The Role Of Isolation In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, set in California around the 1930’s follows two men, George and Lennie, who struggle to fit into the world. The duo travel to a ranch in mid California in search of a job. The isolation that surrounds the people of the ranch in Of Mice and Men is the root of all their personal problems.
Possibly the most obvious example of isolation in Of Mice and Men is Crooks. As a black man living during segregation, he faces both physical as well as emotional separation from the rest of the world, especially his coworkers. However, some of the isolation is brought on by himself. Though once wealthy, Crooks ended up working at the ranch and lives alone in the barn, leading to his bitterness. Steinbeck states that “He kept his distance and demanded that other people keep theirs” (67). Crooks keeping his distance without being told to indicates that he believes that people do not want him around. Furthermore, his demanding that “other people keep theirs” indicates that he himself did not with to interact with others. Perhaps his antisocial nature stems from his fear of rejection from the others. Crooks’ constant misery and loneliness is created by his pushing people away. Aanother character who tends to experience solitude is Curley’s wife. Her frustrations with life are caused by her lack of contact …show more content…
Additionally, the dream of the farm seems to be more of Lennie’s dream rather than George’s seeing that Lennie is more enthusiastic than George and Lennie is the one who has the complete fantasy about the dream. George and Lennie are not on the same page, and because Lennie is George’s only friend, the lack of a mental connection creates a wall between the two. At the end of the novel, when Lennie is dead, George’s veil of companionship disappears and George must face his
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