The Interplay of Botany and Identity in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice And Men

Bouacida, Soumaya; Khodja, Asma Marwa; Dergaoui, Roumeissa

ALTRALANG Journal
Volume 6, Numéro 2, Pages 398-407
2024-12-31

The Interplay Of Botany And Identity In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice And Men

Authors : Bouacida Soumaya . Khodja Asma Marwa . Dergaoui Roumeissa .

Abstract

This paper aims to draw parallels between the botanical features of trees and plants mentioned in John Steinbec’'s Of Mice and Men , most notably the willow, the sycamore, the alfalfa and weeds, and the identity of some characters like Lennie, George, Slim and Curley’s wife. First, the willow symbolizes the grief and horrendous working conditions of those ranch hands since its leaves are bitter. In addition to this, the willow connotes the demolition of Willows city of California by the dust storms during the Great Depression. Second, alfalfa represents those hands’ hope for a thriving life since it is a flowering plant with purple leaves. Third, the California sycamore is hard to split, which indicates the ranchers’ unity. Besides, the Sycamore’s timber is as tough as the miserable atmosphere inside the ranch. Finally, Weed signifies an undesirable plant which refers to the undesirability of George and Lennie in this place. Also, it is the token of various disruptions encountered by those hands. Likewise, this plant is as noxious and troublesome as Curley’s wife who constantly causes troubles, particularly to George and Lennie.