Discuss the Use of Imagery of Light and Dark in 'Of Mice and Men'
Discuss the use of imagery of light and dark in the novel.
In Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, the imagery of light and dark is used to deepen the themes of the normal. Sometimes darkness or "light lifting" can mean more than one thing. In this essay I would explore this subject. "Although there was evening brightness showing through the windows of the bunkhouse, inside it was dust". This shows that the light tries to get in but never manages to penetrate the darkness. This is important to the themes of the story because workers' hope for a future farm is just like the light while the cruel reality is like the darkness. Their efforts to realize this plan is just like the light trying to penetrate the darkness, but their dream shatters at last, just like the dust inside. "lay deep in his head, and because of their depth seemed to glitter with intensity". This is a portrayal of Crooks' eyes. The combination of darkness and light here implies the loneliness and inner heat of Crooks. Crooks is a black and is separated by the whites so he is very lonely. The depth of his eyes suggests that he is sad, tired and lonely, but the eyes "glitter with intensity", which suggests that in his deep heart, he is longing for accompaniment and he has depressed passion inside. "In the stable bunk's room a small electric globe threw a meagre yellow light". The light in Crooks' room is "meagre", this suggests that Crooks' social position is like the meagre light----unimportant and easy to be neglected. When Curley's wife first appears in the bunkhouse, both Lennie and George notice that the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway is cut off. This suggests that to those workers, Curley's wife is like darkness. She is a "tart", a "tramp", she is dangerous and brings only trouble to them because when she appears, their "sunshine" is cut off. Here the sunshine may represent bright things such as a better future or hope. Curley's wife cut off their sunshine which means
In Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, the imagery of light and dark is used to deepen the themes of the normal. Sometimes darkness or "light lifting" can mean more than one thing. In this essay I would explore this subject. "Although there was evening brightness showing through the windows of the bunkhouse, inside it was dust". This shows that the light tries to get in but never manages to penetrate the darkness. This is important to the themes of the story because workers' hope for a future farm is just like the light while the cruel reality is like the darkness. Their efforts to realize this plan is just like the light trying to penetrate the darkness, but their dream shatters at last, just like the dust inside. "lay deep in his head, and because of their depth seemed to glitter with intensity". This is a portrayal of Crooks' eyes. The combination of darkness and light here implies the loneliness and inner heat of Crooks. Crooks is a black and is separated by the whites so he is very lonely. The depth of his eyes suggests that he is sad, tired and lonely, but the eyes "glitter with intensity", which suggests that in his deep heart, he is longing for accompaniment and he has depressed passion inside. "In the stable bunk's room a small electric globe threw a meagre yellow light". The light in Crooks' room is "meagre", this suggests that Crooks' social position is like the meagre light----unimportant and easy to be neglected. When Curley's wife first appears in the bunkhouse, both Lennie and George notice that the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway is cut off. This suggests that to those workers, Curley's wife is like darkness. She is a "tart", a "tramp", she is dangerous and brings only trouble to them because when she appears, their "sunshine" is cut off. Here the sunshine may represent bright things such as a better future or hope. Curley's wife cut off their sunshine which means