Explore the theme of light in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.

Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men was set during the great depression in America during the 1920s- a time of great austerity, yet a time for the young men of America to dream. George and Lennie are two characters within the novel that seek the 'American dream' of owning their own land and having their own place in society.

This idea of the 'American dream' is presented using the motif of light throughout the novel, but perhaps most poignantly in moments when light becomes absent. During an exchange between George and another worker in which they are discussing his plans to move into a house with lots of land, Curley's wife appears in the doorway and blocks the light. A seemingly insignificant description becomes meaningful when we discuss the connotations of light throughout Of Mice and Men- hope and dreams. This moment foreshadows later when Lennie accidentally kills Curley's wife and henceforth is shot by George- it is foreshadowing that Curley's wife is effectively the one that ruins the dream for them.