In the novella, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Steinbeck follows the two protagonists George and Lennie, two migrant workers on a Californian ranch during the Great Depression. It wasn’t common for people to travel together despite the many downsides. While conversing with another worker about why Lennie and him stick together, he states that the guys who travel alone “get mean” and “get wantin’ to fight all the time”(Steinbeck pg. 41) These workers are so lonely and isolated, leaving them to cope by becoming mean and tough. They forget or never learn how to form relationships with others and end up building walls and facades of anger and bitterness. Steinbeck uses the character Crooks to show what can result from years of being left alone: “Lennie smiled helplessly in an attempt to make friends. Crooks said sharply, ‘You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here but me.’” (pg.68) Crooks, has endured years of being pushed out and isolated because of his skin tone. Therefore, in return, he gives Lennie the same treatment that he has most likely endured. This novella shows that isolation and loneliness may cause people to shut themselves off from others and become mean and angry as a way to ward others off.
