Of Mice and Men

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Of Mice and Men-Loneliness and Isolation Steinbeck uses Loneliness and Isolation as two main themes in 'Of Mice and Men' due to the effects of the Great Depression on ordinary people in the agricultural areas of America. The Great Depression was a time when many workers lost their jobs; people became unemployed and the country was at the point of being bankrupt. These issues caused loneliness and isolation to the people within the agricultural areas of the USA. The Depression was also a time where the rate of unemployment was high and even jobs that were available were of very low pay, this was because of seasonal farming. This affected agricultural areas the most. Many thousands found themselves homeless and very isolated like George and Lennie because of this. Furthermore, food prices and items increased making it more difficult to get hold of a job at the time. In some cases people would not get work at all, which is why most characters in 'Of Mice and Men' found themselves in a very lonely and isolated environment. John Steinbeck was well known in American literature in the 20th Century and still is. Steinbeck had a tough time during his childhood as he witnessed the loneliness and isolation people suffered at the time of the Great Depression. Steinbeck's father worked on a farm like Lennie and George and so John Steinbeck himself felt the isolation which his father felt. This inspired him to write books showing the loneliness and isolation that people felt at the time. He wrote the novel 'Of Mice and Men' because he wanted people to know what it was like at the time and how people suffered and felt at the time. Loneliness and Isolation were big issues at the time of the Depression. It went on for a vast majority of time, so many thousands suffered. Relationships were affected in most cases because people had to leave their families to find work in
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