‘Loneliness is the most important theme in Steinbeck’s ‘of Mice and Men’. To what extent do you agree with this statement?’

Loneliness is a key theme in Steinbeck’s novella, and is explored primarily through the characters’ relations to others, when contrasted against George and Lennie’s friendship, and the discriminative language used to separate the characters from each other. However, such language could also be argued to be reflective of discrimination being the most predominant theme.

Loneliness is shown through Curley’s wife’s character. She is married to a man she doesn’t love, preferring instead the idea of escaping to a better life, through her use of the sentence ‘I tell you, I ain’t used to living like this. I coulda made something of myself.’. She spends more time with other men on the ranch, and is only ever referred to as ‘Curley’s wife’. This is impersonal and removes her identity; she is portrayed as an extension of Curley, which highlights her as a lonely individual, as well as acting as a microcosm of loneliness for women in this time period (1937). However, this depersonalistion could also be used to show discrimination. This is further illustrated through her reference to Crooks in a discriminative fashion; calling him ‘Nigger’. However, this could also provide evidence for loneliness being the most predominant theme, as it emphasises the divide between the characters.