Luke McFarlane and Evelyn Rygielski Mr. Rothey Honors College Prep English 9 - 7/8 20 January 2023 Final OMAM Lit Analysis John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is a classic by any standard, tying together literary elements such as motifs and symbols to capture the hardship brought on by the Great Depression. Steinbeck achieves this level of clarity regarding the Great Depression by focusing on a farm in California with a variety of complex characters, each with their own aspirations and goals. Of these literary elements and complex characters, Steinbeck presents isolation as a cycle that persists with circumstance and behavior, broken only by true friendship, through the characters of Lennie, George, Crooks, and Curley’s wife. Lennie’s isolation …show more content…
George constantly complains about Lennie and goes as far as to say, “ ‘If I was alone I could live so easy.’ His voice was monotonous, had no emphasis. ‘I could get a job an’ not have no mess’ He stopped” (103). Steinbeck conveys this recurring theme of isolation through George’s rage towards Lennie, the only possible friend he ever had. However, conflict and bitterness do not bear well with any relationship, which will ultimately lead to feelings of solitude and resentment. George has no one to lean back on, admitting that everyone else on the ranch, “...make[s] a little stake an’ then they blow it in. They ain’t got nobody in the worl’ that gives a hoot in hell about ‘em-----’....‘We got each other, that’s what, that gives a hoot in hell about us,” (104). George and the others on the farm were deprived of true friendship due to the circumstances they were forced to bide during a time of economic uncertainty and disparity. In this sense, seclusion is used to describe the way George felt obligated to take care of Lennie, leaving him feeling alone, and persisting in self-destructive behavior from both parties. For instance, George must return to his old life following the death of Lennie, fundamentally continuing the cycle of isolation perpetuated by those on the farm. In the end, George prolongs the …show more content…
From the moment the readers are introduced to Crooks, he is described to have a crooked back, is a black man in the 1930s, and repeatedly faces abuse from the Boss, all of which hinder his ability to make meaningful connections with the others on the ranch. Even when offered the opportunity to withdraw from the cycle, he rejects it for fear of what would happen if he were to surrender to his marginalized position. Lennie, oblivious to the racism and ableism Crooks has grown accustomed to, attempts to communicate with Crooks but is shot down with, “[w]ell, I got a right to have a light. You go on get outta my room. I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain’t wanted in my room” (68). Crooks explains how he is excluded from the rest of the farm due to his skin color, but continues the cycle of isolation by pushing Lennie away. Eventually, Crooks yields his rough exterior and tells the laborers to, “[c]ome on in. If everybody’s comin’ in, you might just as well.’ It was difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger” (75). Crooks’ caching of his true emotions demonstrates the joy of friendship and the release it holds against the cycle of isolation. Without friendship, he would continue to suffer through the process, but, as he softens up to the farmers around him, he finds a sense of community. Association