Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

In the 1930’s, the rates of unemployment increased significantly for migrant workers due to the great depression. In 1937 John Steinbeck tells of a journey shared within a partnership between George Milton and mentally disabled, Lennie Small, who set out to find work on a ranch in the Salinas Valley in order to pursue the American Dream of owning their own ranch and becoming self sufficient. Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men holds the key to discovering why individuals fear loneliness through symbols such as purposelessness, companionship, and hope. George attempts to prove to Lennie that he is not fit to tend for the rabbits and any other animals whatsoever. The rabbits imply purposelessness and symbolizes how both the rabbits and Lennie are useless through their own careless actions. These actions cause conflicts that proves to be true in the beginning of the story when Lennie tears a woman’s red dress. ¨ he hell with the rabbits. An’ you ain’t to be trusted with no live mice...’¨ (Steinbeck, 10) This quote develops the theme that being alone frightens people by foreshadowing that Lennie will one day be all alone and a victim to estranged activity and xenophobic groups that blackball him from society. …show more content…
¨The silence fell on the room again. A minute passed, and another minute. Candy lay still, staring… there came a gnawing sound from under the floor and all the men looked down toward it gratefully. Only Candy stared at the ceiling.¨ (Steinbeck, 49) This text displays the silence in the room after the death of Candy’s dog, which reveals the empathy the others feel for Candy, for he had just lost a companion. This action signifies the awkwardness in the room, which helps develop the theme that no one wants to be left alone. Candy’s actions show how loneliness acts like an evil entity that everyone should