How does John Steinbeck present the theme of loneliness in his novel 'Of Mice and Men'?

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Lucy Gillett

English Coursework

Of Mice and Men

How does John Steinbeck present the theme of loneliness in his novel ‘Of Mice and Men’?

Of Mice and Men is a novel by the author John Steinbeck. This fictional story is set in 1930’s, during the time of the Great Depression. The Great Depression was an economic disaster, during this time it was very hard to find a job, because of this human inflicted catastrophe. The Great Depression was very true to its name, people became both lonely and desperate. They became isolated from one another.

The main work for men during this time was on ranches as itinerant workers. The book focuses on the men in one particular ranch, including the main characters George and Lennie. The ranch it self is deserted and lonely, surrounded by fields, mountains and countryside, we know this as George and Lennie had to walk 4 miles to enable them to get there. Inside the ranch and bunk house the relationship between the characters lacks and also proves that these men don’t know how to be friends and have companions, they are all to used to being by themselves. They all just stick to the stereotype of itinerant workers, which is lonely, except for George and Lennie who both know that they break this and are proud of doing it. As George says in the novel ‘Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong to no place. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to’. Everything that the men do and have is closely linked to the theme of loneliness. The men have little belongings, and also in the bunk house little room for belongings, which shows you that itinerant workers are not expected to have a lot, just two shelves for all their stuff. Their lack in belongings suggests loneliness as they have nothing to own and care and look after, except themselves. The games they play with each other, which is mainly cards, is a ‘lonely’ game, although they play with company of each other, the game requires little conversation. On the ranch the workers are finding the relationship between George and Lennie, hard to accept especially the boss, who feels George is getting something out of Lennie, like his money. They find it hard to accept them as a pair, because itinerant workers do not usually come as a pair.

Loneliness is evident throughout the ranches and also in the individual people.

Candy is the first character that George and Lennie meet. He is an old passive and weak man, of which I feel, is meant to inspire the pity of both the readers and also the characters around him. Steinbeck parallels Candy to his dog, a virtually worthless animal that is on its last legs. However this dog lives up to the saying ‘Mans best friend’, as it was Candy’s best friend, and also his only friend. The men on the ranch are consistently proving themselves to each other on how ‘manly’ they are. This is evident when they decide they should shoot Candy’s dog. When the idea arises Carlson immediately insisted that he shoots the dog, trying to prove he is a ‘man’. He shows no consolation to Candy who’s dog he is about to kill, but just persists on him proving himself and killing the dog. I feel that Candy makes a very important quote when he gets over the murder of his dog this being ‘I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog.’ Candy has lived on the ranch for a long time and has also known the itinerant workers for a long time however he still calls them ‘strangers’, which sticks and supports the idea of loneliness and isolation form one another proving that not only were they lonely, but the didn’t particularly want to be friends, as if they did Candy would have done that by now. Candy is no longer a significant within society, he serves as an observant outsider, he is old and is now even lonelier after the killing of his only friend, his dog. As I said earlier Steinbeck has linked Candy and his dog very closely and similar, both old and no longer any use. Candy realises he is little use, and is now worried that the workers will want to shoot him, like they did his dog, as he is no longer any use. This is when he over hears George and Lennie’s dream and wants to belong to the dream and live for something.

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Crooks being the main face of loneliness out of all the men. Crooks is completely isolated from everyone, he doesn’t live in the bunk house he lives in a room just of the barn. From the first introduction of crooks you learn the men have no respect for him, the ‘negro’. However he had a few more possessions than most men, including his shot-gun, for his defence and protection from the very racist workers. Crook’s has no one, no one to talk to or no one to guide him. He doesn’t know what is right or wrong because of ...

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