The Great Depression of the 1930's was the hardest of hard times for millions of Americans. How does John Steinbeck reveal his compassion for the loneliness and isolation suffered by ordinary people in 'Of Mice and Men'?

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Lisa Maguire 11L

The Great Depression of the 1930’s was the hardest of hard times for millions of Americans. How does John Steinbeck reveal his compassion for the loneliness and isolation suffered by ordinary people in ‘Of Mice and Men’?

        The Great Depression was the worst and longest economic collapse in the history of the modern industrial world, lasting from the end of 1929 until the early 1940’s. The Depression was caused by a number of serious weaknesses in the U.S. economy. The lingering effects of World War 1 caused economic problems in many countries, as Europe struggled to pay war debts and reparations. These problems contributed to the crisis that began the Great Depression. The unstable economy and the uneven distribution of wealth led the American economy to collapse.

Factories closed, banks failed and unemployment soared. Agricultural areas suffered too. As the price of crops fell some farmers could not repay their loans and their homes and land were taken from them. Those who had managed to stay afloat then faced a natural disaster. A long period of drought had reduced the soil to little more than dust in some areas. High winds then blew the top layer of soil away just leaving the exposed rock and grit below. The land was barren and worthless. Consequently, the homesteads were boarded up and these families went on the road like so many millions of others, in search of work. As there was so much unemployment and competition for jobs, men saw each other as competition, this conveys a sense of loneliness and isolation that friendship would be a luxury so one would not be able to have companionship. This is shown in ‘Of Mice and Men’ as everyone believes that George and Lennie travelling ‘together’ is strange.

John Steinbeck can relate to this as he was travelling at the very time that the Great Depression was happening. As a result of this Steinbeck experienced first hand what life was like to be in and out of jobs, travelling alone. Steinbeck was born on February 27th, 1902 in Salinas, California. In 1919 he graduated from High School and entered Stanford University but he never completed a degree and finally dropped out of college in 1925, and went out to work on ranches. John Steinbeck undertook a series of manual unskilled jobs one of which was a farm labourer on ranches from King City to South Clara in Northern California. It was this experience which seems subsequently to have provided him with the setting for his short novel ‘Of Mice and Men’. He absorbed all the details, and so he knew what it was like to be hungry and not know when the next meal was going to arrive. Because of this, he had a fascinating insight into the loneliness and isolation that people suffered.

John Steinbeck invests his writing with a realism that only someone who had experienced the depression could convey. As he shared the same experiences as his characters, the writing has a real sense of authenticity. From reading the novel you can see that he treats people with great respect and his characters are often quiet, noble men who try to do their best in the worst of circumstances. By having experienced the travelling life, Steinbeck has felt their isolation and loneliness and provokes sympathy for the characters by describing their situations so faithfully in the book. Although we never learn from Steinbeck where they come from, George and Lennie personify the commonplace dream of the migrant worker, the dream to own their own piece of land and have a chance to settle down in ‘the promised land’, which California represented.

The setting of California was chosen by Steinbeck as it illustrates a paradise for many men at that time, the ‘green’ and ‘golden’ nature of California as Steinbeck shows in ‘Of Mice and Men’. But the bunkhouse, in which the men have to live, is very impersonal and cold with very basic living conditions. This makes their life even more unbearable. Nature also plays an important role in this novel, as it demonstrates what type of mood each chapter will be like. Nature is disturbed everywhere George and Lennie go;

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“And then from the direction of the state highway came the sound of footsteps on crisp sycamore leaves. The rabbits hurried noiselessly for cover. A stilted heron laboured up into the air and pounded down the river.”

        The sense of isolation is triggered from the word go as George and Lennie are dumped from the bus in the middle of nowhere.  George Milton and Lennie Small seem to have a father-son relationship.  But, eventhough they have a good relationship, there are flaws. George has the huge burden of caring for Lennie all of the time. As a result of this, ...

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