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How Does Steinbeck Present Loneliness

Good Essays

The harsh and lonely characteristics of crooks emphasize the loneliness theme shown throughout the book.

The realistic fiction novella Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck explains the journey of two migrant farm workers. The main characters: Lennie and George are thrown at with many challenges they are forced to overcome, one being the time it takes place in. The story takes place during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression around 1938, which makes jobs even harder to come by because everyone wanted one. Lennie and George were kicked out of weed, and now work at a ranch in Soledad. At the new farm the friendship between Lennie and George becomes harder to maintain. The people on the farm are all different shapes, sizes, and are from different backgrounds, yet they all are very familiar with one concept: loneliness. The character most familiar with this concept is Crooks. In Of mice and men, John Steinbeck creates the isolated characterization of Crooks by describing how he looks, what he says, and his actions to emphasize the theme of loneliness that occurs throughout the book.

In this time period, being a different color than everyone else was not a benefit. The color of skin is a simple aspect enough. However, it separates him in ways beyond imaginable, making Crooks very lonely. Steinbeck made it seem so important that he was a different color sets the scene of the prejudice in the time of the dust bowl. When Crooks is first mentioned, one of the first things mentioned

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