In 1929, tears swept the nation and gloom bestowed itself upon a once happy place. The Great Depression had started. People lost everything ,so many became migrant workers. Of Mice and Men, a classic novel written by John Steinbeck, emphasizes many sad themes, but gives us a good insight on what life was like in the 1940’s for many people. Although there are other themes, rootlessness, loneliness, and poverty are extremely prominent throughout the novel in many characters.
Rootlessness is a major theme that motivates several characters to find a home; they seem to be constantly wandering without a real place to call their own. One character, who is prime example of this, is Curley’s wife. Although she has a home, the bunkhouse, she is unhappy with her marriage ,and thus she wanders around with no real purpose making her no better off than the other truly vagabond characters. Crooks is another rootless character with similar problems,although unlike Curley’s wife, he doesn’t have the bunkhouse to call home. Everywhere he goes, he’s pushed away and neglected. Crooks truly has no home and no way to escape that. George and Lennie , a traveling duo of migrant workers, are constantly wandering, but unlike the others they have each other. Throughout the story, George and Lennie are trying to just grasp onto some money so they can by a plot of land and truly have a place to call home. Through out the book there is a unmeasurable desire to own a farm. As you can see rootlessness is a fundamental aspect in the story.
Loneliness is another major theme in Of Mice And Men ,but unlike rootlessness it is inescapable for many. Take Candy, an old ranch hand who thinks he’s going to be cut from his job, and whose only friend is his dog which later gets killed. As you might presume, throughout the story Candy is consistently lonely and eventually tries to hitch a ride on George and Lennie’s dream to own a farm. As George