His descriptive style gives us an idea what conditions were like on the farms for the workers: very basic accommodation, three meals a day and a minimum wage. Steinbeck uses these images well to help us understand why they yearned for "The American Dream" where many aspired to obtaining a better life, buying their own land to work themselves. George and Lennie share that dream. "Some day - we're
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gonna have a little house and a couple of acres." Steinbeck shows us through his characterisation, that the dream was shared by many. Candy an old farm worker joins in their dream when he offers his savings as down payment in return for being included. "S'pose I went in with you guys. Tha's three hundred an fifty bucks id put in." The emotive story line of the "dream" with each character starting to believe it may just happen is all the more tragic as it is bound to fail. We learn early on in the novel that something bad happened in Weed and that they had to leave. "An' you ain't gonna do no bad things like you did in Weed, neither." (George tells Lennie.) Steinbeck therefore has already set the scene for us to start doubting that their dream will be achieved, to question: will Lennie get them into trouble again? Steinbeck has set the wheels in motion for us to assume that however hard they try it is bound to fail one way or another. The moment Curly's wife enters the barn we know something bad is going to happen. Steinbeck has interwoven the idea from the very beginning of the novel. The dead mouse Lennie had in his pocket, the death of Candy's dog, and the accidental killing of the puppy. All these incidents pre-figure the tragedy in the climax of the novel. Lennie, childlike and "As strong as a bull," will ultimately be the reason their dream will fail
Steinbeck makes us aware of the prejudice that would have been common during this period. Through Crooks we learn of how the black ranch- hand was treated. Steinbeck uses dialogue "well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't funny." The irony here is that this was said by Curly's wife. Through her character Steinbeck shows us was a victim of another kind of prejudice; sexism. "Jesus, what a tramp" "so that’s what Curly picks for a wife"
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(George remarks after meeting her.) Steinbeck doesn’t even give her a name. We later see, she too is isolated and alienated. Here Steinback creates a picture of someone who is also victim of the times.
His portrayal of the isolated and alienated is evident throughout the book. Steinbeck uses characterisation to show this. Candy the old farm worker has an old dog that has been a lifelong companion to him. He can't face the thought of killing the old crippled dog."Why'nt' you shoot him Candy?" asks Slim. "No, I couldn’t do that, I had im too long" replies Candy. The atmosphere Steinbeck creates in the bunkhouse when they are discussing how to kill the dog is very moving. When the dog is led away we see the pain and isolation Candy feels. "For a moment he continued to stare at the ceiling. Then he rolled slowly over and faced the wall and lay silent." The reliance on his dog for companionship represents a deep seated fear of loneliness. Crooks, who is alienated from the others, has a very lonely life. In his room alone not even being able to go in the bunkhouse with the others."I ain't wanted in the bunkhouse" a guy needs somebody - to be near him" "a guy goes nuts if he aint got nobody" Crooks tells Lennie. Through dialogue, Steinbeck re-emphasises the isolation the men would have felt. Curly's wife, the only women on the ranch, says " I never get to talk to nobody, I gets awful lonely." She is married to a man she does not love. "Well I ain't told this to nobody before, I don’t like Curly, he ain't a nice fella." Steinbeck shows us that it would have been a very lonely existence for a woman on a ranch full of men.
George and Lennie however, are not lonely during the novel, as they have each other. Stienbeck uses these two characters to show us that they are both aware that
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without each other they would be just like the others, alone in a very dysfunctional society. When Crooks teases Lennie that George may not be coming back from town. Lennie said miserably "George wun't go away and leave me. I know George wun't do that" Although Lennie cannot understand the concept of being alone he shows some understanding. The end of the only good friendship in the book compounds the tragedy of Lennie's death.
In the closing chapter of the book Steinbeck uses his skill with imagery well. We are back to the same peaceful spot at the river the story began. We understand George has no other choice but to kill his friend. He would not want him to suffer at the hands of Curly and the farm hands, even though he knows with the death of Lennie their dream will die with him.
Steinbeck makes it clear in his novel that the glittering, moneyed America of the 1920s, which for example the American modernist F.Scott. Fitzgerald portrayed in the novel "The Great Gatsby," has utterly vanished to be replaced with a society of depression, loneliness and alienation.
