Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, published in 1937, describes a world where the American Dream is simple, yet hard to achieve. The story took place during the Great Depression, in California, with two main characters George and Lennie. Trying to make money to live off the phat of the land. But there is one main theme in the novella that stands out, loneliest, but it will be hard to determine which character is the loneliest, because quite frequently every character is lonely. Crooks a colored man living in a time of racistism, and on a farm with a lot of white colored men and woman, with a few willing to talk to to him. Crooks is the loneliest character in the novella because he is decremented, crippled, and alone.
Crooks is alone.
Among many of the characters, Crooks behaves by isolating himself due to loneliness because of his skin color. Although it is not as popular as it was before, racism is still active today and has been going on for generations. The author strongly portrays loneliness within Crooks as many examples are shown throughout the story, one being easily exposed to discrimination because he is the only black person at the ranch. It’s also easy to tell he isn’t welcomed when it comes to socializing with others for many reasons; he lives in a shack where urinating on the floor is the only option, has the job of a stable buck, and is talked by no one. Obviously, Crooks is isolated on purpose and is only kept to do the dirty work. “A guy goes nuts if he
In 1929, tears swept the nation and gloom bestowed itself upon a once happy place. The Great Depression had started. People lost everything ,so many became migrant workers. Of Mice and Men, a classic novel written by John Steinbeck, emphasizes many sad themes, but gives us a good insight on what life was like in the 1940’s for many people. Although there are other themes, rootlessness, loneliness, and poverty are extremely prominent throughout the novel in many characters.
Then ten years later in the book, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck covers the American dream during the height of the Great Depression. This book is about two men, George and Lennie, who are trying to achieve their dream by working at a ranch. The books depict how the American dream
Through Of Mice and Men, author John Steinbeck illustrates Disappointment and loneliness through characters. Of Mice and Men is set in the great depression where it was hard for every American. For example Curley’s wife, Crooks, and George all express their disappointment and struggles through the story. Between the three characters, Steinbeck presents the “American Dream” as something all the characters want but will never receive.
Another lonely character is Crooks, the African- American stable hand who works on the ranch. Sadly, Crooks is the only black man on the ranch, so he is cast aside for his skin color. One day, Lennie goes into Crook’s little shack, and Crooks gets angry. He knows that he is not welcome in the bunkhouse so he doesn't know why Lennie is aloud in his room. In the end, he is happy for the company, as the none of the other ranch hands talk to him. Knowing Lennie will not pick up on anything he says, Crooks rambles about his plight. Having nobody like you or that you can identify with is extremely isolating and annoying, especially during the Great Depression when black people are not thought of positively. Crooks even admits. Although in vain,
Around the time of Great Depression people chased the American Dream in an attempt to escape from their reality. In the book of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck introduces a story of two men struggling to achieve their dream of owning land. The book touches lots of issues that existed around the time it was written. The story has many that characters faced prejudices such as being colored, mentally ill, old or a woman. In the story there are characters with broken dreams due to their position in society such as Curley’s wife who couldn't be a star or Candy who was unable to live with George and Lennie because Lennie screwed up due to his tendency to”..pet nice things.” George and Lennie struggle to buy an acre of land by salvaging enough
For example, they would have not been given basic rights such as the will of free speech or having authority over the white. Even women were considered to be higher in rank than the black. This prejudice had gone to such lengths, even the word ‘nigger’ was considered to be a common noun; this implies how vast racism was. Unfortunately for Crooks, he is the only coloured man on the ranch which means that he has been marginalized and sealed from the outside world. The fact that Crooks has been marginalized this portrays how incomplete he is for example having lack of interaction with others, no friendships and in his unused time he resides in his room alone. This reflects on him not having companionship, instead he consumes it with work, collecting items such as shoes and reading books repeatedly. The emotion loneliness is a key theme throughout the text; this resembles the character of
The novella ‘Of Mice and Men’ written by Steinbeck was set in America in the 1930s, when the Great Depression was happening, as a result of the Wall Street Crash in 1929. Many people were affected by this catastrophe, especially farmers who lost their jobs and were forced to leave their homes and travel to other areas with more money, such as ‘Golden California’ to find work on ranches because of economic depression, poverty and social inequalities. Steinbeck based his novella on the American dream because he knew that during that era,
It can be argued that Crooks is the loneliest character in the novel. This is because he is segregated due to his race. He is the only black person on the ranch so has absolutely no one to talk to. The other characters think of him as being dirty and inferior to white people and Crooks himself has become so used to
‘Of mice and men’ is a tale of loneliness and hardship felt by the people living in America during the 1930 's. Written by John Steinbeck and published in 1937, it tells the heartbreaking story of two ranch workers during the depression; George Milton and Lennie Small. At the time America was very poor, with a shortage of jobs so people had to travel in search of new jobs. As many people were constantly moving, lasting friendships or relationships were hard to come across. People became scared to have friendships, scared of each other making them lonely and isolated. Most of the characters lived by ‘every man for himself’; only having to care for themselves, not having to worry about others and therefore
Crooks, another ranch hand, is one of these characters. Crooks is an African American ranch hand with a deformed back. Though many argue that he is better off than all the other ranch hands throughout the novel because he has a more stable job and has his own place to stay. He feels lonely because no one wants to really be around him because of the fact that he is African American. Crooks is not the only one who deals with loneliness; Curley’s Wife is a character that deals with loneliness.
The novella “Of Mice and Men” written by John Steinbeck in 1937 is a novel that juxtaposes hope and dreams against hardships and perseverance. Readers are positioned to accept the unattainability of the American dream during the great depression. The statement “...every damn one of ‘em’s got a little piece of land in his head. And never a God damn one of ‘em ever gets it” (Pg.73) is plausible to a great extent, exemplified through the failure of several characters hoping in achieving their own dreams. This is mainly emphasised with George and Lennie’s goal to own land, Crookes dream of racial equality and Curley’s wife’s wish of being noticed in society.
The novella, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, takes place during the Great Depression; George and Lennie work on a ranch, hoping they can get enough money to buy their own land. George doesn’t want to wander all over; he dreams of is owning his own plot and working it with Lennie. Although in the end his struggles overcome him and he fails to fulfill his wishes, his dream drives him forward. Even though, it’s hard for one to follow their dreams and society won't always support people who dream, it’s still important to try and pursue them. There are many factors that make it very difficult for George to pursue his dream.
Freedom and contentment are constantly endeavored by American citizens. The truth about America in the 1930s can be found through the rigorous representation by John Steinbeck. Of Mice and Men details the realities of struggling Americans during the Great Depression, as their ambitions for their aspirations are deprived. This piece of literature presents two main characters, George and Lennie, having a dream but never obtaining it. The American Dream is established multiple times within Steinbeck’s novella. George and Lennie, Crooks, and Curley’s wife strive to reach their American Dream under difficult circumstances.
John Steinbeck, an American novelist, is well-known for his familiar themes of depression and loneliness. He uses these themes throughout a majority of his novels. These themes come from his childhood and growing up during the stock market crash. A reader can see his depiction of his childhood era. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows the prominent themes of loneliness, the need for relationships, and the loss of dreams in the 1930s through the novels’ character.