Foreshadowing The Demise of Lennie Smalls Foreshadowing is defined as being a warning or indication of a future event. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck using foreshadowing extensively throughout the book. If the book is read closely many people should be able to predict the main conflict, before it is reached in the story. Early on in the book Lennie's past is talked about, in which he has caused many problems for George. It is also learn that once someone becomes a roaming worker, that is what they will most likely do until they die. Although, George and Lennie may think that they are different from everyone else, they may end up with the same fate. Curley's wife causes problems from the start, and may be the demise of all of the male workers. If read closely enough, how Lennie dies can even be easily predicted. Foreshadowing makes the book more enjoyable, because of the guessing aspect, while still leaving room for surprises.

Lennie has always got himself into trouble, but he has always had George to help get him out. George even says “You do bad things and I got to get you out.” (11). So very early on it is clear that Lennie will cause some sort of problem. On pages 40 and 41, George speaks to Slim about how dumb Lennie is, but also of how kindhearted he is. He is a very nice man, but his pure stupidity always gets him into trouble. His obvious mental disability, does not give a sense of right or wrong, so he needs to be guided closely by someone who will not get him into trouble. In the story this person is obviously George, but George is not always there to watch him, and gives Lennie a lot of freedom. Lennie says “ I'd pet 'em, and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their headss a little and then they was dead- because they was so little.”(10). Lennie also does not know his own strength. This is made apparent when he kills the mice by accident. The combination of his freedom and his unknown strength will lead to his eventual demise.

In the time of the Great Depression, there were many migrant farm workers. They all seemed to have the same dream of owning a farm of there own, tending their crops, and living of of the land. George and Lennie were no different and they shared this dream, and they truly believed that they could make it happen. Crooks was an old black man, and had seen many men come and go from the ranch. He says “I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an' on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an' that same damn thing in their heads. Hundred of them. They come an' they quit an' go on; an' every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head. An' never a god damn one of 'em ever gets it.”(74). This particular quote shows that many men have the same dream, but something else always gets in their way. George and Lennie think they are different because they have got one another, but in the end they are the same. They are so very close when Candy agrees to go in on it with them, and they would have been able to do it at the end of the month. Lennie's mistakes get in their way, and they never will get their little plot of land, making them just like everyone else.

Curley's wife cause problems from the first time George and Lennie meet her. George is smart enough to realize that she is going to be trouble and tells Lennie to stay away from her. He specifically says “Listen to me, you crazy bastard. Don't you even take a look at that bitch. I don't care what she says and what she does. I seen 'em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her. You leave her be.”(32). On page 41, he tells Slim about what happened in weed, “Well, he seen this girl in a red dress. Dumb bastard like he is, he wants to touch everything he likes. So he reaches out to feel this red dress an' the girl lets out a squawk, and that gets Lennie all mixed up, and he holds on 'cause that's the only