How Does Steinbeck Present The Theme Of Loneliness In Of Mice And Men

Ximena Sandoval Period 1 April 8th, 2024.

Of Mice and Men

George said, “Guys like us, who work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world.But not us.” On page 13 of the novela, Of Mice And Men, written by John Steinbeck, which is about two migrant workers, Lennie and George. They had recently been hired on a ranch in Salinas. George and Lennie face several problems throughout the novel because of Lennie’s disability. The themes of strong versus weak, friendship, and loneliness, are developed in this story when Lennie frightens one of his coworkers, when George talks about how they have each other to rely on, and when people around them are weirded out by the fact that they are traveling together, for that used to be uncommon. The theme

The boss said, “Well, I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy.” On page 21. This shows that it is unusual for men to work with each other. In the middle of the book, Candy talks about how he has no one left. “...I ain’t got no relatives nor nothing.” (56) This shows that it is likely that most men who work on these ranches have lost everything. Lastly, around the end of the book, Crooks talks about how he is getting sick of being alone to the point where he starts to see things and doesn’t know if they are actually there. On page 69, Crooks said, “I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick.Maybe if he sees somethin’, he don’t know whether it’s right or not.” This means that there are guys that are alone too much and maybe they start seeing things. In addition, the theme of friendship is also shown throughout the book. For instance, at the beginning of the book George said, “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world.But not us!” (13) In addition, on page 47 George said, “We’re gonna stick aroun’ a while, me an’ Lennie’s gonna roll up a stake.” Lastly, when Crooks was

I know George won’t do that.” (69) It can be concluded that most men in these ranches are very lonely, but George and Lennie have each other. Lastly, strong versus weak is another theme that is shown throughout the book. For example, in the beginning, the author talks about how Lennie kills the mice because of their size. George said, “You broke it pettin’ it because they are so little.” (9) Additionally, on page 38, George said, “...He coulda bust every bone in my body jus’ with his han’s.” This shows that Lennie is very big and strong. Lastly, Crooks felt like he was in danger when Lennie got mad. The author illustrated that, “He.walked dangerously toward Crooks.Crooks saw the danger as it approached him. He edged back on his bunk to get out of the way.”(68) It can be concluded that Lennie is big, strong, and scary. Loneliness, friendship, and strong versus weak were the strongest themes developed throughout the book. For example, when Lennie kills the mice, when George and Lennie talk about having each other, and