An Exploration of Disability and Isolation in Of Mice and Men

During the Great Depression, migrant farmers sought out work to stay alive. When they finally found a job to sustain them, workers were mistreated, starved, paid poor wages, and, worst of all, robbed of necessary human companionship. John Steinbeck captures the hopelessness of Depression-era farm life in his novella Of Mice and Men. Throughout the novella, most characters have a disability crippling them and pushing them away from other workers on the farm. Their disabilities are a physical embodiment of their isolation. Steinbeck uses his disabled characters to illustrate the depth of their loneliness, as well as to exemplify different types of loneliness.

Candy, an old ranch worker, is pushed away from the others due to both his old age and the fact that he lost one hand in a ranch accident. All Candy wants is to be seen as beneficial to the ranch, but his disabilities, age and injury, prevent it: “I ain’t much good with only one hand. I lost my hand right here on this ranch” (Steinbeck 59). Candy’s loneliness comes from his desire to be valuable. He knows that ranch workers are treated impersonally: like parts on a machine, they are necessary to keep the ranch in business, yet are also worthless and easily replaced if they are broken. Candy’s dog, his only companion on the ranch, exemplifies this mindset, for he was killed when most people viewed him as an annoyance instead of treasuring his company like Candy. Harold Bloom writes, “Candy sees a value in his dog that Carlson (and those like him) do not.” Although the dog was old and burdensome, Candy saw value in companionship and having another living being by his side. Moreover, Candy is afraid of becoming worthless like his dog. His loneliness stems from fear of becoming u...

... middle of paper ...

...fe’s gender and marital status tie her down, dehumanize, and objectify her. Crooks’ skin color and crippled back separate him from the others and deprive him of companionship he craves. The disabled characters illustrate the bleak and fruitless lifestyle on a Depression-era ranch where nobody, from the ranch boss’ privileged son, to the poorest stable hand, is truly happy.

Works Cited

Bloom, Harold. "Of Mice and Men (novel)." Bloom's Guides (2006): n. pag. Bloom's Literature. Web. 14 May 2014.

Bryer, Jackson R., and Mary C. Hartig. "Of Mice and Men (play)." Facts on File Companion to American Drama (2010): n. pag. Bloom's Literature. Web. 14 May 2014.

Meyer, Michael J. "Of Mice and Men (novel)." Facts on File Companion to the American Novel (2006): n. pag. Bloom's Literature. Web. 14 May 2014.

Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York City: Penguin, 1993. Print.