Loneliness In Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a novella about two migrant workers who face countless hardships during the Great Depression. One of the migrant workers, Lennie Smalls, is a strong man with a mental disorder that causes him to behave like a young child. This creates detrimental problems for Lennie and George Milton, the other migrant worker. Throughout the story, Steinbeck conveys a number of themes, two of which include friendship and loneliness; Steinbeck is able to communicate these themes by using literary devices.

One could argue the common theme of Of Mice and Men is friendship. Steinbeck is able to show many aspects of friendship through his use of connotative diction. When Steinbeck uses words like “snapped” and “delighted”, he is able to show Lennie and

Many of the characters in the story experience loneliness as they often travel for work, but Crooks’ loneliness is a result of the social climate of the time. Of Mice and Men takes place during the Great Depression, when racism and segregation were apparent. Steinbeck expresses Crooks’ loneliness through his use of details. When Lennie enters Crooks’ room, Crooks repeatedly tells Lennie to leave as he is not wanted there, just as Crooks is not allowed in the bunkhouse. Lennie is perplexed by Crooks’ rejection and asks him why he is not wanted in the bunkhouse. Crooks sharply explains, “‘Cause I’m black’” (Steinbeck 68). Steinbeck continues to frame Crooks’ loneliness by using connotative diction to describe Crooks’ room. He has a significant number of books and keeps his room clean because he is, as the narrator describes, “...a proud, aloof man. He kept his distance and demanded that people keep theirs” (Steinbeck 67). Throughout the chapter, one is able to decode that Crooks does not want to be alone; one is able to realize this because of Steinbeck's use of literary