Key Roles in Of Mice and Men

Just like in of mice and Men, America currently needs a helping hand. People search for a job day after day, but just never seem to gain stable employment. George and Lennie find that getting a job can be just that difficult where they currently wander. When they arrive at the ranch, they meet people who relate to people who

Setting plays a key role in Of Mice and Men, placing the reader in California during the Great Depression. During the Great Depression, jobs rarely popped up, and they quickly filled at the first opportunity. Therefore, it is hard for George and Lennie to land a job, and especially devastating when they get canned. Also, the pay does not allow enough money for George and Lennie to buy the ranch. While they keep trying to save money, they still lack enough to pay to buy the ranch. George and Lennie already lack income that others already received, and the Great Depression made it worse. “The prosperity of the 1920’s was unevenly distributed among the various parts of the American Economy-farmers and unskilled workers were notably excluded.” (Parenthetical Citation) A large amount of migrant workers came to California during this time to find a job, encountering trouble. “These workers were fleeing the ecological disaster of the dust bowl.” (Standing 67) Because of the influx of workers from the Midwest, California’s job market became stagnant; just as terrible as the places workers came from, which deviates from the haven that workers saw the state as. Finally, Lennie and George being on the ranch and not having their own land takes its toll. If they lived alone on their own land, they would need to do much less work and would have to deal with the troubles from Curley and the others on the ranch. Living i...

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... in the first place. Another prevalent theme in the story is the theme of isolation and loneliness. For Crooks, his isolation stems from his skin color. Curley’s wife, on the other hand, cannot talk to anyone because they fear Curley’s wrath if they get caught with her. In both cases, they try to seek companionship from the people around them, in which they find more happiness then they would otherwise not receive. Finally, the theme of friendship and loyalty perforates throughout Of Mice and Men. These three themes of dreams, isolation, and innocence relate to today’s society.

When one looks at Of Mice and Men, they can see many similarities to society today. Many people have felt the pain of watching their dreams crumble right in front of their eyes. Of Mice and Men will always be a well renowned book because it relates to so many people all over the world.