Of Mice And Men Research Paper

Kathryn Tang
American Literature
Mrs. Boyd
February 9, 2017

Abstract:
This research paper analyzes the underlying theme of reprieve from loneliness which Steinbeck incorporates throughout Of Mice and Men. It explores how the setting of the Great Depression influenced many lifestyles, attributing the causes of loneliness to factors such as class, race, and gender. Additionally, this paper delves into the means by which people create meaningful relationships. It demonstrates the devices which Steinbeck incorporated to develop the characters’ escapes from the dark ghost of isolation.

Loneliness in Of Mice and Men

It’s not easy to be alone in this big big world. We are constantly looking for company- people to depend on, to tell our secrets
Unlike the majority of the younger workers, he has lived through most of his life, and is not searching for human companionship anymore. Instead, Candy is attached to his dog, which he had “since he was a pup” (44). Candy is reluctant at the idea of shooting him, because he’s “‘so used to him,’” and they had been like family for so long. Once his dog was shot, Candy “continued to stare at the ceiling. Then he rolled slowly over and faced the wall and lay silent” (49). Since he is ‘one of the guys’, he doesn’t have anywhere to go except for the bunkhouse. It appears to oppress him, and although it is communal, bunking many people, Candy feels even more isolated because he is disabled and old, alienating him from the younger able men. Cardullo states that “Candy does not accompany the men in their hunt for Lennie after Curley's wife is found dead in the barn. He stays all alone on the ranch, deserted by everyone, as it were, even as he will be by George after Lennie has been shot.” Candy seems to be trapped in the ranch house, perpetually bound to this solitary place. But once his dog died, he had no more ties and obligations to staying, thus asking George and Lennie to accept him on their dream farm. He wants to join their family because he has lost his family- his dog. In all, both Crooks and Candy are unable to find human companionship, so they turn to other things as an escape out of their isolated
“Reduced to Nothing: Race, Lynching, and Erasure in the Theater Revision of Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.” Drama Criticism, edited by Marie C. Toft, vol. 46, Gale, 2012. Literature Resource Center, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GLS&sw=w&u=tlc069023122&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CH1420109285&it=r&asid=6b68a2598e07ad3201874f730e24c6d4. Accessed 5 Jan. 2017. Originally published in The Essential Criticism of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, edited by Michael J. Meyer, Scarecrow Press, 2009, pp. 253-275.
Meyer, Michael J. “Of Mice and Men (novel).” In Werlock, Abby H. P., ed. The Facts On File Companion to the American Novel. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom’s Literature, Facts On File, Inc. www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&WID=16148&SID=5&iPin=CANov0690&SingleRecord=True.
Schultz, Jeffrey, and Luchen Li. “Of Mice and Men (novel).” Critical Companion to John Steinbeck: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom’s Literature, Facts On File, Inc.