<p>Thesis: In Of Mice and Men Steinbeck repeatedly foreshadows his horrific climactic events with early subtle hints.</p><p>Claims: </p><p>One way Steinbeck by referencing Lennie’s violent habits which foreshadow his killing of Curly’s wife.</p><p>Another way Steinbeck foreshadows his climax is by showing the violence of the natural world. </p><p>Moreover, Steinbeck shows the cruelty of various men to foreshadow the eventual lynch mob that climactically pursues Lennie.</p><p>Evidence for Claim 1: p. 5 “Just a dead mouse, George. I didn’t kill it. Honest.” p. 43 “…take this pup back to the nest… He’s gotta sleep with his mother. You want to kill him?” p. 64 “Curley sat down on the floor looking in wonder at his crushed hand.”</p><p>One way Steinbeck uses foreshadowing is by referencing Lennie’s violent habits which lead to his killing of Curly’s wife. In the first chapter as Lennie and George sit by the creek, George notices something in Lennie’s pocket. After some denials, Lennie admits on page 5 it’s, “Just a dead mouse, George. I didn’t kill it. Honest.” However although it’s unclear if we should believe Lennie, his association and desire to hold the dead mouse violates our normal behavior of staying away from dead animals. Later, when Lennie shows up in the bunkhouse after being in the barn, George can tell he’s hiding something. This turns out to be the puppy who George has specifically told Lennie to leave in the mother’s care. George sternly warns Lenny on page 43, “…take this pup back to the nest… He’s gotta sleep with his mother. You want to kill him?” Lennie confesses he forgot the danger he was putting the puppy in and returns it to the barn. Still the fact that Lennie cannot discern that he could be hurting his pet hints of more poor judgments to come. Moreover that same evening, Curly come to the bunkhouse looking for a fight. After Curly punches Lennie in the face without Lennie fighting back, George urges Lennie to fight back which he does by crushing every bone inside Curly’s hand. After Lennie releases Curly, Steinbeck states on p. 64, “Curley sat down on the floor looking in wonder at his crushed hand.” Here again, Lennie shows his superhuman strength and lack of good judgment in a crisis. In this way, Steinbeck builds tension and when Lennie finally kills Curly’s wife, it’s not out of nowhere.</p>