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A Critical Analysis of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck has been known for his best-selling novel The Grapes of Wrath. Later in the years he earned the Pulitzer Prize for the same story. In his younger years, Steinbeck labored as a farmer by picking fruit and hatching trout. This gave him not only the idea of the story, but the places it takes for the story Of Mice and Men. Born in Salinas, California, he also found opportunities in labor and consistent loneliness without his family that he left behind in order to work. If one theme can be thought of as defining the plot and symbolism of Of Mice and Men, that theme is loneliness. In many ways, from the outspoken to the subtle (such as Steinbeck's decision to set the novel near Soledad, California, a town whose name defines "solitude" in Spanish), the presence of loneliness defines the actions of the diverse characters in the book. Characters maintain a distant relationship in between them, so as their actions performed “alone”. The itinerant farm worker of the Great Depression found it nearly impossible to establish a fixed home. These men were forced to wander from ranch to ranch seeking temporary employment, to live in bunk houses with strangers, and to suffer the abuses of arbitrary bosses. George recognizes the misery of this situation at several points during his teachings towards Lennie - "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place" (15). Of course, as George's monologue puts it, "With [George and Lennie] it ain't like that." He and Lennie have found companionship; they watch out for one another. And beyond that, they have a dream of finding a fixed place they could call home, a farm of their own. They are doing what they can to resist sinking into miserable loneliness, which seems to be the lot of so many other itinerant workers. This dream, of course, does not come to fruition, and indeed Steinbeck seems to have designed his bleak world to preclude the possibility of escape from the cycles of loneliness and hollow companionship (whether found in drink, in prostitutes, in gambling) that come with financial hardship and dislocation. And it's not just the workers - most of the characters in Of Mice and Men demonstrate signs of desperate isolation, including those who can be said to have settled into a permanent situation. Candy, the only other character (aside from Lennie and George) who has an unconditional love for a fellow creature (in Candy's case, his old and feeble dog), is left behind when Carlson takes his dog out back and shoots it. He was the only person that had a companionship until then. Candy's immediate attachment to George and Lennie's plan to settle on a farm of their own can be seen as a natural emotional progression following his loss - he looks for new companionship, now that he has lost his poor dog. Of the other characters, Crooks and Curley's wife also show signs of desperate loneliness, though they respond quite differently. Each is isolated because of special mistreatment or disabilities. Because Crooks is African-American, he is shunned by the other men; as we see at the beginning of Chapter Four, he spends his time in his room, “alone and bitter”. Curley's wife also spends her days hounded by her mean-spirited husband; her attempts to reach out to the other men backfire and win her the (not undeserved) reputation of a flirt. The home alone environment has set them as what they are, bored and lonely. Both characters, despite their hard and bitter shells, reveal a desire to overcome their loneliness and win friends. Their efforts hinge on Lennie, whose feeble-mindedness renders him unaware of the social stigmas attached to the two. Of course both episodes - Lennie's visit with Crooks in Chapter Four and his talk with Curley's wife in Chapter Five - end (respectively) in bitterness and tragedy. Thus Steinbeck further reinforces the bleakness of life in his fictional world. The one man who could serve as a nonjudgmental companion cannot coexist safely with others. People’s role in the society is dramatically driven by loneliness so as what they do. George’s favorite card game is no other than Solitaire. This is not to say that it is insignificant, but it helps convey the feelings and emotions that surround the major characters rather than its own. The desire of being alone persisted once George neglected the fact that Lennie wanted to play cards with him. He will rather ignore Lennie and change the theme of the game or will walk away. Manifested many times, the theme of loneliness is often the dominant theme in the work. It is seen throughout the whole story but with some breaks between due to the fact there is many other themes. John Steinbeck took a great opportunity and time to create this work. He had the experience and talent over what meant to be this lonely farm worker that traveled often to search for temporary employment. Steinbeck exhibited brilliant ideas in the theme such as the name of the town, the people, and the time during the Great Depression. The dream was also a comparison to the time and setting of the story. Everyone during the time of depression had a dream of excelling during this period. During this time, part of the dream was to win friends and overcome loneliness. This loneliness is part of this society that has forced everyone to become this specific way. It only takes two foreign people to exchange the feelings of a group and make them feel in a different way. All of these feelings lead to a death. Experienced, Steinbeck overcame all obstacles and worked with the characters very detailed and one at the time. Loneliness overall meant more time for self, which is not necessary in this type of towns. Work and sleeping is all the characters did. By: E. H. Apodaca