John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men In the novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck establishes an evident

contrast between the individual men who work on the ranch and lead

solitary lives, and the two main characters, George and Lennie, who

function as a family unit and share a common dream. Steinbeck

effectively develops the theme of loneliness and alienation through

the use of other characters as representations of minorities. The

theme is used as motivation for many of the character’s actions. This

leads up to the novels ironic resolution that may be viewed as a

suggestion of Steinbeck’s philosophy about life and living.

The novel begins in a utopic setting and within the first chapter

George tells of the dream he and Lennie share. The opening line of

the story makes it evident that George and Lennie “ain’t like that”

(14) when compared to “Guys like us, that work on ranches [who] are