Isolationism In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

What does isolation feel like and, consequently, what effects can it have on people? The characters in Of Mice and Men are troubled by their self struggles of isolationism and their dreams to overcome it. This book goes into depth about the lonely line of work these men endure and how no one cares for each other in this solitary world. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, The feelings of Crooks, Curley’s wife, and George that are expressed in the novel, reveals the theme that people who are isolated, act out in different ways to help them cope with the absence of human companionship. To begin, Crooks is the stable buck on the ranch who does everything all the other workers do, yet, he will never be able to stay in the bunkhouse because …show more content…
George and Lennie fantasized about the day when they could finally live on their own land and have nobody to work for but themselves. This idea motivated them to keep working and traveling together. In many chapters, George refers back to the men who work on ranches do not make friends with anyone because they are packing up and leaving constantly. This is not true for George and Lennie, who have always had each other no matter where they went, but after George discovers that Lennie had killed Curley’s wife, his dream is immediately thrown away, “I’ll work my month an’ I’ll stay all night in some lousy cat house. An’ then I’ll come back an’ work another month an’ I’ll have fifty bucks more.” George tells Candy after they discover what Lennie had done. The lonely ranch workers are the type of people George doesn’t want to become, but after he realizes he must shoot Lennie, that is exactly what he will be. This quote shows that George has given up the dream that he and Lennie had been building up, and now will travel from place to place, wasting all his money just to come back and work …show more content…
The theme in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men that people who are isolated, act out in different ways to help them cope with the absence of human companionship, can be proven by the examples that Steinbeck has presented in the novel. This includes the bitter and spitefulness personality of Crooks towards everyone, attention seeking and desperateness to whoever will look your way represented by Curley's wife, and throwing away a life that you have dreamed of like George after he realizes he will be alone without Lennie. In conclusion, the feeling of isolation is felt differently for everyone, but the effects it can have on us all can be traumatic and