of mice and men thesis statement

Thesis Statement For Of Mice And Men

John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men is set during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The story follows two main characters, George and Lennie, as they travel across America in search of work. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck explores the theme of the American Dream and its failure. The American Dream is the belief that anyone can succeed in America if they work hard enough. However, Of Mice and Men shows that this dream is not always attainable.

Many of the characters in the novel are poor, uneducated, and have no real prospects for a better life. They are forced to work hard just to survive, with no hope of ever achieving their dreams. In the end, George is forced to kill his friend Lennie, illustrating the tragic reality that the American Dream is often out of reach. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men highlights the failure of the American Dream, showing that sometimes it is nothing more than a pipe dream.

Of Mice and Men is a short story written by John Steinbeck set in the Salinas River Valley, California, during the Great Depression. It was written by John Steinbeck, who grew up near the Salinas River Valley in the 1910s. Stock markets crashed, leaving people penniless overnight. Some guys traveled from farm to farm just to acquire enough food to survive.

John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, is about the failure of the American Dream. The American Dream is “a happy way of life in which everything comes together for you.”

The book is set during the Great Depression, a time when the American Dream was hard to achieve. The characters in the book, George and Lennie, are two migrant workers who travel around looking for work. They hope to one day own their own farm, but their dream is never realized. The novel ends with Lennie accidentally killing his friend John’s wife, Curley’s wife. John then kills Lennie to prevent him from getting into trouble. In the end, George and Lennie’s dream dies along with them.

They didn’t have homes, so all they had was a backpack. In his novella Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck employs Curley’s wife, Crook, and Candy to illustrate the failure of the American Dream. To begin with, Steinbeck employs Curley’s wife to demonstrate the failure of the American Dream.

Unlike her husband, Curley’s wife is not content with what she has. For example, she tells Lennie, “I ain’t got no rights. Nobody never gives me no rights” (Steinbeck 71). Curley’s wife is always complaining about how unfair her life is and how she never gets what she wants. In addition, Steinbeck also uses Crooks to prove the failure of the American Dream.

Crooks is a black man who is not allowed to interact with the white people on the ranch. He is treated like an animal and is always living in fear. For instance, when Lennie goes into his room, Crooks says, “You got no rights comin’ in my room. I got a right to have a light” (Steinbeck 74). Crooks is always living in fear of being hurt or killed because he is different from the other ranch workers. Lastly, Steinbeck uses Candy to show the failure of the American Dream.

Candy is an old man who has lost his hand in an accident. He is no longer able to do the things he used to be able to do and is now just a burden on the ranch. For example, when Candy offers to pay George and Lennie for their dream, George says, “Candy, we ain’t gonna need your money” (Steinbeck 103). George knows that Candy is just going to be a burden on them and they don’t need his money.

In conclusion, John Steinbeck uses Curley’s wife, Crooks, and Candy to contribute to the failure of the American Dream. The American Dream is an unrealistic goal that is unattainable for most people. It is a dream that is only achievable by a select few.

Lennie is trying to hold on to a lady’s soft dress, which he has snatched. They must flee in order not to incur the wrath of the event. “And rabbits, and have rabbits,” Lennie adds. Tell me about the garden and about the rabbits in cages during rainy winter weather and how the cream is on milk like you can scarcely cut it, George says (Steinbeck 14).

From this, we see that Lennie is dreamer and he wants to have a place of their own so very badly. George is more level-headed, but he tolerates Lennie because he knows how much Lennie means to him. They are best friends and they need each other. “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place… With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us” (Steinbeck 15).

From this passage, Steinbeck is trying to show how companionship is one of the most important things to people like George and Lennie. They are looking for a place to call their own and to be accepted. Unfortunately, the American Dream is not always achievable and it certainly wasn’t for these two men.

Lennie is developmentally disabled and George knows that he can never really take care of himself. He tries his best, but in the end, it is clear that Lennie cannot survive on his own. When they get to the ranch, they meet Candy, an old man who has lost his hand in an accident. He tells them about his dream of buying a piece of land with them and living there together. However, this dream is quickly dashed when Curley’s wife enters the story.

Curley was furious with Lennie and wanted to kill him, but since his companion George did it for him, it was less painful. Steinbeck utilizes Lennie to illustrate the decay of the American Dream.

Lennie is a perfect example of someone who is not able to achieve the American Dream because he is not smart enough and is not able to control himself. This shows that the American Dream is unattainable for many people. John Steinbeck was born in 1902 in Salinas, California. He was the third of four children and the only son of John Ernst Steinbeck and Olive Hamilton Steinbeck. His father was a businessman and his mother was a schoolteacher. Steinbeck grew up in a rural community and his early years were spent working on farms with migrant workers. These experiences would later be reflected in his writing.

Steinbeck went to Stanford University but he dropped out after two years without taking a degree. He then moved to New York City where he worked as a journalist and wrote short stories. Steinbeck’s first novel, Cup of Gold, was published in 1929. His second novel, The Pastures of Heaven, was published the following year. These two novels were not successful and Steinbeck returned to California. In 1935, Steinbeck published Tortilla Flat, which was his first real success.

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Of Mice and Men

Introduction of mice and men.

Of Mice and Men is a novelette, written by a popular author, John Steinbeck . John is known to have coined many popular phrases and neologisms . The novel was first published in 1937.  The storyline takes a peep at the financial crisis of the Great Depression that plunged the middle class of the United States into the pits of poverty at that time. The story of the novel revolves around two migrant farmworkers, Lennie Small and George Milton, whom the financial collapse has rendered jobless. The story is about how they are struggling to seek the opportunity to make both ends meet. The novel was a massive hit during those times.

Summary Of Mice and Men

George and Lennie are two migrants, working on a plantation in California when the Great Depression struck the United States. They are let off a bus miles away from the California farm where they are about to start working. George Million is an intelligent, small, dark man with sharp, robust features. Lennie Small, his coworker, and friend is his opposite, with a giant personality and a “shapeless” face. Feeling thirsty, George and Lennie stop in a clearing by a pool and camp for the night . As the story progresses, we learn that Lennie has mild mental impediment/autism. However, he is deeply devoted to George and depends upon him for protection and guidance.

George knows that Lennie doesn’t have a gentle touch. He loves petting soft things but accidentally kills them. He sees that while Lennie is carrying and stroking a dead mouse. George angrily throws it away, fearing that Lennie might catch a disease from the dead animal . George complains loudly that his life would be more comfortable without having to care for Lennie. However, George continues to maintain their friendship and devotion. He and Lennie also share a dream of getting their own piece of land. Which they can farm, and also have pet rabbits for Lennie. While camping, George tells a story to Lennie. He describes how a farm life should be and how peaceful their life could be in such a place.

The next day, the men reach the nearby farm. George is afraid of how the new boss might react to Lennie. He doesn’t allow Lennie to speak and lies to the owner, that they are cousins. He also tells him that a horse kicked Lennie in the head when he was a child. Surprisingly, they get the job. They meet Candy, an old “swamper,” or handyman, with a missing hand and an old dog. They also meet Curley, the boss’s son, who is strong-headed and mean. Curley, who is newly married and possessive of his flirtatious wife. He continues threatening Lennie because he suffers from Napoleon Complex. This means a person finds himself disliking bulky-bodied or a person taller/healthier than themselves. Surprisingly, Lennie finds attraction in Curley’s wife, who also flirts with him.

Once George and Lennie are alone in the bunkhouse, Curley’s wife arrives. George, sensing the trouble sends the woman away and also warns Lennie to stay away from Mrs. Curley. George and Lennie later meet Slim, a skilled mule driver who exercises great authority on the ranch. Carlson, another ranch-hand, proposes that once Slim’s dog gives puppies, they should give one puppy to Candy and then shoot Candy’s dog.

Eventually, George reveals the truth to Slim that Lennie is not his cousin, but they have been friends since their childhood. He also shares how Lennie created trouble, especially during their previous job. George recalls the time he was forced to flee with Lennie. Lennie had tried to touch a woman’s red dress but was accused of rape. Slim agrees to give Lennie one of his puppies. On the other hand, Carlson continues to annoy Candy to kill his old dog. Slim also agrees with Carlson’s decision. They believe death is better than letting the animal suffer. Candy is forced to agree, as well. Carlson promises to show mercy and kill the dog painlessly.

While Slim is working in the barn, Curley, filled with rage, searches for his wife. He suspects his wife is having an affair with Slim. Candy hears George and Lennie planning to buy land.  Candy joins hands with them to offer a sum of $350, his life’s savings so that they could purchase their farm.  He puts a condition that they have to let him live there too. The three agree to maintain their secret. Curley, wanting to vent his anger, confronts Lennie and picks a fight with him. Lennie crushes Curley’s hand, breaking it. Slim warns Curley firing George and Lennie fired will not be good for him or the farm.

One night the men from the farm go to the local brothel. Lennie is left with Crooks, the lonely, black stable-hand, and Candy. Curley’s wife flirts with them, refusing to leave. She notices the cuts on Lennie’s face. She suspects Curley had lied to her about the injury. So, when Lennie accidentally kills his puppy in the barn, Curley’s wife consoles him. She tells him that she is not happy with Curley and wishes to be a movie star. Lennie tells her that he loves petting soft things. Hearing that, she offers to let him feel her hair. He grabs it too tightly, and she cries out in pain. While trying to silence her, he unintentionally breaks her neck.

Lennie flees back to a Salinas River, a place George had told him for hiding when either of them gets into trouble. The men at the ranch find out what happens. Along with the men, George goes to find Lennie. George comforts Lenny and assures him that he is not mad at him for doing “a bad thing.” George recounts the story of the farm they will have together. As the men from the ranch come to take Lennie and punish him, George shoots him in the back of the head.

When the other men arrive, George lies that Lennie had the gun. While struggling, he had accidentally shot him. Slim understands what has happened, and comforts George. He tells him that by killing his friend, he has done an act of mercy. Slim leads him away, along with the other men. Carlson and Curley are unable to comprehend it.

Major Themes in Of Mice and Men

• Human Nature: This is the major thematic strand that runs throughout the novel is the unpredictability of the human mind. This theme has been interwoven with the characters of not only Curley, who becomes aggressive toward Lennie, but also through his wife and Lennie, who is autistic. When George sees that Lennie is proving too heavy a burden for him, he shoots him. Also, when Curley’s wife sees that Lennie seems too innocent, she exploits him and flirts with him. Lennie also depicts this thematic strand through his nature of dependability on others. It clearly shows the Darwinian principle that only the fittest survive syncs well with the characters of Steinbeck in the story. Moreover, daydreaming of the trio of Lennie, George and Crooks also show this unpredictability of human nature.
• Need for Friendship and Society: A man is a social animal and cannot live in a void. Steinbeck shows this theme in his novel through the characters of Lennie and George. Although both are fed up with working on different ranches, Lennie thinks that they must have a ranch of their own. Despite his mental condition, he needs love that he showers on Curley’s wife, and, it costs him dearly. George also shows keeps friendship until the end when he comes to know that Lennie is proving too heavy a burden for him to carry on. Therefore, he shoots him after he accidentally kills Mrs. Curley. It shows that a person cannot live without a social circle. However, ultimately, they must save their own life first and avoid carrying burdens.
• Satire on American Dream: The novel not only shows the hollowness of capitalism but also of the much desired and much boosted, American Dream. Lennie and George have had a dream that they should have their farm where Lennie would play with rabbits to satiate his desire for touching furry animals. However, this dream soon crashes to the ground when they confront Curley and his wife. Lennie accidentally kills his wife when she comes to flirt with him and loses his life at the hands of George.
• Loneliness: The story shows the impact of loneliness and how it proves a torturing problem for a person. Lennie, due to his autistic nature, cannot live alone. Therefore, he continues to live along with George, while George also is unable to find a dependable solution or place for him. Therefore, they both try to dispel their loneliness through their friendship. Also, Curley’s wife does not see Lennie as handsome enough to cheat Curley; rather, she comes to dispel her loneliness but loses her life in her efforts to end it.
• Alienation: The novel demonstrates Marxian alienation in that the workers, George and Lennie, are forced to do menial work at the ranches. They find the routine tiresome and not soul-satisfying. Their menial labor has also forced them to realize alienation through the treatment of Curley and his arrogant attitude .
• Gender Marginalization: The theme of gender marginalization has been shown through the insignificance of Curley’s wife for being an anonymous person. She is only stated as Curley’s wife as if she has no name. Secondly, there is Lennie’s aunt, who does not appear physically in the novel. That is how Steinbeck has marginalized women in this novel.
• Survival of the Fittest: The novel also demonstrates the Darwinian concept of the survival of the fittest through George and Lennie, for Lennie does not prove that he is the fittest and has to be shot down. Curley proves his fitness and stays alive while his wife is killed by Lennie’s mistake. George kills Lennie when he sees that he should die than facing the lynching mob and hanging for a murder he didn’t commit.
• Meanness: Curley’s character and his madness at Lennie’s bulky body show how the human mind suffers from different psychological issues that seem to originate from social circumstances. He tortures Lennie and also berates George during the work and all this without any reason.
• Mysterious Human Relations: The story demonstrates the mystery of human relations through the friendship of Lennie and George, for both know each other, understand each other, and support each other’s daydreaming.

Major Characters in Of Mice and Men

• George Milton: A guardian, a friend, and an intelligent laborer, George Milton appears on the scene with his ignorant and innocent friend, Lennie. Both of them face bleak futures on account of lack of job during the Great Depression on a ranch. Therefore, he guides the way for Lennie and proves his guide whenever he needs any advice, even for small tasks such as the call to nature. However, he also proves selfish when it comes to saving his life, though, he always stands by Lennie through thick and thin, and even in daydreaming. By the end, he shoots Lennie after seeing his escape impossible when he kills Curley’s wife.
• Lennie Small : A huge and bulky-bodied man, Lennie is physically strong and stays with George as his friend. He needs a person to depend on him instead of assisting others. He dreams of having rabbits on the ranch George tells him to purchase when he has the money. He gets along with him normally but his fondling nature proves fatal for him because of his lack of control. He tries to fondle animals but kills them, also when Curley’s wife flirts with him, inviting him to play with his hair, he pulls it hard. He accidentally breaks her neck. Lennie flees and hides, while the lynch mob goes in search of him. Later, George kills him to save him from the consequential torture of the mob or perhaps long imprisonment.
• Candy : Candy, a menial rach handyman, is aging and suffers from physical ailments. That is why he is worried about the future work, a thought, which has brought him close to George after he comes to know that George is going to purchase a farm. He also offers his money to join Lennie and George’s plan.
• Slim : Slim is an important character in that the author terms him as a prince. He wins respect on the ranch and is the only character whom Curley does not treat badly. In fact, he demonstrates not only natural authority but also demonstrates insight into human nature. He comes to know the real relationship between Lennie and George and Lennie’s dependability on George. As a working hand, he drives a mule on the ranch.
• Curley : Curley seems to be the antagonist of the novel, for he not only shows his bossy nature on account of being the son of the master of the ranch but also teases Lennie, unnecessarily and provokes him. Although he is a non-professional boxer, he injures his hand when it comes to fighting with Lennie of whom he is very jealous. Despite his overprotectiveness toward his wife, he lets her flirt with Lennie, which shows the carelessness and lethargy of the landowners.
• Curley’s Wife : This anonymous character not only reflects the marginalization of the gender in the novel but also reflects the neglect that her husband shows toward her by mistrusting her. In Steinbeck’s own words, she just symbolizes some attraction that Lennie moves toward her readily and gets trapped in the murder after he accidentally kills her when he tries to stop her yelling due to his body weight on her.
• Crooks : Crooks is not only a bitter and cynical fellow in the novel, but he also shows his devious nature through his warped physical appearance and behavior. He helps in stable care at the ranch and stays mostly in isolation from the rest on account of his skin color. However, strangely, he is attracted to Lennie and joins the duo in their daydreaming of a ranch with the plea that he would be hoeing their would-be garden over there.
• Carlson : He plays the role of a side character who kills Candy’s dog, though, it is out of mercy to pull him out of trouble. He works with Lennie and George on the ranch.
• The Boss : A favorite of Candy, the Boss is the ranch owner who employs Lennie and George when they move from California to some other ranch for work. Candy’s likeness of him is due to his generosity of offering them whiskey on Christmas.

 Writing Style Of Mice and Men ‎

The writing style of the novel, Of Mice and Men, shows a factual description of the writer, John Steinbeck, in that he seems to be stay objective. It shows that his objective is to present the real description of his characters of George and Lennie and their trials, lack of income, and unemployment during the Great Depression. Most of the descriptions given in the novel appear to hinge on the ideas which could be used as directions for creating a play. The use of a conversational style with slang and regional niceties shows the reality of the farming workers and their dilemma of joblessness. They also shed light on their uneducated background and resultant fall into poverty.  

Analysis of Literary Devices in Of Mice and Men  

• Action: The main action of the novel comprises the joblessness of George and Lennie and their social mobility toward another ranch. The falling action is of the flight of Lennie after he accidentally kills Curley’s wife after which Curley leads a mob to find him out to lynch him. The rising action , however, is his fondling behavior and efforts to curb her yelling which proves fatal for her.
• Allegory : The book shows the use of allegory through the character of Lennie about whom Steinbeck says that he is not only representing madness but also a desire of humanity, in general, to have something tangible to live upon. He shows “survival of the fittest” in the Darwinian sense.
• Anaphora : The novel also shows good use of anaphora . For example, i. “It was silent outside. The silence came into the room. And the silence lasted.” (Chapter-3). Here the use of “silence” refers back to the earlier mention of the idea.
• Antagonist : Although it seems that the Great Depression is the main antagonist in the novel, it seems that it is an abstract idea that spread in the United States during the 30s. However, Curley is the actual antagonist, who tortures George and Lennie when they work on the farm of his father.
• Allusion : There are various examples of allusions given in the novel. For example, i. An allusion to Golden Gloves tournament: Curley says that he got into the final of that tournament as a boxer, which is a lie. (Chapter-3) ii. An allusion to Robert Burn’s poem “ To a Mouse ,” which is given in the shape of a mouse that Lennie and George refer to several times. (Chapter-1) iii. Biblical allusion of Adam and Eve’s story through their dream ranch. (Chapter-4)
• Conflict : There are various conflicts in the novel. The first one is the external conflict going on between George and Lennie and their situation. The second conflict involves man against nature, man against man, and man against himself. The first is shown by George, while the second is shown by Lennie and Curley, and the third by George and his mental thinking.
• Characters: The novel presents both static as well as dynamic characters. George and Lennie are two major characters, while Curley’s wife, Curley, Carlson, Crooks, and the Boss are some minor characters. However, it is George who goes through struggles and changes by the end. Therefore, he is a dynamic character , while the rest of the characters stays the same, the reason that they are all static characters .
• Climax : The climax takes place when Lennie, accidentally, breaks the neck of Curley’s wife in his attempts to silence her. It leads to tension in the novel that subsides when George shoots Lennie.
• Foreshadowing : The first example of foreshadowing in the novel occurs when Candy’s dog is shot by Carlson to relieve him of suffering. Similarly, George shoots Lennie to relieve him of the suffering he is to go through in case caught alive. The second foreshadow is the hand of Curley that he keeps close to him. It foreshadows that he would pick up a fight with somebody who happens to be Lennie, later.
• Hyperbole : Hyperbole or exaggeration occurs when Crooks says to George, “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you. I tell ya” (Chapter-4). The second hyperbole is again by Crooks when he says, “Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets to land” (Chapter-4).
• Imagery : Imagery means to use images such as in these examples: i. His body was bent over to the left by his crooked spine, and his eyes lay deep in his head, and because of their depth seemed to glitter with intensity. His lean face was lined with deep black wrinkles, and he had thin, pain-tightened lips which were lighter than his face. (Chapter-4) ii. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely. (Chapter-1) In the first example, the description of Crooks shows the use of different images such as touch and sound, while the second shows the images of color and touch as Steinbeck uses for George Milton.
• Metaphor : The book shows good use of various metaphors such as: i. The curls, tiny little sausages, were spread on the hay behind her head, and her lips were parted. (Chapter-5) ii. Lennie covered his face with huge paws and bleated with terror. (Chapter-3) iii. He was a jerkline skinner, prince of the ranch. (Chapter-4) The first example shows the curls compared to sausages, the second hand with paws, and the third comparison of a skinner with the prince.
• Mood : The novel shows a sad mood in the beginning but turns to doomed and helplessness as soon as George and Lennie move out to some other ranch and then turns to tragic when George shoots Lennie after he accidentally kills Curley’s wife.
• Motif : The most important motifs of the novel are loneliness, animal images, and daydreaming of a ranch by George and Lennie.
• Narrator : The novel is narrated by a third-person narrator or omniscient narrator, which is also called an objective narrator.  It is also called an omniscient narrator, who happens to be the author himself, as he can see things from all perspectives . Here Steinbeck himself is the narrator.
• Personification : Personification means to attribute human acts and emotions to non-living objects . For example: i. The sycamore leaves whispered in a little night breeze. (Chapter-1) ii. The shade climbed up the hills toward the top. (Chapter-1) iii. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. (Chapter-6) The first example shows sycamore, the second shake, and the third crash, which are showing signs of human acts and emotions.
• Protagonist : George and Lennie are two protagonists of the novel on account of their indispensable friendship. The novel starts with their joblessness and moves with them until George is forced to shoot Lennie to make him relieve the sufferings.
• Paradox : The novel shows the use of paradox in a very good sentence such as “Candy stood in the doorway scratching his bald wrist and looking blindly into the lighted room.” (Chapter-4). Here the phrase “looking blindly” shows the use of a paradox.
• Theme : A theme is a central idea that the novelist or the writer wants to stress upon. The novel not only shows man’s nature but also his situation in the grand design of the universe, his loneliness as well as man’s desire for relationships.
• Setting : The setting of the novel is the area of Soledad in California. The rest of the minor settings include the room of Crooks, the bunkhouse, and the barn at the ranch.
• Simile : The novel shows good use of various similes. For example, i. …and in and out of the beam flies shot like rushing stars. (Chapter-2) ii.  …he’s sure a hell of a good worker. Strong as a bull. (Chapter-2) iii. Curley was flopping like a fish on a line. (Chapter-3) iv. Slowly, like a terrier who doesn’t want to bring a ball to his master, he approached. (Chapter-3) The first simile compares the sail to a patchwork, the second man’s creases to a desert, and the third the clouds to mountains.
• Symbol : The novel shows that the symbols through Candy’s dog, mice, and the dream of a ranch. Whereas the dog represents the fate of a man, mice show hope and the farm shows the desire for independence.
• Irony : The story shows situational irony through the daydreaming of George and Lennie in that they are homeless and yet desire to be the owners of a ranch. This could also be called tragic irony.

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Themes and Analysis

Of mice and men, by john steinbeck.

‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck is an illustrious tale tied around the ordeals of the working class. The book brings to life themes that become even more vivid and powerful as the story progresses.

About the Book

Article written by Victor Onuorah

Degree in Journalism from University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

‘ Of Mice and Men ’ is one book that parades characters who represent the most vulnerable group in society. The extractable themes in the book are the results of the harshness of life these characters live while they struggle to survive. Some of the most eye-catching themes found in the book include those around chattered dreams, fear and loneliness, Fugitive, friendship, and brotherhood.

The story ‘Of Mice and Men ’ opens with its two principal characters, George and Lennie , moving desperately away from Weed to as far as the Soledad area. Weed is the place they used to work but had to leave to save their lives after Lennie stirred up trouble for an apparent sexual assault on a woman.

Although John Steinbeck makes it immediately clear to readers that their migration is spurred by the job offer they received at a ranch in Soledad, there’s no doubt, however, that the main reason they’re leaving is to avoid being caught by an unknown lynch party hot on their trail.

Fear and Loneliness

With the exception of the boss who owns the ranch, it’s hard to find one more character throughout the book who isn’t consumed by fear or gets sunk in by the feeling of loneliness, or both.

Lennie is a perfect exemplification of both, and this reality becomes very hard for readers to accept, given his size and the excelling expectations one would place on him at first sight. Of the many instances leading to the two friends losing their jobs, Lennie’s fears and inability to curb his strength contributed greatly to the outcome.

Even though Lennie has a companion in George, he’s easily singled out as one of the loneliest characters in the book, and his fondness for stroking soft animals and things gives more credence to the fact.

Shattered Dreams

John Steinbeck’s characters have dreams, each on their own, but none ever get to live them out. The high point of a dream brutally shattered in ‘ Of Mice and Men ’ comes to climax at the scene where old Candy is standing over the lifeless body of Curley’s wife, saying;

You God damn tramp… You done it, di’nt you? I s’pose you’re glad. Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up…

Here, one notices old Candy rendering expletives on Curley’s wife, who is lying on the barn floor, partly covered by hay, dead. He blames her for being killed by Lennie, the result of which destroys his dream of someday washing dishes and hoeing the garden on George’s dream farm, which will never materialize again because she’s dead.

While alive, Curley’s wife also dreamed of becoming a movie star and once admitted that her marriage to Curley shattered that dream.

Friendship and Brotherhood

It’s safe to say that George’s friendship with Lennie goes well beyond just being friends to as far as brothers. Their close bond is considered weird and unusual by the men at the ranch, but the reader easily understands this when George tells Slim he and Lennie have been so from childhood.

Also, the men at the ranch share a sort of bond comparable to a brotherly connection, and we see them from time to time protecting each other’s interests and rallying around support for the team.

Key Moments in Of Mice and Men

• George and Lennie hurry through the brush near the river called Salinas after alighting a bus untimely.
• George aims to chide Lennie for hiding a dead mouse in his pocket and makes him throw it away.
• Lennie threatens to leave George and go live in a cave alone, but George begs and talks him out of it by retelling him their shared dream of owning a ranch.
• George and Lennie get to the ranch and are received by Candy, who tells them the boss is angry they’re a day late.
• They meet the boss, who interviews them and assigns them to Slim.
• They meet the other look laborers, including the boss’s son Curley, his wife, Slim, Carlson, Crooks, and Whit.
• Carlson takes permission and shoots Candy’s dog after they all agree that killing it would be a kinder, more honorable way to put the old, smelly dog out of misery.
• Candy declares interest in George and Lennie’s dream of owning a farm and pledges financial support to the cause.
• A fight sets in at the bunkhouse, and Lennie crushes Curley’s hand after the latter attacks him for smiling at jokes about him.
• Lennie and Candy visit Crook’s in his room and have conversations while the other men are out to a nearby brothel.
• Crooks is told about George’s dream farm, and he declares his interest.
• Curley’s wife interrupts the men but is snubbed by them, and she threatens to have Crooks lynched. She leaves the room angrily afterward when George and the other men who went out start to trickle in.
• George is angry that Lennie told Crooks about their plan, but Crooks immediately says he’s no longer interested in a plan so dumb and unrealistic.
• Lennie is alone in the barn mourning over his dead puppy, which he mistakenly struggled with hard strokes. Curley’s wife enters, finds out, and tries to console him.
• Lennie mistakenly kills Curley’s wife by breaking her neck after she offers him her hair to stroke because Lennie admitted to liking the texture of soft things.
• Lennie runs away and hides in the brush where he and George agreed to meet if things go awful.
• Candy finds Curley’s wife’s body partly covered by hay and tells the others. Curley, angry and enraged, gather a lynch party and goes out to look for Lennie.
• Lennie daydreams and sees aunt Clara standing before him with a giant rabbit.
• George disappears from the lynch party and goes straight to meet Lennie at their rendezvous.
• George kills Lennie with Carlson’s gun, putting a bullet in the back of his head at point-blank.

Style and Tone

The style of John Steinbeck’s book ‘ Of Mice and Men ’ is both descriptive and commentatory, with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ‘s ‘Half of a Yellow Sun ‘ the only close comparison on these fronts. Steinbeck instilled a dialogue-type conversation throughout the book because his real intention goes beyond the book just serving as a mere novella as he also intended for it to be actable on stage.

The tone is literal, straightforward, and somewhat arcane, which makes it a perfect reflection of the characters whose lives have heavily been disrupted by the Greatest Depression.

Figurative Languages

John Steinbeck’s ‘ Of Mice and Men ’ is flooded with figurative language, and this doesn’t come unexpectedly to the readers, given that it’s part of the characteristics of descriptive writing. Some of the most prevalent figurative languages employed are highlighted.

He was … the prince of the ranch.

In the above ‘ Of Mice and Men ‘ Quote , Steinbeck deploys this metaphorical expression as part of an attempt to offer a neat description of Slim and the degree of his relevance among all the other men on the ranch. Slim is very clearly the complete package; strong, a leader, empathetic, and the best at his job. Others revere him and take his words as law.

…she’s a rat trap if I ever seen one.

Most of the men consider Curley’s wife a threat to their job, possibly even their lives, and often times they avoid her, with George even dishing out a strict warning to Lennie to stay off of her.

Personification

The shades climbed up the hills towards the top.

This excerpt is taken from the third paragraph of chapter one. Steinbeck does everything he could- including using that figure of speech – to set the introductory mood of the book before ushering in his characters.

On the sand banks the rabbits sat as quietly as little gray, sculptured stones.

Steinbeck describes a momentary peace and tranquillity of life for plants and animals in the brush, but this is short-lived as George and Lennie soon knock about this axis, causing an offset to their being. Other figurative languages therein the book includes – idioms, epigram, and onomatopoeia, among others.

Analysis of Symbols

The dream farm.

George and Lennie talk about the dream farm for the most part of the book starting from chapter one. The two friends have this dream of co-owning a small farm where George grows vegetation and Lennie resigns to the pleasure of rearing rabbits.

The dream is found to be contagious and wanted by the men at the ranch, with Crooks and Candy particularly showing interest because it offers them the chance to become free, independent, and self-sufficient.

The dream is representative of the elusive American dream, and just like how the American dream doesn’t get to be attained by everyone, the dream about the farm eluded all of them.

Candy’s Old Dog

In the book, Candy’s dog is killed for being weak, old, and smelly. This goes to represent the repercussion of being weak in the times in which ‘Of Mice and Men’ was written .

The Dead Mouse

In ‘ Of Mice and Men ’ George discovers that Lennie is hiding a dead mouse in his pocket and throws it away to the other side of the swamp. Before that happens, we see Lennie’s reluctance to give away the dead animal which he had mistakenly killed by severe stroking.

With the dead mouse, there is a symbolism of false hope, and Lennie is too focused on clinging to it. However, George throwing it away marks the end of all hope for their goal, just like when he kills Lennie at the end with a gunshot to the head.

What is the major theme of Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ ?

Although having only a few pages, the book explores several important themes – with the most frontal being themes of friends and loneliness, and those contrasting between dreams and realities.

Why is Steinbeck fascinated with Salinas Valley?

Steinbeck was not only born in Salinas Valley in California , but he also spent his childhood there. This explains why he often used the place as the primary setting for several of his books.

Where was John Steinbeck born?

John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California on February 27, 1902.

How well-off was Steinbeck’s family?

Steinbeck’s family was not that rich. His father did all kinds of low-paying jobs – including owning a grain store and working for a county treasury.

Did Steinbeck have a happy childhood?

Although Steinbeck himself agreed it was tough growing up and not having several of his childhood needs to be met, overall, the writer attested to the fact that he had a happy and worthwhile childhood and this is mostly because he grew up in the midst of three lovely sisters.

About Victor Onuorah

Victor is as much a prolific writer as he is an avid reader. With a degree in Journalism, he goes around scouring literary storehouses and archives; picking up, dusting the dirt off, and leaving clean even the most crooked pieces of literature all with the skill of analysis.

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Of Mice and Men

John steinbeck, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

During the Great Depression, American society was plunged into uncertainty and chaos as jobs disappeared and the economy plummeted. Families were uprooted and scattered as people moved around the country in search of work that would allow them to survive—work that was often physically demanding in nature and necessitated grueling hours. As bunk houses on ranches like the one George and Lennie travel to in search of work filled with men—often men traveling alone, separated from their families—male friendship became a necessary distraction (and often even survival mechanism) in the face of social upheaval and economic devastation. Of Mice and Men explores male friendship, and through the relationships contained in the novella, Steinbeck argues that “a guy needs somebody”—even when society seems to value or demand solitude and independence.

Lennie and George’s friendship is the central focus of Of Mice and Men —even as it is presented as a total anomaly in a world where individualism, distrust, and the struggle for survival define the social landscape. “Ain’t many guys travel around together,” says Slim , a mule driver on the Soledad ranch where George and Lennie travel for work; “I don’t know why. Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.” Slim’s simple, straightforward assessment of the American landscape during the depression reflects the mistrust and selfishness of the time period and shows how unusual—and even suspect—George and Lennie’s devoted friendship is to the men around them. Their partnership confuses and surprises many of the men on the ranch—Slim, of course, but also Crooks and Curley , the latter of whom George actually lies to in order to explain why he and Lennie travel together and to seem less suspicious. George tells Curley, the boss ’s son, that he and Lennie are cousins in order to make it seem like they are bound to one another out of familial duty. Any other responsibility to one another would, in the midst of the Depression, seem odd—the landscape is such that allegiance and solidarity are unexpected and even suspicious.

George explains to Slim that he and Lennie “look after each other”—their friendship, the novella slowly reveals, is not just for the sake of Lennie’s survival, but rather for both their mutual benefit. While George has a sharp mind and is able to help Lennie avoid social mishaps and the cruelties of the wild American West, he is small and wiry. Lennie, whose huge frame and immense strength are regarded as remarkable by everyone he meets, is in many ways just as responsible for George as George is for Lennie. George warns Lennie never to pick a fight, and as a result, Lennie is hesitant to defend himself—even, for instance, when Curley begins beating him in the bunk house one evening. At the same time, though, George clearly relies on Lennie’s strength to get them both out of tough spots. The minute George tells Lennie that it’s okay to fight back during the bunk house altercation, Lennie stops Curley’s blows by grabbing the man’s hand and crushing it until it is unrecognizable. George and Lennie need one another in very different ways, but their traveling around together is as necessary on a practical level as it is on an emotional one. 

George and Lennie’s arrival changes the atmosphere on the ranch in Soledad, however slightly. When the other laborers and ranch hands see George and Lennie’s mutual trust, they’re skeptical at first—but slowly, over the few days that George and Lennie stay, the social dynamics on the ranch begin to change. Lennie’s insistence on spending time with Crooks makes the black stable hand, who is daily isolated from and ridiculed by his fellow workers, suspicious at first. But after Crooks relents and lets Lennie come into his room one evening to chat, Crooks himself begins to open up about the lack of male friendship he’s experienced on the ranch and admits that “a guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody.” Candy , too, who has been isolated from the others due to his age and his disability, finds himself envious of George and Lennie’s friendship, and seeks to buy his way into their arrangement by offering them the money from his accident toward their pursuit of a farm . Candy and Crooks’s desires for friendship, companionship, and the feeling of mutual trust demonstrates just how profoundly they’ve been lacking in male friendship in spite of being surrounded by men who are, in all likelihood, just as lonely as they are.

Throughout Of Mice and Men , Steinbeck shows just how important friendship, companionship, and mutual trust really are—even for a group of men who have been told and shown that helping one another or sacrificing one’s own well-being for another’s makes them weak or vulnerable. Especially in the midst of the Depression, the idea of putting one’s own life on the line for another was antithetical to American values of individualism and independence. But in Of Mice and Men , Steinbeck argues that without common decency among men, society will crumble.

Male Friendship ThemeTracker

Male Friendship Quotes in Of Mice and Men

Slowly, like a terrier who doesn't want to bring a ball to its master, Lennie approached, drew back, approached again.

“Well, we ain't got any,” George exploded. “Whatever we ain't got, that's what you want. God a'mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an' work, an' no trouble....An' whatta I got,” George went on furiously. “I got you! You can't keep a job and you lose me ever' job I get. Jus' keep me shovin' all over the country all the time. An' that ain't the worst. You get in trouble. You do bad things and I got to get you out.”

“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. […] With us it ain't like that. We got a future.”

[…] Lennie broke in. “ But not us! An’ why? Because...because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why .”

“Ain't many guys travel around together,” he mused. “I don't know why. Maybe ever'body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.”

“S'pose they was a carnival or a circus come to town, or a ball game, or any damn thing." Old Candy nodded in appreciation of the idea. "We'd just go to her," George said. "We wouldn't ask nobody if we could. Jus' say, 'We'll go to her,' an' we would. Jus' milk the cow and sling some grain to the chickens an' go to her.”

“I oughtta of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't oughtta of let no stranger shoot my dog.”

“I seen it over an' over—a guy talkin' to another guy and it don't make no difference if he don't hear or understand. The thing is, they're talkin', or they're settin' still not talkin'. It don't make no difference, no difference...It's just the talking.”

“A guy needs somebody—to be near him.” He whined, “A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody.”

“A guy sets alone out here at night, maybe readin' books or thinkin' or stuff like that. Sometimes he gets thinkin', an' he got nothing to tell him what's so an' what ain't so. Maybe if he sees somethin', he don't know whether it's right or not. He can't turn to some other guy and ast him if he sees it too. He can't tell. He got nothing to measure by. I seen things out here. I wasn't drunk. I don't know if I was asleep. If some guy was with me, he could tell me I was asleep, an' then it would be all right. But I jus' don't know.”

“Why can't I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.”

“I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we'd never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would.”

A water snake glided smoothly up the pool, twisting its periscope head from side to side; and it swam the length of the pool and came to the legs of a motionless heron that stood in the shallows. A silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically.

“No, Lennie. I ain't mad. I never been mad, an' I ain't now. That's a thing I want ya to know.”

"Never you mind," said Slim. "A guy got to sometimes."

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Of Mice and Men — The Theme of Loneliness in Of Mice and Men

Analysis of Characters' Loneliness in of Mice and Men

• Categories: Loneliness Of Mice and Men

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10 min read

Published: May 5, 2022

Words: 1842 | Pages: 4 | 10 min read

The essay delves into the poignant theme of loneliness depicted in John Steinbeck's novella "Of Mice and Men", notably through the characters of George Milton and Crooks. Loneliness, an emotionally desolate experience, is represented as a complex and potent emotion capable of inducing behavioral outbursts and altering characters' outlooks and behaviors. George, bound by obligation and genuine care for Lennie, experiences a unique solitude, being physically accompanied yet emotionally isolated due to Lennie’s mental condition. Crooks, isolated due to racial discrimination, shelters his vulnerability behind a wall of bitterness and emotional hardness, demonstrating how pervasive loneliness can twist personalities and moral compasses. The essay elucidates how such emotional solitude not only significantly influences the characters’ behaviors and mental states but also spotlights the harsh, discriminative societal backdrop, highlighting the varying, profound impacts loneliness imposes on individuals.

Table of contents

Introduction, loneliness in of mice and men, george milton, curley’s wife.

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