Role Of Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

How would it feel to have no friends or family, and to feel like you had no hope for the future? Although this seems unreal, these feelings were reality for people in CAlifornia, and the rest of America, during the 1930s. John Steinbeck, the author of Of Mice and Men, conveys a different story of different communities and how they experienced loneliness during the Great Depression. Characters such as Crooks, Curley’s wife, and George are used to prove that loneliness is an inevitable part of existing as a human being, according to Steinbeck who saw that, especially in the 1930s, when entire groups were isolated from each other. Steinbeck’s clearest example of human loneliness and frustration appears to be Crooks because of racial segregation. In Chapter Four, Crooks began to pour out his thoughts to Lennie stating, “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long he’s with you. I tell ya,” he cried, “ I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick” (Steinbeck 37). When Crooks ranted to Lennie, the physically large man appeared inattentive. In a way,

Before she divulged to Lennie in Chapter Five, the text declared, “Wha’s the matter with me?” she cried. “Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody?” (Steinbeck 43). Since there were no other women on the ranch, Curley’s wife attempted to befriend or flirt with the ranch hands despite her spouse’s obvious derision. To avoid trouble, the workers tried and struggled to avoid conversing with her. Accused of being a “tart,” the lonesome woman felt trapped and forlorn in a loveless marriage with no friends or family by her side. Furthermore, she experienced distress because of the lack of support from her mother and the absence of hope for a joyful, extravagant future. As the only woman in the story, many readers can relate to her pain and