John Steinbeck's Compassion for the Loneliness and Isolation Suffered by Ordinary People in Of Mice and Men

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John Steinbeck's Compassion for the Loneliness and Isolation Suffered by Ordinary People in Of Mice and Men

The Great Depression was the worst and longest economic collapse in

the history of the modern industrial world, lasting from the end of

1929 until the early 1940's. The Depression was caused by a number of

serious weaknesses in the U.S. economy. The lingering effects of World

War 1 caused economic problems in many countries, as Europe struggled

to pay war debts and reparations. These problems contributed to the

crisis that began the Great Depression. The unstable economy and the

uneven distribution of wealth led the American economy to collapse.

Factories closed, banks failed and unemployment soared. Agricultural

areas suffered too. As the price of crops fell some farmers could not

repay their loans and their homes and land were taken from them. Those

who had managed to stay afloat then faced a natural disaster. A long

period of drought had reduced the soil to little more than dust in

some areas. High winds then blew the top layer of soil away just

leaving the exposed rock and grit below. The land was barren and

worthless. Consequently, the homesteads were boarded up and these

families went on the road like so many millions of others, in search

of work. As there was so much unemployment and competition for jobs,

men saw each other as competition, this conveys a sense of loneliness

and isolation that friendship would be a luxury so one would not be

able to have companionship. This is shown in 'Of Mice and Men' as

everyone believes that George and Lennie travelling 'together' is

strange.

John Steinbeck can relate to this as he...

... middle of paper ...

...makes her seem even

more tragic and isolated.

But the ultimate isolation, throughout the whole novel, is when George

shoots Lennie. George knows, that when he does this he will be like

"every other guy" out there as he explained before. " 'Guys like us

that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world.'" He makes

a massive and terrible sacrifice for Lennie. He will no longer have

companionship, but he will not have the burden of Lennie anymore.

Steinbeck shows great compassion for the isolation and loneliness of

each and every character in the novel, especially George but also

Crooks is a very big part of isolation too. As Steinbeck travelled

himself, he understands what they went through and explains perfectly

what it is like for each of them. He makes the reader sympathise with

every single character.

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