Of Mice And Men Theme Loneliness

Loneliness is a part of the human experience that can destroy one’s will to live and dream. Many authors have written on the topic of loneliness, but few stories demonstrate that idea as well as Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. In the story, two friends work together on ranches during the great depression to work towards reaching their dream. The two friends can never reach their dreams due to the tragic death of one, leaving the other in a state of grief and loneliness. In Of Mice and Men the author shows a theme that loneliness keeps people from reaching their dreams through Curley’s wife, Crooks, and George.
One character in the story who shows that loneliness keeps people from their dreams is Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife dreamed of becoming a star, but thought her Mother kept her from achieving them. In reality, the dreams could not happen since the men who offered her the opportunities were merely attempting to flatter her. To leave the loneliness of living with her mother, she married Curley thinking of it as her only option to help her achieve her dream. On the ranch, she became even lonelier and became further from reaching her dream. As she remained on the ranch, she began to realize that she wouldn’t reach her dream, which she expresses when she tells Lennie, “I tell you I ain’t used to livin
Curley’s wife being stuck lonely and married on the ranch made her lonely and unable to reach her dream. Crooks inability to reach his dreams came from his loneliness, caused from his seclusion due to his skin color. George became unable to accomplish his dream because he lost his friend who kept him from giving up, and he became a lonely ranch hand like the others. Through these characters, Steinbeck teaches us that if people are lonely they won’t ever reach their dreams, so they must have others to help them along the