Of Mice and Men - Loneliness and Isolation

Of Mice and Men-Loneliness and Isolation Steinbeck uses Loneliness and Isolation as two main themes in 'Of Mice and Men' due to the effects of the Great Depression on ordinary people in the agricultural areas of America. The Great Depression was a time when many workers lost their jobs; people became unemployed and the country was at the point of being bankrupt. These issues caused loneliness and isolation to the people within the agricultural areas of the USA. The Depression was also a time where the rate of unemployment was high and even jobs that were available were of very low pay, this was because of seasonal farming. This affected agricultural areas the most. Many thousands found themselves homeless and very isolated like George and Lennie because of this. Furthermore, food prices and items increased making it more difficult to get hold of a job at the time. In some cases people would not get work at all, which is why most characters in 'Of Mice and Men' found themselves in a very lonely and isolated environment. John Steinbeck was well known in American literature in the 20th Century and still is. Steinbeck had a tough time during his childhood as he witnessed the loneliness and isolation people suffered at the time of the Great Depression. Steinbeck's father worked on a farm like Lennie and George and so John Steinbeck himself felt the

  • Word count: 3037
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Loneliness and isolation in Of Mice and Men

Mohammed Rameez 10:04(r)(tm) Loneliness and isolation in Of Mice and Men In Of Mice and Men many of the characters are lonely and this motivates them to look for an alternative way of life. Characters are also lonely because of something within themselves whack makes loneliness impossible to avoid. Different characters seek comfort in different things for example for Candy it is his dog and for George and Lennie it is each other. During the time in which Of Mice and Men is set (1930s) the great depression was around in America this depression bought poverty and unemployment making people more selfish by people would only think of the best way they could become rich and it didn't matter about anyone else. That's why George and Lennies situation is unique because it was rare to see two guys travelling around together. Loneliness is shown in various ways in this novel through poverty (George and Lennie), race (crooks), Gender (Curleys wife) and age (Candy). The poverty during the great depression(the time when this novel is based) has made people selfish. This is what makes George and Lennies relationship unusual for the time. Slim says to point out why this is odd 'Aint many guys travel around together...maybe the whole damn world is scared of each other'. This opinion is shared across the ranch, as George and lennie are the only two men who travel around together. Because

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Of mice and men, loneliness and isolation

The fear of Loneliness and the problems of isolation are major themes in the story In this essay I will look at three characters and write about how they are lonely and isolated, the three characters I have chosen to look at in this essay are Candy, Crooks and Curley's wife. Candy the ranch swamper is an old man who knows that his years are numbered, he is lonely for a number of reasons the main ones probably being because of his age and his disability, he lost his hand to machinery whilst working on the ranch and the boss is only keeping him there out of a piece of loyalty but he thinks soon he will get sacked. Crooks is a negro stable buck who lives in the ranch barn, he is named Crooks because he has a crooked back the main reason for his loneliness and isolation is because he is a negro. Curley's wife is newlywed to Curley; she always seems to be flirting with the men on the ranch, she is young pretty and curls her hair, the main reason for her loneliness is because she is the only women on the ranch and Curley is very protective over her. Of Mice and Men is a short book written by John Steinbeck. The book is set in Salinas California near the town of Soledad; during the 1930's where the novel takes place the U.S.A was suffering from the great depression this is where the economy of the States collapsed. The book is about two migrating farm workers called George and

  • Word count: 1438
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Isolation and loneliness in 'Of mice and men'

Isolation and loneliness in 'Of Mice and Men' Isolation and loneliness affects every character in Of Mice and Men to some extract with the exception of Slim. This is partly due to the fact that they move from ranch to ranch unable to form a real relationship. Or there was something about them that society didn't accept, such as skin colour, being crippled, being a woman in a man's world or being a retard. The ranch is the main setting in the book which emphasises isolation and loneliness, and the location of the ranch is called Soledad which is Spanish for 'loneliness'. The ranch is very remote because George and Lennie take such a lengthy walk to get there. The boss of the ranch shows that he is lonely because he is unaccustomed with the idea of friendship between two men. 'I never seen a guy take so much trouble for another guy' The workers are all nomadic and solitary, like the man who used Georges's bed before him, 'He just quit, the way a guy will...just wanted to move.' When George was describing the dream to Lennie, George describes the workers as 'the loneliest guys in the world' with 'no family' and 'nothing to look forward to.' Slim talks to George saying how rare it is for him to see two men travelling together and being friends, 'I don't know why. Maybe ever'body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.' All the men on the ranch are able to

  • Word count: 1286
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Loneliness and Isolation in Of Mice and Men

Discuss Steinbeck's Presentation of the Theme Loneliness or Isolation in Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men follows two men, George and Lennie, through their somewhat lonely and isolated lives on the ranch. The story is set in America, in around the 1920's, just post the Wall Street Crash. They are bottom of the social ladder, being ranch workers, and travel from location to location in search for employment. They, like many other characters in the novella, had an American Dream. This is the idea of independence, owning your own plot of land and not having to work again. However, in reality, this dream was rarely achieved by such men. Steinbeck opens the book with a vivid description of the surrounding area. There is a lot of colour imagery "sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs." The detailed opening emphasises the point that it is a lonely area. Furthermore, the area in which they are in is "a few miles south of Soledad"; Soledad can be translated into English to mean loneliness or isolation. Steinbeck has chosen this to hint at one of the main themes in the book. There is some evidence of man's mark on nature, "and among the sycamores, a path beaten hard". This quotation shows how there had once been a human presence in the area but now it is isolated. When George and Lennie eventually enter the scene, they are walking one behind the other,

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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The Effects Of Isolation In Of Mice And Men

In this essay I will be writing about the period of American depression in the 1990's affected the different types of people who lived and how differently they were treated and why this was. Many men travelled around in hope to seek their dream of having a nice piece of land for themselves. These men (travellers) normally travelled alone so they were isolated for a long time. Isolation was a big problem in them days as no one would stay with anyone who they previously worked with or any of their family, this is where George and Lennie stand out from everyone else in 'of mice and men' because they both travel together from place to place. Firstly I am going to write about Lennie and George and how they are isolated from the other characters in 'of mice and men'. The two main characters first come into the story together and are looking for the place where they are going to work when they are there they are both very cautious because Lennie is very simple minded and always gets them run out of places, George wants him to be quiet on this job. They are isolated from the other characters because they travel alone and other men do not like that and get very suspicious E.G when the boss comes into the bunk house George was keeping Lennie quiet to be safe and the boss comes out with this 'I said what stake you got in this guy? You taking his pay away from him?' so already they

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Themes of Loneliness and Isolation in 'Of Mice and Men'

Themes of Loneliness and Isolation in 'Of Mice and Men' In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, loneliness is one of the many underlying themes that is expressed in the novel through many of its characters. Some of the factors of this human isolation are age, sexism and racism. Despite the on-going struggle to prevent its occurrence, loneliness is also a feeling a large number of people experience from day to day in our society. In the novel, Candy is a lonely and disabled, elderly man who feels isolated from the rest of the younger workers on the ranch. Candy knows that society rejects seniors such as himself because they are stereotyped as useless and unproductive citizens. Carlson symbolizes society in the novel as Candy's dog is a symbol for the elderly: "He ain't no good to you, Candy. An' he ain't no good himself. Why'n't you shoot him, Candy?" (44). Candy's dog, old and frail like his owner, is his only companion and once he is put out of his misery, Candy is left completely alone in the world. He turns to George and Lennie who, reluctantly at first, agree to include him in on their plans of one day owning their own farm. Today, seniors are still slightly perceived as somewhat incompetent for they are frail and lack the muscle power they once possessed. They often have trouble walking the same distances they walked when they were younger. Many also cannot

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Loneliness and Isolation in Of Mice and Men

Loneliness and Isolation In 'Of Mice and Men', John Steinbeck portrays a characters emotions and feelings really well. In this case study, I plan to investigate two characters, who I think are good examples of characters suffering from loneliness and isolation. I also intend to explain in detail, how Steinbeck treats this theme and how he constructs each character using language and attention to details. The two characters who I think are best suited for this investigation is Crooks and Curley's wife. I find that they are the most outcast character of the lot as, one is racially outcast and the other one is due to her sex and relationship with the boss's son. Curley's wife is a peculiar character, she is portrayed as a tart, jailbait and a floozy, all given to her by the ranch hands, showing us how her character is viewed through their perception.It seems that the source of her loneliness and isolation is from her husband; Curley. I say this in regards to Curleys hierarchy of power; as he is the boss's son, he is respected and revered. No one wants to interfere with him as they fear for their job. Thus she is very rarely spoken to or recognised(the reader never knows her name). Her loneliness is again shown when the manner in which she dresses is inappropriate for the task she will be doing (hanging around the farm, not doing much)for example, she dresses 'flashy,

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Illustrate the theme of isolation in "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

English: Of Mice and Men ) Illustrate the theme of isolation in "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck. In the novel "Of Mice and Men" which was set in the 1930's I believe that John Steinbeck Illustrated loneliness and solitude in many places. The seclusion in those times was due to mainly discrimination and injustice. The life of a customary worker would be very difficult, therefore people worked for others on their farms. The wages were not proportional to the amount of labour and in addition the accommodation was barely habitable, this was unjust. The two focal characters George and Lennie have a sturdy bond and companionship. The other characters in the story are missing a true acquaintance and are envious of the two men. They have never before seen two men unite together like that before. All the other characters in the book are all abandoned and dejected apart from Slim. George and Lennie were wedged together through thick and thin, through good and bad and they knew they needed each other. This was revealed as George Said "Guys like us that live on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world." This meaning that if not for each other they would be like the others on the ranch, discontented and lonesome. The others on the ranch had recognised this, as their fellow workers said "Funny how you an' him string together." This had highlighted the unusualness of the

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How does Steinbeck Present Loneliness and Isolation in Of Mice and Men?

How does Steinbeck Present Loneliness and Isolation in "Of Mice and Men?" John Ernst Steinbeck wrote the novel "Of Mice and Men" in 1937. 1937 obviously during the time of the Great Depression- due to the crash of the wall street stock market basically meaning the American dollar becoming worthless. The plot is based around the lives of two itinerant farmhouse workers - George Milton and Lennie Small who are greatly portrayed to echo loneliness as Steinbeck shows loneliness and isolation in the novel through the representation of characters as well as showing sexism racism age discrimination and disability discrimination. The novel is set in a ranch in Soledad - Soledad being Spanish for solitude. Steinbeck shows loneliness and isolation right from the beginning the very location of the ranch is isolated and remote "A few miles south of Soledad, the Salina's river drops in close to the hill side bank." The two end up at this ranch having escaped weed, their previous job after being chased by a posse of men due to harassment changes on Lennie's head. The Tyler ranch is located deep in the hillsides of Salina's valley, Steinbeck greatly portrays the growth of an amazing friendship throughout the novel and shows an uncanny ability to connect the reader into this very unique almost father/son relationship. Steinbeck's inspiration for the name originally came from the poem "To a

  • Word count: 3464
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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