"Of Mice and Men"

First published in 1937, Of Mice and Men is a classic American novel by John Steinbeck. George and Lennie are two ranch hands that travel together, with George watching over the mentally inferior Lennie. When they start work at a new ranch, several different characters are introduced. One affliction that seems to face several characters is loneliness, created by factors such as the character's lifestyles and by social standards of the time period. Steinbeck's theme that …

…who went through life alone. He also showed the downside of out casting people like Crooks and Candy, for race and age, because the loneliness they would be left with was cruel. With Curley's wife, Steinbeck showed just how hurtful loneliness can be by havin her own loneliness result in her death. After understanding the effects of loneliness by reading the novel, Steinbeck leaves the reader wondering whether Curley's wife was better off dead anyway.