Isolation In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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An individual’s decisions, social prejudice, or a combination of both are integral factors in the development of isolation. Even if society grows more progressive, there are many that will remain in isolation. In John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, the two protagonist George and Lennie travel to a ranch where everyone experiences loneliness. The ranch is run by Curley’s dad, also known as the boss. Even though they all work together and live in the same quarters, they are still secluded in a way. Primarily due to their race and gender, the two characters who exhibit the most solitude within the novella are Crooks and Curley’s wife. However, they handle their situations differently.
Crooks is the only African-American character working on the ranch, and throughout the course of the writing he has faced discrimination and received poor treatment, from the boss of the ranch to the other workers. The dialogue between him and Lennie reveal that Crooks is excluded from the guys’ in the bunkhouse festivities, ‘’You go on get outta my room. I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain’t wanted in my room… Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black’’ (Crooks, 68). So get back at others for pushing him away, …show more content…

These men often tell her that she should stay home aand wait for Curley,‘’Maybe you better go along to your own house now. We don’t want no trouble’’ (Crooks, 77). The workers on the ranch believe that Curley’s spouse is a problem, as she would cause Curley to suspect that she’s cheating on him, so the men would avoid talking to her. This makes her question why everyone is shunning her driving her loneliness, ‘’Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am anyways’’ (Curley’s wife, 87). No matter how hard Curley’s wife tries to socialize with others’ on the ranch, they would push her away and feeding her

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