Loneliness Theme in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men Essay Example

Loneliness is probably one of the mostly highlighted themes during the 1930s America and in Of Mice and men. Every character in Of Mice and Men has been affected by loneliness at some point or another. During the 1930s America women were mistreated and migrant workers would usually work by themselves. This would take a significant emotional toll on the characters in the book and would direct them to a state loneliness.

Curly’s wife is one of the first major characters in of mice and men to get struck by loneliness. She married curly although she doesn't like him 'I don't like Curley. He ain't a nice fella’, and with no one else to talk to on the ranch, she falls into the state of loneliness. Curly’s wife loneliness would take a toll on her behavior towards others. She was so ambitious for attention that she would even go to other men on the ranch to seek attention from them, even though she knew that Curley would get mad at her if she did ‘I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad.’. This shows that Curly’s wife would do anything for attention even go the extent of making sure she looks the best as she can ‘‘full, rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little clusters, like sausages. She wore a cotton housedress and red mules, on the steps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers’’ so she can attract the other men on the ranch, this would help her with her loneliness. Her loneliness would lead her to occasionally put her in a horrible mood. She would insult Lennie, Candy and Crooks by calling them ‘’ a bunch of bindle stiffs n words an’ a dum dum and a lousy ol’ sheep’’, and by putting others down she reassured herself that others' lives were worse than hers. Which would give her an ego boost making herself feel better for the time being.

One of the loneliest characters on the ranch was Crooks. His loneliness was due to the discrimination and prejudice of the white ranch bosses against black people and people of skin colour. Crooks would be forced to sleep alone in his room away from the other migrant workers who would sleep in the bunkhouse. The other men wouldn’t want to talk to him or invite him to come out with them on the days off to town because of his skin colour Cause “They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black”. In result of this crooks was forced into physical isolation from others and into a deep state of loneliness. His loneliness would make him talk and act different towards people and he would often forget who he really was and would put on persona, this persona would take a toll on the way he speaks to people and would often talk to them in a harsh and miserable. This is shown when Lennie peaks into his room ‘’you got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here but me’’. After talking to Lennie for a bit about why he acts the way he does and the things he’s went through, Crooks realised that Lennie is intellectually disabled, and Crooks used Lennie’s disability to take advantage of him. He would emotionally beat him down by saying "You're nuts" "You're crazy as a wedge” "S'pose George don't come back no more. S'pose he took a powder and just ain't coming back. What'll you do then?". This would satisfy crook’s ego temporarily and it would be Lennie in a vulnerable position and not him.

In Conclusion, I agree that Loneliness was an inevitable and unavoidable aspect of life in the 1930s America because many people during the Great Depression suffered from loneliness this is perfectly shown in of mice and men and John Steinbeck highlighted every aspect of loneliness during the 1930s America. Great Depression made everyone feel lonely and depressed and it would take a massive toll on their daily lives.