How Does Steinbeck Present Loneliness In Of Mice And Men

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a story set during the Great Depression. The main characters being migrant workers, George and Lennie, who travel together from place to place to find work. Despite their differences, they share a dream of owning their own farm and living off the land. This novella explores in depth themes of loneliness, isolation, and the American Dream along with the grating realities of life during the Great Depression. Steinbeck explores the idea of dreams by contrasting the characters' hopes and aspirations with the harsh realities of their lives.

According to the book, loneliness can have a profound impact on a person's emotional and mental health. Curely’s wife is a character Steinbeck uses to show how being

The bosses on the ranches pay their workers very little and treat them poorly, knowing that they have few other options for employment. The workers do whatever it takes for them to survive, including working long hours in dangerous conditions and enduring mistreatment from their bosses. In chapter 3, Candy states, “You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn’t no good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me. But they won’t do nothing like that. I won’t have no place to go, an’ I can’t get no more jobs.” This shows how although workers are mistreated, they often don’t have any other option and just have to live with it. The predatory world of Steinbeck is one in which the strong prey on the weak, and the vulnerable are left to fend for themselves. This is evident in the treatment if characters like Candy, Crooks, and Curely’s wife, who are all marginalized and oppressed in different ways due to their age, race, and

In Chapter 5, she states, “I lived right in Salinas. Come there when I was a kid. Well a show come through, an’ I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol’ lady wouldn’t let me. She says because I was on’y fifteen. But the guy says I coulda. If I’d went, I wouldn’t be livin like this, you bet.’’ This explains how Curley’s Wife had a dream she didn’t get to fulfill. If she was able to fulfill her dream, it would mean that she could leave the ranch and escape from her unhappy life. It would give her the chance to be recognized and admired for her talents, and to experience the glamor and excitement of Hollywood. As a movie star, she would be able to live a life of luxury and freedom, and would no longer be oppressed by the men on the ranch. Her dream represents a way out of the ruthless realities of her life, and a chance to find happiness and