The Importance Of Loneliness In Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Loneliness is something that most people experience at some point in their life. Whether it is as a child without parents or an elderly person who lost their spouse, loneliness is almost inevitable. In the novel Of Mice and Men (1937) George and Lennie, along with many other ranch workers, experience loneliness in their own way. It is the time of the Great Depression and businesses are failing, people cannot rely on anyone else to become successful. In fact, this book is about dreams and how they can be achieved (Attell 1). George and Lennie have a dream to build a place of their own and live there together without anyone telling them what to do (Steinbeck 14). Though it depicts a strong relationship between two people, Steinbeck’s Of Mice …show more content…
Hidden in the words is that it actually suggests that success only comes through independence. Whether it is the popular trend around Soledad to work alone or the time of the Great Depression where the entire country is shaken up. It could be the characters in the story, Crooks, the black stable buck who has seen many dreamers walk through the ranch and knows reality. It could be Candy, the old wise man who has also seen it all, but is seeking companionship with George and Lennie, and their dream. Curley’s wife, who was denied a job in the entertainment field by her old lady, and forced to marry a hothead like Curley. All throughout the story of Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck writes through many characters, that the only way to become successful and achieve the “American Dream” or any dream, is to be self-reliant. Curley’s wife was not self-reliant, which led to her not achieving her dream to be in the shows. Crooks is self-reliant, although he is a minority, he becomes successful by getting a job in such a harsh country and job market. Candy was not self-reliant, until his dog was put down and let Candy go on in life. George and Lennie may seem to not be self-reliant, but they are. George is self-reliant because he is always looking out for himself, not wanting to get into any trouble. This characteristic about George is what makes him achieve his dream. Lennie, on the other hand, is not self-reliant. He is obviously mentally damaged, which leads him to needing help all of the time to make his decisions. This absence of self-reliance is the end of Lennie. He is not able to achieve his goal ot tending to the rabbits and he makes a huge mistake by killing Curley’s wife, eventually leading to the death of