Loneliness: An Analysis in 'Of Mice and Men'

Surrounded by Loneliness
Famous German physician Albert Schweitzer said, “We are all so much together, but we are all dying of loneliness.” In the novel Of Mice and Men, written during the Great Depression, loneliness is a very important theme. I am going to write about how loneliness has impacted the lives of George, Crooks and Curley's wife, in this essay.
Though George is a social and a smart migrant worker, he is still a very lonely guy who only has Lennie to rely on. George says, ”If i was alone, I could live so easy.” (p11) He says he would get along so well without him because he wouldn’t have to keep Lennie out of trouble all the time and he could keep a job. He also says, “Lennie, I want you to stay with me.” (p13) That states that

Lennie is the only person who always has George’s back. George is thankful he has Lennie’s companionship so he doesn’t feel lonely like most migrant workers.
Crooks is a shy, but friendly, stable buck.

He is a very lonely man who only sometimes gets to chat with the migrant workers. Crooks says, “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody.” (p72) He says this because he doesn’t have anybody he can really talk to. He dreams of childhood with his family and hanging out and watching the chickens with his brothers. He commented, “Cuz I’m black.” (p68) Because he is black, he got discriminated a lot during the Great Depression. Crooks is a very lonely man who can’t make real friends because they are always coming and going.
Although Curley’s wife is a flirt, she is still a very lonely girl. She is also the
only girl on the ranch so, she doesn’t have any girl friends. When Curley’s wife says, “Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awfully lonely.” (p86) Hearing this it tells us that nobody talks to her because if Curley catches them, he will try to beat them up and get them fired. We can also tell because earlier in the book Crooks says, “You’re not wanted here.” (p79) This also tells us that none of the migrant workers like to talk to her. She dreams of becoming a movie star and living a better life somewhere else other than a ranch.
In the novel Of Mice and Men, written during the Great Depression, loneliness is a very important theme. Albert Schweitzer said, “We are all so much together, but we are all dying of loneliness.” Throughout the story loneliness has impacted the lives of many migrant workers during

the Great Depression.