The Role Of Being An Outsider In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Reality is a cruel mistress. People are seen as a certain way and categorized by their daily lives. Some never bother to look underneath the many layers that people consist

The feeling of being an outsider can occur in almost anybody's life, considering how many people there are in the world, it's almost guaranteed that they have felt different from others at some point. An outsider is someone who feels like they do not belong or that they are different from everybody else. Everybody has felt this in their life one way or another, and with this, we can conclude that being an outsider is universal. As something is universal, it’s described as being well-known or common. We have all experienced the feeling of not belonging, as feeling like an outsider can happen anywhere and at any time, whether it’s due to high standards, conflicting ideas, or social status.

David Chase a writer for the show Sopranos once said, “I said it's a cold universe and I don't mean that metaphorically. If you go out into space, it's cold. It's really cold and we don't know what's up there. We happen to be in this little pocket where there's a sun. What have we got except love and each other to guard against all that isolation and loneliness?”. Like society today, in Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men there are many outsiders. Ranging from women to people of color. People with differences are looked down upon. Every character is an outsider in their own way. Steinbeck uses the outsider to prove isolation occurs when people have differences.

Differences perceived or really have the power to alter a person's life and perception of the world. Throughout the novel “ of mice and men” by John Steinbeck, Characters are seen as different in any way live a life of isolation on the ranch. The types of isolation I have noticed throughout reading this book is Isolation of loneliness Curley's wife which is seen by her being victimized, sad, and misunderstood. Another type of Isolation is the isolation of race Crook which is seen from forcibly, isolated, bitter, and caustic. The last type of isolation I notice is the Isolation of age Candy I saw this through foreseeable, going to be isolated, worried, and sad.

Isolation is defined by Webster as the state of being in a place or situation that is separate from others. In the book, iIsolation is arguably the number one reason why these mMigrant workers act the way they do. George and Lennie are the exception to the rule because they have each other. Throughout the book, the effects of iIsolation can be noticed per the behavior of the other migrant workers. The way they act and how they perceive George and Lennie’s relationship is a direct example of the effect of isolation on human behavior.

An outsider is someone who is not accepted or is isolated from society. ‘Of Mice and Men’ is set in the 1930’s, where society considered many people as outsiders. During this period, many people were racist, sexist and prejudice towards disabled people. This is shown with several characters in the novel including Crooks, Curly’s wife and Candy who are all considered as outsiders in this novel, since they each had something that the society at that time were prejudice towards.

Despite being ignored and pushed to the side, outcasts are the characters who stand out the most. Of Mice and Men is a novel that contains major themes of hope, loss, and outcasts. It is the story of George and Lennie, two companions who work on a farm alongside friends and enemies. They are friendly with Candy, a fellow worker, and face adversity from Curley’s wife, who is the wife of their boss. Crooks is a groundskeeper who struggles to be sociable in a segregated time period.

Isolation can manifest itself in a person’s life both physically and emotionally, and it’s a bitter experience either way. Some people face prejudice because of their race while some face prejudice because of their gender or physical capabilities. In the microcosm of Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck includes various characters who stand different from the rest, like Candy, Lennie, Crooks, and Curley’s wife. Although they’re quite different from each other, they have all been rejected by others in some shape or form. With these characters, Steinbeck suggests that when people endure prejudice, they tend to isolate themselves as a result in order to protect themselves, but this leads to loneliness and more hurt.

Loneliness and Isolation Loneliness is an emotion, but more so a disease that can kill the heart and soul. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a very captivating book . Where you could find many lessons in his writing. John Steinbeck wrote this book focusing on the 1930’s working class. In Of Mice and Men there is many symbolisms, there is an important theme and message, and there are things John connected to the book from his own experiences.

In the novel Of Mice and Men the author Steinbeck conveys many themes. One big theme in the book is isolation. Isolation is to set or place apart; detach or separate so as to be alone. There are three main ideas that Steinbeck uses in Of Mice and Men to support the theme of isolation. The first idea is Racism, the next is sexism, and the last idea is the view of disabilities that people had.

Loneliness is an unavoidable fact of life that not even the strongest can avoid, but too much of it can be really unhealthy. Humans need friendship to remain mentally and physically healthy. “Social isolation and loneliness can, among other things, undermine our capacity to think clearly, and regulate our emotions, as well as paranoid experience of others” (Carly Frintner) In the novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses the devices of characterization and tone to develop the theme that loneliness is the destruction of one’s mental state state and happiness. Characterization is a device that Steinbeck uses to develop this theme because it allows the reader to see the deeper parts of a character.

Have you ever walked into a class and it seems like everyone has already formed their friend groups and you are excluded? Do ever feel like you’re not a part of the crowd just because you don’t have the newest trendy shoes? Most would describe this as feeling like an outsider, and it is a very common thing. The experience of feeling like an outsider is universal because everyone is different in terms of appearance and life circumstances, new experiences are unavoidable, and society tends to alienate people if they stray from the social norm.

The narrative point of view of the novella is third person omniscient. Third person omniscient point of view is where the narrator portrays the thoughts and feelings of all characters, which helps the reader see the larger perspective. I think the reason of Steinbeck uses this point of view is because it would allows the reader to learn about the plot. And also let the reader create its own connections and made own statement about what they had learn. Steinbeck writes “Of Mice and Men” in third person, which he’s writing style give him the control to reader’s feeling.

The long, hard war of human equality in society, has been a war since the beginning of civilization. The Great Depression, a tragic time in America’s history, reflects American determination, but also social inequality. In the fiction novella, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses symbolism and characterization to address ableism and sexism in society. Steinbeck addresses these flaws in society in an attempt to ultimately bring awareness these riffs before society falls.

‘..Guys like us that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world they got no family they don’t belong no place.’ This is what many felt during the ‘great depression’ in the 1930’s. John Steinbeck gives us the sense that many felt lonely ‘they got no family they don’t belong no place. The main theme of this novel is alienation; the three characters, Curley’s wife, candy, and crooks are all alienated, and felt it by another person at some point. They all have dreams... it’s the American dream... but not all dreams come true...