Analysis for Chapter 6- Quote #1

"A water snake glided smoothly up the pool, twisting its periscope head from side to side; and it swam the length of the pool and came to the legs of a motionless heron that stood in the shallows. A silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically."

This paragraph is a great example of Steinbeck's skill with symbolism. The description of the shaded pool, with the mountains in the distance greatly reflects the Garden of Eden.  The snake disrupting that utopia is also symbolic of "humanity's fall from grace." The heron and the snake emphasize the predatory nature of the world and to foreshadow Lennie's death.

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