Thematic Analysis of Loneliness in the Book ‘Of Mice and Men’

Thematic Analysis of Loneliness in the Book ‘Of Mice and Men’

Loneliness remains an inevitable part of human life and that if not well-addressed, it can lead to poor psycho-emotional well-being of an individual. Many people tend to respond to loneliness differently, and while others can desire for companionship, others may respond by developing destructive behaviors. The aspect of loneliness has always been captured and represented in various forms of media and literature as a means of communicating how loneliness can have an impact on people. The book ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck highlights loneliness as an issue that affects the characters living in a small town called Soledad in Loneliness. The name of the town itself sets the theme in motion as it translates from Spanish to mean loneliness. It then becomes evident that one of the key things that the author sought to communicate with his book is to capture the issue of loneliness in society as it applied then, and it is always subtly prevalent in people’s daily lives. The concept of loneliness is identifiable through different characters in the book, which creates the idea of isolation among the people at the ranch where the narrative is set and making the readers perceive the fact that the characters believe that their lives lack meaning hence trapped in dreams. It is because of this that it is evident that each character desires to find friendship as a means to overcoming loneliness. Therefore, this essay will discuss how John Steinbeck integrated the theme of loneliness in the book ‘Of Mice and Men’ through the characters.

The narrative highlights the duality of loneliness mainly through the character of George. George is the protagonist in the story, and he not only sets the pace for the narrative and theme of loneliness itself but also through his friendship with Lennie and interaction with the people at the ranch. The duality of loneliness, as portrayed in George, can be perceived as both a blessing and, at the same time, a curse to the protagonist. Throughout the story, it is evident that there is a special form of friendship between George and Lennie, and they often believed that unlike the ranchers, they always had each other. This is evident when Lennie pleads with George to tell him about their friendship, and George narrates, “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place” (Steinbeck 7). The conversation here precedes the fact that the two characters recognize that they are lonely and have no place called. George, however, goes further to explain to Lennie, “With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us” (Steinbeck 7). Lennie and George are thus stuck together as friends because they are afraid of being alone and therefore look to each other for friendship that will pre-empt the inevitable loneliness. The duality hence is portrayed in the fact that George understands that he has a real friend in Lennie. Still, at the same time, Lennie’s character and attitude towards loneliness gradually become a burden to him. The idea that Lennie is always clinging onto George because Lennie is emotionally dependent on George gives George a sense of significance because he realizes that he is needed, thus affirming his existence. Besides, the duality is also evident when George kills Lennie and finds liberation that creates loneliness, which results from the loss of a companion. Excitingly, Steinbeck managed to turn this loneliness into the awakening of George as the character realizes that he might have had a better life without Lennie. Therefore, George remains the central figure in the narrative, and the author successfully uses him to portray the theme of loneliness through his life and friendships.

The theme of loneliness is also evident in the book as a consequence of relationships. Poorly developed relationships are always risk factors to destructive loneliness, and this is because a person becomes part of a social group as an escape from someone or something only to realize that the new social group is not the solution (Martina et al. 439). The offered explanation is evident most of the characters created by Steinbeck in the book ‘Of Mice and Men’ who portray a sense of loneliness. The one character that stands out mostly that is lonely is Curley’s wife. Steinbeck, through the narrative, stresses how Curley’s wife is isolated from the social group to the extent where she is not given a name to deny her a sense of identity. Curley’s wife is isolated partly because she is a woman and also for the fact that she is the type of woman who could not fit in on the demands of the hard-work at the ranch. The fact that the author does not give her a name amplifies the fact that she is friendless, and this is also seen from the way men are avoiding to befriend her. George sternly warns Lennie that he should not even look at Curley’s wife regardless of what she says or does because she is a jail bait (Steinbeck 27). Just like the other characters, Curley’s wife realizes that she is lonely that is why she regularly visits the bunkhouse with the pretense of looking for her husband, questions the men on whether she likes being alone in the house all the time, and even begs Lennie at the barn to talk to her because she never talks to anyone. Aside from Curley’s wife, there is also Candy, who is lonely and finds comfort in his dog. Candy’s affection for the dog is a reflection that amidst the community in which he lives, no one was his friend. Crooks, just like Curley’s wife, is in the wrong community that segregates him because of his skin color hence and leading to loneliness. It is because of the idea that he is lonely that Crooks mainly spends his time reading books instead of having company. Crooks says, “I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick” (Steinbeck 38). The phrase indicates that Crooks is very much aware of loneliness because he has been lonely and that even books cannot offer the best company. Therefore, many characters in the book are depicted as lonely.

Loneliness in the narrative can be perceived on the consequences it has had on the characters, particularly associated with dreams attached to hope. Throughout the narrative, people are seen to be having dreams for something better, and this appears to be giving them hope and an escape from their daunting reality. The characters in ‘Of Mine and Men’ are driven by loneliness to live in a delusional reality of pursuing dreams with the belief that it is through achieving these dreams that they can be loved (Meng and Liu 40). The author introduces George and Lennie while they are pursuing a dream of owning a piece of land. The dream, however, is driven by loneliness, and this becomes clear when George says that they would own property together so that when a friend comes along, they will request him or her to stay the night (Steinbeck 39). Curley’s wife is also caught up in a delusion that one day she would live in her dream world where she is a film star, and she would be loved and adored, and this is because her reality is lonely and miserable while her dreams remain unachievable. Candy also finds comfort when Crook sneers at the idea that Candy would one day own his place. In his defense, Candy portrays loneliness in the sense that achieving his dream would with his friends George and Lennie. The author of the book has thus used the concept of dreams to capture the theme of loneliness, and people look to their dreams as an escape from their socially and emotionally starved lives.

In conclusion, Steinbeck successfully managed to put forward the theme of loneliness in his book ‘Of Mice and Men’ through the characters in a manner that is seen as necessary to the plot development. The characters are living in a lonely place called Soledad and are constantly driven by the thirst for love, true friendship, and acceptance. It is this sense of loneliness that stirs up consequences of the behaviors of the characters, such as pursuing unattainable dreams and relationships to give them comfort. The author addresses the issue of loneliness from a unique perspective where everyone recognizes that they are lonely, they talk about it, and show that they desire to be a part of something significant, but still deny each other companionship. It is, therefore, this that causes psycho-social isolation among the characters, thus worsening the case of loneliness in the narrative.