Of Mice And Men Isolation

Of Mice and Men is a novel written by John Steinbeck in the year of 1937. This novel is set in the small town of Soledad, California during the great depression. While suffering in the battles of the time period they are set in, two friends, George and Lennie strive for the hopes of owning their very own ranch one day. While this novel is about George and Lennie’s friendship, it is also about the theme of loneliness and isolation. Many of the minor characters in this novel have one thing in common: they are very lonely due to the obstacles that they have been dealt in life. Steinbeck uses the minor characters of Candy and Curley’s wife to show the novel’s theme of loneliness by highlighting the isolation that both characters go through while …show more content…
The other characters in the novel prejudge them and make remarks about what they see in the characters without knowing why they are that way. Candy’s first impression with the other characters comes off as isolated when he says “A guy on a ranch don’t never listen nor he don’t ast no questions” (67). He is showing them that he has already been isolated. Curley’s wife is also judged very unpleasantly when she is first seen. “George looked around to Lennie. “Jesus, what a tramp”” (30). George has just seen Curley’s wife and is already calling her a tramp to others for the way that she looks. Even though the other characters already have their own opinions, Candy does have real reasons to be as isolated as he …show more content…
It shows this because both characters were judged as the useless old swamper or the tramp without knowing why they are so isolated and lonely in their life. The theme of loneliness is an important theme in literature because it forced the reader to connect with the character by bringing emotions into the reader’s thoughts. While reading Of Mice and Men the reader may start to realize that they treat others the same as the other characters treated Candy and Curley’s wife. This novel may challenge the reader to get to know people before judging them. It may also give them more compassionateness for others who are lonely or isolated that they know. Next time, they may think of Candy and Curley’s wife’s situations when they are thinking about prejudging someone based on how they may seem at first