Throughout the novel, Steinbeck uses settings to show how hostile and harsh the environment is in the lives of itinerant workers. This is evident from the name of the town where George and Lennie arrive, Soledad, which is Spanish for lonely. Settings are also used as a vital part to continue the plot and give the reader a sense of the atmosphere in the section before continuing reading and are sometimes used as foreshadowing effects. The title of the book, “Of Mice and Men,” was originally “Something That Happened.” This demonstrates the futility which is a common theme throughout the book. The title was changed to "of mice and men", from a line of a poem, "the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray", almost showing a contrast with the American dream, which is a very important theme through the novel, in saying that no matter how well planned something is, the unfortunate and the unexpected can ruin it. One example is George and Lennie's dream of a ranch. There are 3 main settings in the novel, these are the different descriptions of the clearing in sections 1 and 4, the dormitory and...