Tone Mood Figurative Language Works Hand In Hand

Tone, Mood & Figurative Language Works Hand in Hand The tone of a piece of literature is the speaker's or narrator's attitude towards the subject, rather than what the reader feels, as in mood. Mood is the general feeling or atmosphere that a piece of writing creates within the reader. The author John Steinbeck uses tone and mood to work along with other figurative language to develop his novel. In the novel
Of Mice and Men
,
the author John Steinbeck uses the tone and mood of the four main settings to illustrate an overall atmosphere of the novel. In the beginning of the novel, the novel John Steinbeck opens up with the image of a worn down trail and connects detail with upcoming events. The audience is introduced with “ A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool.”. The grass on the hillside to be green, which would show the grass is flourishing, alive, and symbolises hope. In addition the description of the twinking water add an idea of being magical, like our hopes and dreams are an mirage. Which foreshadow that it might not actually gonna happen. However right after, it is revealed that our main character, George and Lennie, is walking on the valley side of the hill. The valley is detailed as a well used path during this time: “There is a path through the willows and among the sycamores, a path beaten hard by boys coming down from the ranches to swim in the deep pool, and beaten hard by tramps who come wearily down from the highway in the evening to jungle­up near water. In front of the low horizontal limb of a giant sycamore there is an ash pile made by many fires; the limb is worn smooth by

men who have sat on it.”. Several details of the valley portrays a unsympathetic tone. The audience is able to see the significant difference between the two locations. The fact that the path is “beaten up” shows the life of a migrant worker and how many of them are constantly traveling from job to job during the great depression.The image of a branch arced over the pool sanctuary and can provide protection.This provides the audience with a false idea, situational irony, which is revealed at the end of the book Furthermore the visualization of the willow tree and pile symbolizes lost and creates a depressed atmosphere. The comparison of the two locations is an analogy, where the pleasant mood signifies the potential of the new job and where they are going While the other side foreshadows the later outcome of the situation and it fatal outcome. The next morning George and Lennie arrive at the ranch. When they arrive both of the main characters along with the audience meet Candy for the first time, and he shows them to the room: “
The bunkhouse was a long, rectangular building. Inside, the walls were whitewashed and the floor unpainted. In three walls there were small, square windows... The wooden latch raised.
The door opened and a tall, stoop­shouldered old man came in. He was dressed in blue jeans and he carried a big push­broom in his left hand. Behind him came George, and behind George,
Lennie.”. The first line has a lack in colour, description; it is also a mundane, and a repeated style.The first line implies routine is boring and typical. “The walls were whitewashed and the floors unpainted” this contrastes of the beginning of the book. This place is uninviting and cold, as if George and Lennie is not supposed to be there. The small windows creates an image of darkness and isolation, Steinbeck is trying to indicate how isolated the migrant workers were to the rest of the society. This illustration stands out from all of the other pieces of description. It is a major contrast of colors in the room. It is a classic metaphor: the darkside conquers the

brightside; evil conquers good. However, even this one piece of light is being tainted with dust and becoming overpowered. The buckhouse supports two of the major themes of the book, isolation and having a dream with only a small hope. Chapter four open up on one Saturday, while most of the workers were out in town,
Lennie showed up at Crooks’ door. The narrator describe crooks room a “ Crooks, the Negro stable buck, had his bunk in the harness room; a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn…
Crooks’ bunk was a long box filled with straw, on which his blankets were flung...and scattered about the floor were a number of personal possessions; for, being alone, Crooks could leave his things about, and being a stable buck and a cripple, he was more permanent than the other men,and he had accumulated more possessions than he could carry on his back.”, which can be a symbolic for of his life. Crooks’ bunk being in a harness room is strikingly different that the rooms in the bunk house.‘Leaned’ suggests insecurity, instability. Is this a metaphor of his state of mind. Leaning off the wall of the barn implies that the animals have better accommodation than him. Steinbeck is using this to show hierarchy and that a black such as Crooks has such a low status in society. Once more the description of his bed extend the idea that he is treated like an animal. The word ‘flung’ is vital here. It shows does not really care: maybe Steinbeck is saying that he is being bullied and treated that he does not possess the aptitude of life. By his possessions being scattered also goes along with his lack of care and self respect in some degrees. Crooks’ room is directly associated with some major themes as loneliness and a loss of dreams. Lennie sits in a deep pool by the river awaiting George.“The deep green pool of the
Salinas River was still in the late afternoon. Already the sun had left the valley… A water snake

glided smoothly up the pool, twisting its periscope head...a silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head...its tail waved frantically”. ‘Periscope’ is from the field of war and the military. Steinbeck is representing a very different world from the one he introduced in chapter one. This world is depicted as dangerous and insure. The readers now sense darkness as the sun sets and night approaches. The use of the word silent develops a sinister atmosphere and mood, as if something is about to suddenly happen.This suggests that history is repeating itself.
Steinbeck uses this as a metaphor for the ranch workers. They all come along the same paths with similar hopes, dream and inspiration. It represents the whole aspect of the novel: the best laid plans of mice and men often go wrong. In the novel
Of Mice and Men
, written by John Steinbeck evidently uses tone and mood to extent the communication beyond the words. The audience go in depth in connecting the tone and mood created by the settings to support the major themes throughout the novel. The first setting contradicts itself quite a bit, and leds to foreshadowing that something might go wrong.
The next location, the bunkhouse depicts an idea of loneliness with the migrant workers. The third and fourth symbolises the dreams and hopes of the future and how they will never come to be. Even with the negative themes John Steinbeck conveys an optimistic message, even though
George and Lennie did not manage to to live their dreams, their friendship stands an example of how people can live in a word of such negatively and still love and care about eachother.