Currently, the traditional mindset of society perpetuates this fantasy. The stereotypical, men work and women nurture mindset is extinct, however, expectations are caught in the past. The sacrifices men make include too much time away from home, many weekends at the computer, and inconvenient travel while receiving no sympathy. At the same time, men need to, "spend more time with their children, and are more involved with their home lives, than ever before" (701). The double standard of endless sacrifices paired with trying to increase influence around the home is no recipe for success.
Of Mice and Men captures all of the aspects of the time period that affect the dreams of the characters. Whether it be race, gender, or disability no character lets their dream be out of reach. The characters’ loneliness is also diminished because they form friendships and come together to form a dream that includes them all. Lennie can never reach his dream because of his cruel fate, Curley’s Wife never reaches hers, and the other men fall short in achieving their dream, as well. The Great Depression was a time in which it was hard to pursue a dream and even harder to achieve it.
Loneliness In the novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, there are two men George Milton and Lennie Small who share the same dream of owning their own ranch someday. This novel was written during the Great Depression where many people would go out and find work. Represented by the characters George and Lennie the two men show the hardship of finding work. George and Lennie were two lucky men who had the companionship many others did not. Other men like Carlson, Crooks, Candy, and Slim would go out on their own and would often be very lonely as they didn’t have any family with them.
People from all different ages and backgrounds have experienced loneliness. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, a man named George Milton has the responsibility of taking care of a child-minded man named Lennie Small. George has a difficult time always trying to keep Lennie in line, but Lennie manages to create trouble wherever he goes. Along the way George and Lennie have created a family-like relationship because of only having each other. Throughout the book Of Mice and Men, loneliness impacts the characters Candy, Crooks, and Curly’s wife.
His behaviour and mindset following the revelation that his dream is no longer obtainable clearly indicate that George no longer believes in his dream, he has acknowledged the fact that his dream is no longer attainable. When George discovers that Lennie has killed Curley’s wife, he ignores Candy’s pleas to maintain hope that their dream can come true, rather he begins to envision himself living the life of a lonely migrant farm worker. A quote that illustrates this belief can be found on page 93 where George states “I’ll work my month an’ I’ll take my fifty bucks an’ I’ll stay all night in some lousy cat house. Or I’ll set in some pool room till ever’body goes home. An’ then I’ll come back an’ work another month an’ I’ll have fifty bucks more.” Here John Steinbeck uses repetition to make it abundantly clear to the reader that George has forsaken his dream, and chosen to become the lonely farm worker he once felt empathy towards.
The two main characters in this story are George and Lennie, they travel together and yet both express their struggles and fears of being alone. Very early in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George shares with Lennie how he wishes he were alone. He is one of the few character who actually has someone to keep him from loneliness, yet he wishes to be alone. He has tolerated living and traveling with Lennie for so long that he wishes he could experience what it would be like to be alone. In the same way his partner Lennie threatens him that he will just go up into the mountains and find a cave and live without him.
In the skillful novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the author carefully portrays the idea of loneliness and prejudice of outsiders in society during the hostile Great Depression. The author was even clever in where the story took place in Soledad, California, which translates to loneliness in Spanish. The story was based off Steinbeck’s own experiences as a rancher in 1929 when the stock market crashed, expressing that a rancher’s lifestyle was one of the desolate lives to live. The author uses the novel Of Mice and Men to deliver a greater message of being one who does not fit into mainstream society. Steinbeck uses characterization within the book through specific characters, such as Crooks, Curley’s Wife, and George, to express major themes of loneliness and prejudice and bringing awareness to the readers.
When quit their jobs, George planned out a dreamland of how they will live when they get enough money to move to their own house. Lennie is huge, sweet, caring, unsmart guy in the book. Steinbeck was successful at making Lennie sympathetic because he cares about everything and will always be there for George but other characters keep sizing up to him and he doesn’t know how to fight. Lennie is clueless, kind, but forgets things easily. Others say that Lennie is useless at his job and should stay with George at all times.
In the book Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, he writes about two men one named Lennie and one named George having a dream, but is ruined through the troubles of Lennie 's doings. This book was written in the 1930’s talking about migrant workers and how they survived through that era. In that era all migrant workers preferably work alone, but with George and Lennie they stick together because Lennie is a more challenged person so he doesn 't know his wrong doings which causes lots of trouble for George. On page 94, one of the most significant passages is written on having a dialogue between George and Candy about how they were unable to get the farm because Lennie had ruined their chances of getting it. Steinbeck creates a motif of loneliness through the different characters he writes about, ties in different strands of the story to make one storyline, and foreshadows events to come.
During the course of the novel, Steinbeck provides indications of isolation and loneliness, as notable among being one of the novel’s motifs. These traits are portrayed in the novel’s setting, characters and their thoughts. Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice and Men” is centred around two workers, Lennie and George, and their friendship. George is a small, witty man while Lennie is a larger man with a “shapeless” face and is mentally slow. They begin working at a farm in the town of Soledad, meaning 'lonely ' in Spanish.