The plot of the book is much like a circle. It starts with George and Lennie in an isolated part of the woods, getting ready to go to a new ranch as they are two of the mass of migrant workers. It ends with them in exactly the same place, with George having to shoot Lennie, as he had accidentally killed Curley’s wife.
Not only was the lifestyle of the migrant workers very lonely, but the ranch were the book is set in also very isolated. George and Lennie had to travel by bus, get dropped off, and then walk the last four miles having been told by the driver that the ranch ‘…”Jes’ a little stretch down the highway,”.’ In the novel the only two workers that arrive new at the ranch are George and Lennie. No other visitors or new ranch workers are mentioned in the novel. This emphasises the feeling of lonliness throughout the novel.
Lennie is one of the main characters in “Of Mice And Men”. Lennie is huge and cumbersome ‘…, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws.’ This quotation shows that Lennie is very much like an animal. Shuffling along, maybe nervous, sagging sloping shoulders, feet directly refereed to as bear like. He maybe tired as his shoulders sloping and his feet dragging might be from exhaustion, or he could be hunching up to try and blend into the background and not appear to be so large. Lennie has a very intimate relationship with George as they have spent there migrating life travelling together and being best of friends. In that time it was very rare for a ranch-worker to make a friend, let alone travel with them and be best friends. ‘…”Tell about that place, George.”
“I jus’ tol’ you, jus’ las’ night”
“Go on - tell again, George.”…’ This suggests that Lennie may have a learning disability, or acts like a small child, relying on George to tell him over and over again the same thing. this will also make it harder for Lennie to make friends with anyone else, as they may not want or know how to react. This is obviously something that Lennie wants to hear as he asks Geroge to tell him about this place. This place that George tells Lennie about may be an incentive to keep Lennie out of trouble and keep anything that may effect him, from hurting or troubling him.
George and Lennie travel around together, from ranch to ranch, watching each others backs and trying to keep both of themselves out of trouble. This would be very strange in those times, as nearly all of the other Ranchers had no friends and didn’t travel with anyone other then themselves, because they either didn’t want to make friends, (there was always the risk of someone trying to steal your money. whether they where a friend or not.) Or they just didn’t have time to make friends as they are always moving on. This means that George and Lennie have a very special connection, and George has several reasons why he sticks with Lennie. ‘…”It ain’t so funny, him an’ me goin’ aroun’ together,” George said at last. “Him and me was both born in Aurburn. I knowed his Aunt Clara.”…’ This shows that George and Lennie had a relationship before they started working. Due to Lennies clingy, child like nature, would have probably clung to George if he’d known him a long time. Or George let Lennie come along with him, so he could look after him and keep him out of trouble.
Lennie and George have this dream which in large is referred to as ‘The American Dream’. This dream was something that started around five hundred years ago, and it centres around the idea of discovery and new beginnings. I.e. freedom and a new start. It still goes on today, accept its now connected with being rich and successful. In George and Lennie’s case this is having a little place of land to call their own. With financial security, were they wouldn’t have to be ordered about and they wouldn’t have to go round the country looking for work, just live of the land around them. ‘…”Tell about the house ,George,” Lennie begged.
“Sure, we’d have a little house an’ a room to ourself. Little fat iron stove, an’ in the winter we’d keep a fire goin’ on it. It ain’t enough land so we’d have to work to hard. Maybe six, seven hours a day. An’ when we put in a crop, why we’d be there to take our crop up. We’d know what came of our planting.”…’ George often tells Lennie this throughout the book to keep Lennie looking forward to something, and for a reason why he should keep out of trouble. This quotation shows what sort of thing their particular American dream is.
Curley’s wife is incredibly lonely. She is married to Curley the Boss of the Ranches son. One reason why Curley’s wife is really lonely is the fact that Curley is so over protective of her. This is not in a caring loving way, its more of a possessive jealous way. ‘…Just as they reached it, Curley bounced in.
“You seen a girl around here?” he demanded angrily.
George said coldly: “Bout half an hour ago maybe.”
“Well what the hell was she doin’?”…’
Curley’s wife wanted to go to shows and theatres and be an actress. Because she’s so lonely, she spends her time wishing and dreaming she could have done that. ‘…I tell ya I could of went with shows. Not jus’ one, neither. An’ a guy tol’ me he could put me in pitchers…”…’
Curley is a short stocky man, who’s always picking fights with people, and is very protective of his wife, which is why he’s always looking for her, checking up on her to make sure she’s not getting ‘friendly’ with any of the other workers. He takes this domination to such an extent that she ends up not having or being able to make any friends. Curley is also the son of the Ranch Boss. His wife is very pretty with long brown hair, and dark eyes. She’s always seeking out the other workers to have a chat and flirt with, because of the loneliness that she’s in the middle of. The other Ranchers are scared to be seen with her because of her husband and the fact he’s so possessive, so they try and get out of talking to her all the time. So this means that Curley’s wife gets even lonelier, and so wants to talk and flirt with the other workers more, so her husband gets even more possessive. It’s a vicious circle.
Crooks is a black man, and because of the racist situation in America (1930’s), this makes life very difficult for Crooks indeed. He has hardly any rights because he’s black, and if someone said just the slightest thing about him bad, he could get hanged just like that. This is evidence by ‘…“Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.” …’
Crooks is the stable buck on the farm, and lives in the harness-room. Alone. It’s a no more than a little shed that hangs of the wall of the stables. He also has a hump that makes it hard for him to walk and makes him pretty much disabled. ‘…Crooks was a proud, aloof man. He kept his distance and demanded that other people kept theirs. His body was bent over to the left by his crooked spine…’
Lennie, Crooks and Curelys wife are all lonely in their own way. Whilst Lennie and George maintain a close friendship, Crooks and Curley’s Wife don’t have any friends at all.
Crooks usually just ignores everyone and keeps him self to him self, but near the end of the book opens up to Lennie. Crooks is lonely because of the fact he has no rights, so doesn’t like speaking to anybody in case they take insult and get him into a lot of trouble.
Curley’s wife is insistent on trying to get close to the ranch workers. Always nagging them to talk to her, but always running from Curley because she’s afraid of him. ‘…”im tryin’ to find Curley, Slim.”
“Well you ain’t tryin’ very hard. I seen him goin’ in your house.”
She was suddenly apprehensive. “Bye, boys,” she called into the bunk-house and she hurried away. …’ Curley’s wife is lonely because everyone wont talk to her because they think she’s a tart, and plus there afraid of what Curley would do if he found them with her, so they avoid her at all costs.
Lennie interacts like a child, trusting and not understanding most of what people say. Lennie is like a child so a lot of people just ignore him apart from George , Slim and Candy.
By Adam Moreton