valjean 53). He connects and digs deep to make sure that the reader understands the emotions of what is occuring. In //Of Mice and Men//, Lennie’s puppy can connect to most of the readers because most people have dogs as pets. In addition to that, they can imagine how cute puppies are, so the audience can just put themselves in Lennie’s place as he adores the small dog. At 23, John Steinbeck "even went out rabbit hunting with his old friend Glenn Graves" (Valjean 60). So personally Steinbeck can relate to characters like Lennie, who want to go rabbit hunting. Using animals was one way that, as an author, Steinbeck can put himself into his novels. Giving the reader something they can relate can hook the reader into the book more.

Nothing more than a mere figure, standing in place of something, it could be an object, a person, and even an animal. Uncovering the secret meanings behind the symbols within the book, can be a challenge. Once you find out what the symbol means, it just helps you connect to the novel even more. The scorpion in //The Pearl// symbolizes an evil that causes destruction of innocence, and only evil from the Gods could do that. Or you could even count Candy’s dog in //Of Mice and Men//. The poor creature that has outlived its purpose is just an emblem for anyone awaiting their fate with a similar condition. Throughout many novels Steinbeck uses animals as a different way of expressing insight into the true story happening. So the next time you are reading a book try to find how animals play such a big part it and what it means. Serving a strong purpose can mean being the cause of the story or is an important figure that foreshadows into the novel. Getting a dark cloud of greed cast over him, finding a pearl that could change his life, watching helplessly as his baby son receives a sting from a scorpion, back tracking it was the one small and dangerous creature that lead to the beginning of //The Pearl.// So the scorpion's main purpose was to lead the reader into the tragedy of the story. With that in mind Steinbeck decided to switch gears and put the role of an animal to a different use. A mouse. So simple and innocent, nothing you would expect to see make such a huge impact in //Of Mice and Men//. As the sun sets on the destiny of this small mouse, it gives the audience a sneak peek at what is lying ahead for Lennie himself. By remaining completely unaware of the vicious predators around him, the mouse and Lennie, suffer a similar fate. With the look of innocence and obliviousness to danger, the mouse plays a crucial role in the novel, which without it the story would not have the same effect as it does to the readers now. So using animals can be a powerful message being sent through a novel, and potentially changing peoples lives. That power in which John Steinbeck was in full control in as he wrote his unique point-of-view into many well known and respected works today.

Work Cited Valjean, Nelson. //John Steinbeck, the Errant Knight: an Intimate Biography of His California Years//. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1975. Print.

"Of Mice and Men Symbolism, Imagery & Allegory." //Shmoop: Study Guides & Teacher Resources//. Web. 04 June 2010. 

Steinbeck, John. //Of Mice and Men//. New York: Penguin, 1993. Print.

Steinbeck, John. //The Pearl//. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.