The Theme of Loneliness in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

The Theme of Loneliness in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

Steinbeck began writing the novel 'Of Mice and Men' in 1936, however a

'puppy in a family house' ripped up the first script one evening. This

meant that Steinbeck had to re write the script from memory and 65

years later it still remains a classic of 1930's American literature.

Steinbeck's inspiration for the novel came from his own experience of

jobs, which included a farm labourer on a ranch. This experience

subsequently helped him set the scene for 'Of Mice and Men'. The scene

for the novel is therefore on a ranch in a small town called

'Soledad'. The name of this town symbolises the theme of 'loneliness'

because of its meaning.

The book is about two men called George and Lennie who go to work at a

ranch in Soledad. These are the two main figures in the book, but

other characters such as 'Candy' and 'Slim' are also important.

George and Lennie travel together therefore they are not classed as

lonely figures in the novel. They have each other and 'give a damn'

about each other, unlike the other characters in the novel. A main

feature in the book however is the unlikely relationship between them

and when we read the novel we begin to see this and understand why it

is so unlikely.

Many characters are portrayed as being 'lonely' for different reasons.

These are mainly their age, race or gender. The disabled characters

are also lonely because of their handicap.

The central characters in the story are George and Lennie. They are

two complete opposites and we could describe them as being like 'chalk

and cheese'. These two men are forced to leave their previous

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...ing him off from the rest of the ranch workers and

Curley's wife shows that she has no attention and is lonely because

she goes round the men looking for attention off them. Coincidentally,

two of the lonely figures, Lennie and Curley's wife, end up dead, and

it is the loneliness that's brings them together in the barn.

Over all I think Steinbeck is successful in his portrayal of

loneliness, loyalty and friendship and the hostile economic

environment throughout the novel. He uses different aspects of the

characters lives to indicate that for this reason they are treated

differently. Steinbeck writes well and we sympathise with certain

characters at different parts in the story. The way Steinbeck uses

similes, rhetorical questions and symbolism helps us relate to the

characters, consequently making us care about them.