What is the significance of loneliness in Of Mice and Men?

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What is the significance of loneliness in ‘Of Mice and Men’? You should refer in detail to characters, setting and language

‘Of Mice and Men’ was written by John Steinbeck. It is based in the USA in the time period of the nineteen thirties. This was the time of The Great Depression when millions of people were left jobless and many had lost their life savings in the Wall Street crash of 1929. Therefore, for these reasons, many people were forced out of their homes. In the opening line of the novel, Steinbeck mentions the town of Soledad, which means loneliness in Spanish, as the setting for the story that is to follow. This shows the reader that loneliness is an important theme in the novel.

We learn that George and Lennie are itinerant workers because they mention ‘goin’ to Murray and Ready’s’; these were a chain of employment agencies set up by the US government, to help people in their situation during the economic depression which followed the financial crash. George and Lennie are given a job on a ranch and bus tickets for travelling. As with other itinerant workers who had to travel from one short-term job to another, they do not have a permanent home. This situation highlights the theme of loneliness because they do not live in a settled community and so have to travel to new places to look for work.

Before they reach the ranch, George and Lennie sleep outside in the open where they hear two people calling to each other, and ‘a coyote yammered, and a dog answered from the other side of the stream. The sycamore leaves whispered in a little night breeze’. This description of the natural setting creates a restful tone, so although George and Lennie seem to be alone, there is a sense of freedom rather than loneliness. In contrast, when they are at the ranch, all of the working men sleep in one bunkhouse. Here, Steinbeck is showing that there are lonely people even though the living conditions are overcrowded. In the bunkhouse, the men often play ‘solitaire’, and so Steinbeck again emphasises the atmosphere of loneliness even on the ranch where there are many people working.

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George and Lennie are the two main characters in the novel. They seem to provide a contrast to the theme of loneliness because they have each other and care about each other and they share their dream to have a house and ‘a couple of acres of land’. George tells the familiar story ‘Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. Lennie continues George’s words which he knows ‘by heart’: But not us! An’ why? Because ... because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you’. This ...

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Here's what a teacher thought of this essay

Overall, a well-planned and fluent essay showing good understanding of the theme of loneliness and the 'lonely' characters. There is some reference to setting but limited analysis of Steinbeck's language as asked for in the question.