Consider how the era the novel is set in contributes to the theme of loneliness in 'Of Mice and Men'

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Consider how the era the novel is set in contributes to the theme of loneliness in ‘Of Mice and Men’

The era that of mice and men was set in contributes to the theme of loneliness because at the time it was set America was hit by the wall street crash. The Wall Street Stock Exchange was where American people were to invest shares in companies, the idea took off and millions of people were buying shares, there value increased and people would sell there shares for a heavy profit. All was going good on September 3rd 1929 the prices hit an all time high. On October 24th 1929, 12,894,650 people sold there shares, from this point share value began to drop, by 29th October over 16 million shares had been sold, and over the next month share value dropped by nearly 50%, after a while banks begun to collect loans, which people could not pay due to investing all savings in the stock exchange which had plummeted, banks therefore become bankrupt as did everybody who had savings in these banks, eventually millions of people would become unemployed due to businesses collapsing. Unemployment and poverty struck America, many family men were forced to leave there families in order to travel to find work on ranch’s or where ever possible. Work was hard to come across and because people were so desperate for work ranch owners could offer the job hunters extremely low wages. Men did not trust one another, which would lead to loneliness.

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        George and Lennie were not lonely as they had each other to rely upon. In the era the novel was set the relationship between these two men was portrayed as very weird and normally unaccepted as a simple friendship, Curly’s dad is very weary of there relationship,

        "Well, I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy. I just like to know what your interest is"

Men were extremely lonely and isolated. On the ranch we got to see this a lot, there is Candy, Whit, but one exception is Slim.

        George Milton, ...

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