An essay to show how the novel, "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck, relates to how life was like in America during the 1930s.

Craig Anderson 5th March 2003

An essay to show how the novel, “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, relates to how life was like in America during the 1930s.

“Of Mice and Men” is a short novel written by John Steinbeck. It gives us a good idea of certain aspects of the depression, which was a period of time where there were too few jobs to go round for each of the American people during the 1930s. Aspects such as the conditions ranch workers would have faced domestically and at work, if they had a job. This period in time had a large effect on the way a person was perceived by those around them. These problems were made perfectly clear in “Of mice and Men”:~

This is a preview of the whole essay

When analysed, loneliness is probably the most distinctive issue that stands out among all of the problems that were present at the time of the depression. There were no such things as companionship, friendship or family, because life was always so unpredictable, and many people would spend years travelling from ranch to ranch in search of the same work. Due to this fierce competition, relationships between ranch workers were often shallow and the majority would end soon after a worker had left that particular ranch. This is conveyed well in Steinbeck’s novel, as many things relate to this major factor of loneliness. I think this is one of the most important aspects of the novel, which is probably why there are so many things that refer to loneliness as a problem. A good example of this includes the ranches’ name- Soledad, as in solitary, meaning lonely. Another good example of this is the name of the river near the ranch- The Solenis, and when George plays solitaire in the bunkhouse during chapter two.

Life was similarly hard for everyone on the ranch, though it was made even more difficult due to sexism, racism and in certain circumstances, disabilities. Certain people on the ranch including Lennie- who had mental difficulties, Crooks- who, not only had been crippled by a horse, but was coloured (this was still large issue in the 1930s), and Curley’s wife purely for being a woman- were even fighting among themselves to gain respect. This was done merely to boost their own confidence

Fortunately this was not the case for George and Lennie, as they had each other for company, though this seemed to be quite suspicious, as it was a very rare occurrence.

ity of the workers travelled alone across America, moving from ranch to ranch. Family values were non-existent, because of this they didn’t belong anywhere. The workers believed it was survival of the fittest between them. There were a large number of drifting workers, all-looking for the same jobs. Competition for work was fierce. There was a general feeling of loneliness at the time for the workers. George emphasizes this feeling when he is talking to Lennie by the brush: 'Guys like us, which work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place.' Because of a vast amount of suspicion on the ranch the workers often chose a solitary existence. It also made relationships between the workers very shallow. It would seem that the majority of the workers could not forge a meaningful relationship. OuGeQ6K ffra

Yet, it wasn't just the workers who felt lonely. Curley's wife also displays loneliness: 'I get awful lonely'…'You can talk to people, but I can't talk to nobody but Curley.' Crooks also seems very lonely: 'I tell ya a guy gets too lonely, an' he gets sick.' Both Crooks and Curley's wife also choose a life of solitude because of the suspicion. It is harder for them to establish meaningful relationships because the obstacles of discrimination and sexism that exists on the ranch.