Common Themes In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

John Baculna
ENG 2P1
Of Mice and Men
Thursday July 21, 2016
Ms. Mackay

Of Mice and Men Themes
The novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, uses colourful language to paint a vivid story of the life of two migrant ranch workers during the United States Great Depression. From this simple story emerges an array of lessons about people, and the circumstances that lead them to make life-altering decisions. These themes are numerous, but three are most notable. In the novel, the themes of loneliness, dreams, and outcasts are central to the reader’s understanding of the novel.
The theme of loneliness is apparent throughout the novel. This theme emerges early on when George talks to Lennie about how they are different from other men.
The reader is first introduced to this theme in the beginning of the story when Lennie pleads George to “tell about the rabbits”. Though George had already told Lennie this story many times, he answers Lennie’s request and tells him “O.K. Someday—we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs…” (Steinbeck p. 14). This tells the reader about the dream that both Lennie and George share. This dream keeps them motivated and is the sole reason why they travel together. The theme of dreams appear again with the character of Curley’s wife, when she talks to Lennie in the barn. Curley’s wife tells Lennie “I tell you I ain’t used to livin’ like this. I coulda made somethin’ of myself”. She continues, saying “Coulda been in the moveis, an’ had nice clothes—all them nice clothes like they wear. An’ I coulda sat in them big hotels, an’ had pitchers took of me. When they had them previews I coulda went to them, an’ spoke in the radio, an’ it wouldn’ta cost me a cent because I was in the pitcher. An’ all them nice clothes like they wear. Because this guy says I was a natural” (Steinbeck, p. 88-89). This quote from Curley’s wife