Loneliness in Of Mice and Men

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Loneliness

This book is set in a deserted, lonely country. The individuals in the story are isolated by particular features such as age, sex, disability and race.  They appear to relate to each other, however, each is essential trapped by their situation.  In the end they are unable to help each other to escape their loneliness or to escape their own fate.

Of Mice and Men is set in the farmland of the Salinas valley, where John Steinbeck was born and which he had known all his life. Steinbeck's father owned land in the area, and as a young man Steinbeck had worked as a farm hand. The ranch in the story is near Soledad.  It is an isolated community in the south-east of Salinas on the Salinas River. Weed is nearby. The countryside described at the beginning of the book, and the ranch itself, would have been very familiar to John Steinbeck. It was lonely and desolate.  .

Lennie Small is a physically large man whose mind is slow; he has a very short attention span and acts like a child. Lennie never could anticipate the consequences of his actions. He travels with and is cared for by George .Whilst George Milton is basically the opposite.  He is small and sharp witted, George is a typical, realistic worker who uses his mind to anticipate the future. .George Milton has cared for his mentally slow friend, Lennie Small, since the death of Lennie's Aunt Clara. They travel together.  They work at various jobs so that one day they will have enough money to live on their own and be their own bosses. Unfortunately, every time they have a job, Lennie gets into some trouble which forces them to run away.  This isolates them and increases their loneliness.  This time, they are running from a town called Weed to a ranch where they could work as ranch hands.

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Lennie and George are inseparable and depend on each other for everything. Lennie has a perfect quote to symbolize their relationship and future as companions; "But not us! An' why? Because.... Because I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you, and that's why!"

This quote signifies the strong bond and father-son like relationship these two men share together. George is always in control. George, unlike other men, has a companion and friend in Lennie. Because of this, Lennie makes George feel special. They are different from all the other guys, and ...

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