Theme Of Isolation In Of Mice And Men

Is Isolation Ever for the Better? John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men contains multitudes of themes in which Steinbeck shows his disgust with society. One such theme is the theme of isolation. Steinbeck portrays isolation through several characters throughout the book. Three characters in particular stand out as isolated. crooks, the only black man, Curley’s wife, who is the only woman on the farm and never named, and Candy, an old man who cannot work very much. These three characters are isolated for different reasons, but all are lonely. Crooks is the most isolated character in this novella. He is isolated because of the color of his skin. He lives all by himself in the barn, which is away from the bunkhouse. Crooks pretends to be fine with
that, but Steinbeck masterfully gives the reader a glimpse into Crooks’ raw emotions. He wished he had someone to socialize with, but no one would talk to him. When Lennie decided to talk to Crooks in his room, Crooks tried to kick him out, even though he was lonely. John Steinbeck described the moment by stating, “It was difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger,” (Page 75). Since Lennie did not leave Crooks alone, Crooks actually opened up to him. Steinbeck wrote, “Crooks seemed to come slowly out of the layers of protection he had put on,” (Page 82). Crooks had gotten so comfortable in his solitude that when someone tried to include him, he shut it out. People who are alone for a while will often reject change, because they are afraid of what might happen.