Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

An Exploration of Loneliness & Companionship in Of Mice and Men

The Great Depression was an era where hope among the people was scarce and the dreams/aspirations of many young Americans were shattered. John Steinbeck’s social realism novel Of Mice and Men follows the journey of George Milton and Lennie Small as they travel together searching for work and try to fight the loneliness and isolation that countless others are facing during the Great Depression. Throughout his novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck utilizes symbolism and foreshadowing to develop the motif of loneliness, ultimately conveying his perspective on the importance of companionship and the devastating effects of solitude.

One unique symbol of loneliness is Crooks, the lone

In Of Mice and Men, women were treated as less than men and are constantly demeaned and excluded. Their treatment during the Great Depression played a main role in their overall loneliness and solitude. Being the only woman on the ranch, Curley’s Wife longs for companionship and desperately wants someone to talk to or acknowledge her. She is ultimately ignored by everyone because of their fear of Curley’s jealousy and the repercussions that might follow if they are seen with her. Her loneliness is seen in Steinbeck's description of her physical appearance. She is first described as “heavily made up” and with “red fingernails” (31). This implies to the audience that she is trying to make herself more appealing to the men on the ranch to try and tempt them. But it has the opposite effect and drives them away which only fuels her loneliness and desperation. Curley’s Wife is also wearing a red dress and has her hair “hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages” (31) when she introduces herself to George and Lennie. Her red dress symbolizes both the danger of temptation and her overwhelming desire for someone to talk to. The way her hair is depicted gives the impression of something that has been manufactured or is artificial. This is another one of her attempts to project a false image of herself to fit into society’s standards of women and be more liked by the people around her. She presents herself as an overconfident woman when in reality she is hiding her desperate need for companionship. An unfortunate result of her unfulfilled need for companionship is her death when she attempts to befriend George. Altogether, Steinbeck uses the character of Curley’s Wife to develop the motif of loneliness and how it leads people to act certain ways and have unexpected