Isolation and loneliness play a significant role in Steinbeck's novel “ Of Mice and Men.” They play a big factor for the some people on the ranch during this time period because it was during the great depression, a time where things were rough and people lived paycheck to paycheck. Also, the people were out on a ranch in the country away from people. As a result, people in Steinbeck's novel, “ Of Mice and Men”, were very lonely and isolated.
Crooks is the stable buck of the ranch, he is no only isolated from people in town, but also isolated from all the ranch workers. Crooks is black, and in this time period black people were discriminated against. For example, “ Crooks, the negro stable buck had his bunk in the harness room, a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn.” This shows that crooks isn’t living in the bunkhouses with the other workers but instead by himself away from them. Crooks also feels like he’s alone because he's the only black worker on the ranch, “ There wasn’t another colored family for miles around, and now there ain’t a colored man on this …show more content…
She's always trying to have conversations with the ranch workers, but her husband curley gets mad at whoever talks to her. The ranch workers know that curley will get mad so they don't talk to curley's wife at all. For example, “ You can talk to people but i cant talk to nobody but curley. Else he gets mad. How'd you like not to talk to anybody.” Also curley's wife always talks about how she could be in the shows, which she feels isolated at the ranch because all she does is stay home, when she has enough talent to go with the shows. For example, “ He says I could go with the show. But my old lady wouldn't let me. If I’d went, i wouldn’t be livin like this, you bet.” To summarize, curley's wife feels lonely because she doesn't have anybody to talk to and because she’s a pretty talented lady down on some ranch in the middle of