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Setting
Definition of Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like" or "as," but can also... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like... read full definition
A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. To make the comparison, similes most often... read full definition
Part 1
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Terrier :
The narrator uses a simile that compares Lennie to a dog. Earlier, George noticed that Lennie was hiding something in his pocket. After learning that Lennie was carrying a dead mouse so that he could “pet” it, George throws the mouse across the pond. Later, however, Lennie recovers the mouse while fetching wood, and George demands that he hand it back:
George’s hand remained outstretched imperiously. Slowly, like a terrier who doesn’t want to bring a ball to its master, Lennie approached, drew back, approached again. George snapped his fingers sharply, and at the sound Lennie laid the mouse in his hand. “I wasn’t doin’ nothing bad with it, George. Jus’ strokin’ it.”
Here, the narrator characterizes Lennie as being “like a terrier who doesn’t want to bring a ball to its master.” This simile suggests that Lennie is highly reluctant to return the mouse to George, but nevertheless feels compelled to obey him and to avoid getting in trouble. This small interaction reflects the nature of their relationship in general, as George often takes on the role of disciplining Lennie out of a sense of care and protectiveness. At various points in the novel, Lennie is compared to animals, suggesting that he tends to operate on instinct rather than careful planning and consideration.
Related Themes:
Part 2
Explanation and Analysis—Prince of the Ranch:
In his description of Slim, the “jerkline skinner” whose job is to lead a pack of mules, Steinbeck uses a combination of hyperbole, metaphor, and simile to portray Slim as an important individual on the ranch:
[He] moved with a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsmen. He was a jerkline skinner, the prince of the ranch [...] He was capable of killing a fly on the wheeler’s butt with a bull whip without touching the mule. There was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he spoke. His authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics or love [...] His hatchet face was ageless [...] His hands, large and lean, were as delicate in their action as those of a temple dancer.
Here, Steinbeck’s narration is hyperbolic in its praise of Slim, who is described as moving with “a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsmen." The narrator insists hyperbolically that Slim is so skilled with his whip that he is able to kill a fly on the wheel of a mule “without touching the mule,” and further, everyone on the ranch listens carefully to his words “on any subject, be it politics or love” because of his wisdom. Due to his important role, he is described metaphorically as the “prince of the ranch,” suggesting that he receives a good deal of respect from the others. So too does the narrator use a simile that compares his “delicate” movements to a “temple dancer.” Steinbeck’s rich language in this description marks Slim as an important character in the novella.
Explanation and Analysis—Strong as a Bull:
When George and Lennie arrive at the ranch in Salinas, California, they meet The Boss, who questions them about their identity, background, and experience. In the course of their conversation, George describes Lennie, in a simile, as being “strong as a bull,” a phrase which Lennie then repeats despite George’s demand that he not speak in front of The Boss:
“What’s your name?”
“George Milton.”
“And what’s yours?”
George said, “His name’s Lennie Small.”
The names were entered in the book. “Le’s see, this is the twentieth, noon the twentieth.” He closed the book. “Where you boys been working?”
“Up around Weed,” said George.
“You, too?” to Lennie.
“Yeah, him too,” said George.
The boss pointed a playful finger at Lennie. “He ain’t much of a talker, is he?”
“No, he ain’t, but he’s sure a hell of a good worker. Strong as a bull.”
Lennie smiled to himself. “Strong as a bull,” he repeated.
George has urged Lennie not to speak so that The Boss does not realize that he has an intellectual disability. Instead, George speaks for Lennie, answering the questions addressed to both of them. The Boss, however, notices Lennie’s silence and asks George about it. Conceding that Lennie isn’t much of a “talker,” he nevertheless insists that Lennie is “a hell of a good worker” and as “strong as a bull.” Pleased by the compliment, Lennie repeats it, to George’s annoyance. This simile, one of many in the novella that compares Lennie to an animal, suggests that he is highly strong and hard-working despite his lack of intelligence.
Related Themes:
Part 3
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Kid:
After Slim gifts one of his puppies to a delighted Lennie, Slim and George discuss his naive and simple nature. In their conversation, they both use similes that compare Lennie to a child:
Slim had not moved. His calm eyes followed Lennie out the door. “Jesus,” he said. “He’s jes’ like a kid, ain’t he.” “Sure he’s jes’ like a kid. There ain’t no more harm in him than a kid neither, except he’s so strong. I bet he won’t come in here to sleep tonight. He’d sleep right alongside that box in the barn. Well—let ’im. He ain’t doin’ no harm out there.”
The observant Slim notices how pleased Lennie is by the puppies and describes him as being “like a kid.” George, who has quickly come to respect Slim, agrees with this description, repeating that he is “like a kid.” George then expands upon this comparison, noting that “There ain't no more harm in him than a kid neither,” suggesting that Lennie is ultimately good-hearted despite his tendency to get into trouble. George notes, however, that Lennie is much more “strong” than any child, a fact that is responsible for many of their hardships. Lennie has the happy enthusiasm of a child, but due to his great strength and size he represents a physical threat to others.
Related Themes:
Part 6
Explanation and Analysis—As a Creeping Bear:
As Lennie approaches the pond where George earlier instructed him to hide in the event of trouble, Steinbeck describes the natural scene using both simile and metaphor:
As quickly as it had come, the wind died, and the clearing was quiet again. The heron stood in the shallows, motionless and waiting. Another little water snake swam up the pool, turning its periscope head from side to side. Suddenly Lennie appeared out of the brush, and he came as silently as a creeping bear moves. The heron pounded the air with its wings, jacked itself clear of the water and flew off down river. The little snake slid in among the reeds at the pool’s side.
Echoing language from earlier in the novella, the narrator metaphorically describes the head of the snake as a “periscope,” suggesting that it carefully monitors its surroundings while keeping most of its body submerged beneath the water. Lennie’s sudden appearance disturbs the natural scene, prompting the heron to take flight and the snake to hide by the side of the pool. Steinbeck’s language, however, suggests that Lennie is a part of this natural world. He describes him as moving as quietly “as a creeping bear,” implying that, in some sense, Lennie belongs to this natural world more than he does human society.
