Theme of Loneliness in of Mice and Men

442 Words2 Pages
1 Explore how Steinbeck develops the theme of loneliness in Of mice and Men. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck expresses the theme of loneliness through key characters throughout the novel. Steinbeck leaves the message that loneliness is an ever­present problem for people in that time frame and ultimately, people of the present day. In the novel, some of the key characters this message is shown through is Candy, Curleys wife, Lennie and Crooks. Candy is lonely because of his old age although it is somewhat helped by the fact he has a dog but as we know, he is left high and dry after the residents of the bunkhouse choose to eradicate it for it was in pain and also smelling. Curleys wife throughout is negatively portrayed to the reader by the workers on the ranch and therefore is not left with anyone on her side, ultimately, making her lonely despite having a husband. The fact that Lennie is so incapable of getting along with people who he doesn’t already know well, this leaves him almost completely reliable on George in the book. Last but not least, Crooks is left without companionship on the ranch for various reasons. In the novel, the ranch is a huge symbolism of loneliness. It is described to be in Soledad on the west coast of America. In Spanish the word soledad literally means loneliness ,which chances are, wasn’t a coincidence as it summarises the ranch as it is a safe haven for migrant workers, all of which travel alone apart from Lennie and George who almost mess with fate as it is not usual, nay, right for migrant workers to travel not on their own. It is possible for people to debate that this foreshadows the ultimatum of George and Lennie being split up, at Lennies expense. On the other hand, the coalition that is Lennie and George could also play the part of the inception to the workers on the ranch that a false sense of
Open Document