Of Mice and Men: Explore how Steinbeck represents theme of outsiders

Throughout the novel, Steinbeck clearly presents the theme of loneliness and outsiders. He describes three characters; Lennie, Candy and Crooks as lonely, mistreated workers in USA in 1930s. The background of Of Mice and Men is The Great Depression in 1930s in America. It was a time when many businesses struggled and many people didn’t have a job. Workers were paid very low wages and stayed in poor accommodation. In addition, black people were treated badly as American society tend to be racist in the 1930s. This fact is shown by Crooks, who is a black worker in the book. Due to segregation, he was limited to many things. Steinbeck shows the theme of outsiders through descriptions of Lennie, Candy and Crooks’ loneliness and struggle for American dream in the story.

Lennie is an outsider as he is intellectual disabled in a time when society had little sympathy for understanding disabilities. Lennie is big and strong but behaves like a child. This leads him to rely on George,who looked after Lennie since his aunt Clara died, and obey him because Lennie knows that if he follows George, they can have their own dream farm. Due to his mental disability, some people in the ranch think less of Lennie. In chapter two, when George and Lennie meet Curley, Curley says ‘Let the big guy talk.’ when George was not giving Lennie a chance to talk as George thought Lennie would act troublesome. This suggests that Curley noticed that Lennie is weaker than George. Lennie ‘squirmed’ and ‘shifted his feet nervously’ which tells that Lennie is afraid of Curley. Curley uses Lennie’s vulnerability in order to show his power. This makes him weaker than others despite of his massive size. Also, Lennie is unaware of his actions. His love for soft things and grabbing them tightly causes many accidents. His strength can be dangerous and violent but he doesn’t notice this. This is shown when he innocently touched a girl’s dress and held on tight until she shouted. This led him as a man who raped a child. This foreshadows of death of Curley’s wife. After killing the wife, Lennie says, ‘ I done a bad thing.I done another bad thing.’ He later realises his mistake, however it is too late and he feels sorry for George who has to look after him. This makes kind-hearted Lennie as someone who other people want to get rid of. This suggests that he is in panic,struggling with what he has done but he can’t control himself. Also, George says Lennie ‘got kicked in the head by a horse when he was a kid.’ in order to cover his disability, which boss wouldn’t like to know of Lennie. This shows that Lennie needs help from George to work in ranch, suggesting Lennie’s dependance towards George. Overall, Steinbeck brings out sympathy and pathos to readers by making Lennie as a fragile, vulnerable character. This again makes Lennie as an outsider.

Candy is an outsider as he is physically weaker than other workers since he is old and had lost his arms. Being aged and physically disabled makes Candy useless and powerless in the ranch. He has no relatives and had his childhood in poor background. Steinbeck symbolises Candy’s old dog as Candy himself. This can be seen when Carlson says about the dog, ‘I can smell that dog a mile away. Got no teeth, damn near blind, can't eat. Candy feeds him milk. He can't chew nothing else." This shows that Carlson thinks that the dog is useless. Candy lets him shoot but later regrets. This suggests the parallel position of his dog and him. Candy is feared that he will meet the same fate as his dog. Moreover, Candy is a cleaner of ranch. It is one of the least respected jobs on the ranch and is a feminised work. This suggests that although he might have working abilities, he isn’t considered to take an important role in ranch because he is old and physically weak. He suffers from prejudice because of his age and his disability. However, Steinbeck shows that he still pursue for a better life. He is very quick to get involved with George and Lennie’s dream. This is shown when he offers them money saying, ‘ Tha’s three hundred an’ fifty bucks I’d put in.’. This suggests that he wants a share of his own land by offering money. This also suggests that joining in George and Lennie’s work gives him self-respect. He emotionally invests heavily in the dream however ends up with disappointment. Overall, limited work in the ranch,prejudice and a dream that he can’t achieve makes Candy as an outsider who is considered to be infirm and disabled.

Lastly, Crooks is a black worker who experiences discrimination from others because of his skin colour. Crooks is perhaps the loneliest character in the novel. Because of racist background of the society, Crooks was always separated by others making him isolated. And there is no single person to support him. Only Crooks has his own room, which is small and basic. He owns a shotgun which shows that he’s practical and active. He also owns lots of book which shows that he spends his spare time learning knowledges, perhaps suggesting that there is nothing to entertain him in that place. His loneliness is also shown when Lennie was trying to go in his room and he says, ”You got no right to come in my room. This here's my room. Nobody got any right in here but me.” This shows that he is cold to other people,suggesting that he is unsocial and he doesn’t want to make new friends. Moreover, the ‘California Civil code’, which is owned by Crooks, is a book that shows regulation that is made to improve equality towards Black people. However, the content of this book doesn’t satisfy Crooks. This suggests that the rights will never apply to him, making him even lonelier and genuinely weaker. Moreover,racist behaviour of Curley’s wife makes Crooks vulnerable. Curley’s wife says, ‘ I could get you strung up on a tree so easy.’ This shows an imagery of black people hung up during 1930s due to segregation. She judges him only by his skin colour. Despite of Curley’s wife harsh treatment, Crooks refuses to say the woman is wrong. Instead, he accepts the fact that he lives with racial discrimination. This suggests that he doesn’t have much power even though he is very good at his job making him an effective worker but invisible man in the ranch. When Crooks stands up to Curley’s wife she threatens him. He ‘reduced himself to nothing’. Crooks struggles with isolation which makes him the loneliest character in the ranch.

In conclusion, Lennie, Candy and Crooks are representing the brutalised workers during the Great Depression, who had to suffer from unfair environments.This affected greatly to their lives. In the novel, Steinbeck shows the mistreatment of disabled person, prejudice of an old person and discrimination towards black person during 1930s in USA and this evokes sympathy to readers. The fact that their abilities are disguised and only their weaknesses are exposed, makes them like foreigners in the ranch, where strangers are not happily welcomed.