What is the literary device is the following quote: "Lennie cried out suddenly-'I don't like this place, George. This ain't no good place. I wanna get outa here'" in Of Mice and Men?
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The devices present in this quote are dialect and foreshadowing.
The quote is an example of the literary device of dialect because it shows how George and Lennie talked. Dialect is the special kind of speech distinguishing a group, and authors use it to help establish setting. It shows that Lennie is uneducated and coarse. Words like “ain’t,” “wanna” and “outa” are slang versions of regular speech. We see this in George’s speech too.
"We gotta keep it till we get a stake. We can't help it, Lennie. We'll get out jus' as soon as we can. I don't like it no better than you do." (ch 2)
George also uses slang words like “gotta,” “till” and “jus’.” He is from the same social class and region as Lennie, so he talks like him. Lennie’s speech is not just a function of his intelligence, but of his station.
This quote is also an example of foreshadowing, where the reader gets a hint at trouble to come. When George warns Lennie to stay away from Curley’s wife, he gets scared and wants to leave. He suggests they are in a bad place. This foreshadows the trouble he will get into when he accidentally kills her while stroking her hair.
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