What do sound devices contribute to Steinbeck's work Of Mice and Men?

Sound is an effective device to communicate atmosphere in
the novel. Our first introduction to the characters of George and Lennie is through
sound-

 
'...from the direction of the state highway came the sound of footsteps on crisp
sycamore leaves.'

Steinbeck
uses sound to convey the simple life of the ranch hands and the slow calmness of their
surroundings-

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'Through the open door came the thuds and
occasional clangs of a horse-shoe game, and now and then the sound of voices raised in
approval or derision.' 

Both
of these settings utilise the sounds to change the atmosphere as the story progresses.
We hear the game of horseshoes outside the barn when Lennie realises that he has killed
Curley's wife, and there will be consequences-

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'From outside the barn came the cry of men and
the double clang of shoes on metal. For the first time Lennie became conscious of the
outside.'

We return in the
final chapter to the original setting, but this time there is an urgency in the air
indicated by the sound of the lynch mob
approaching-

'...the leaves rustled and the wind
waves flowed up the green pool. And the shouts of men sounded again, this time much
closer than before.'