Loneliness

The characters, even admit to feeling lonely and/or secluded because it affects their daily lives tremendously. The fact that Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife admit to complete strangers about their fear of being cast off is just another reason to believe that they are in complete desperation. All this evidence supports my thesis on why I strongly believe that I consider loneliness as the perfect theme to this essay.

New York, NY: Penguin, 1993. Print. Steinbeck, John. "Chapter 05." Of Mice and Men.

Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin, 1993. Print.

The story is also about the loneliness of most of these workers, and this is why the fact that George and Lennie travel together is strange to most of the ranch hands. The name of the novella comes from a famous poem by Robert Burns which is called, “To a Mouse” – “...the best laid schemes o’ Mice and Men, Gang aft agley”. This basically means that however much you plan something out and figure out in detail what you will do, the future is unpredictable and plans can easily go wrong. The main characters of the novella are people who face challenges in life. The major themes which are expressed throughout the novella are loneliness, friendship and racism.

The Theme of Loneliness in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men "Of Mice and Men" is a skillful novel, which deals with the theme of `outsiders', that is, individuals who do not fit into the mainstream of society. The novel portrays this idea of loneliness throughout John Steinbeck's stimulating and exciting novel. There are several clearly identified themes running through the novel. The loyalty and friendship which exists between two men, George and Lennie, and the hostile environment of America during the American Depression. But, the main two themes of `Of Mice and Men' were loneliness and prejudice.

They says he wasn’t good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here i wisht somebody’d shoot me - Candy”. This quote shows how Candy was so lonely that he would rather want someone to kill himself instead of his dog because without his dog, he is now even more lonely. He is more lonelier than when he was before because be... ... middle of paper ... ... Wife”. This shows an example of how she gets lonely because she does not get to come out her house and talk to anyone.

A tragic figure is a virtuous and great characters whose actions and flaws lead to a downfall. In the books, Things fall apart, Antigone, and Of Mice and Men, various characters are portrayed as the tragic figure. However, George from Of Mice and Men, Creon from Antigone, and Okonkwo from Things Fall Apart, all show great signs of being the tragic figure and protagonist of the book they originate in. Each character has a hubris, a tragic flaw, an epiphany, and a tragic downfall leading to end of the novella. George, a migrant worker, working on a ranch, is portrayed as the tragic figure or character in Of Mice and Men because of his hubris, epiphany, and overall downfall at the end of the book.

Of Mice and Men was written and based on the settings of the Great Depression (Anderson). The Great Depression was a very dire time that left multiple of people despondent and the unavailing to move on with their lives. The Great Depression created a world where everyone had to seek and survive for themselves. In the novel Steinbeck wanted to explore and point out how powerless people where during the time of the Great Depression. Steinbeck purposely incorporated his characters to depict the life struggle of what people go through during grim times.

Quote. Ed. Norrie Epstein. The Friendly Shakespeare. New York: Penguin, 1993.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Without much doubt, reading the novel 'Of Mice and Men' does not prove to be a positive story. Its main input is sadness whether through loneliness or unhappiness in the hearts of the characters in the general social and economic environment of the time. The social context of the story is destined for loneliness as the novel was set in the times of 'Depression'-times where employment proved to be difficult. As a result many were affected by poverty and loneliness as many moved constantly in search of work. Furthermore, the setting of the story Soledad is short for the town's full name, 'Nuestra senora de Soledad' which means 'our Lady of Loneliness'.