Depression During the Depression essays

Depression During the Depression essays Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is an enthralling novella which depicts the difficult and lonely lives many came face to face with during the Depression. Lack of work, money, and companionship are not only issues that appear in the Depression, but in the hard, problematic lives of Crooks, Curleys wife, and Candy, all characters in this story. Crooks, an African American ranch hand, finds his life on the ranch to be an extremely difficult and unhappy one. Alienated by his race and handicap, Crooks has not one friend in the world. Also set apart from others by his handicap is Candy, an old and unhappy worker on the ranch. After losing his only true companion, an old and feeble dog, Candy finds himself as lonesome as ever. Curleys wife, the only female living on the ranch, dreams of a better life, in which she feels loved and appreciated by those around her. While striving for happier and better lives, many characters portray the feelings of loneliness and desperation. Throughout th e novella, the theme of loneliness is evident in Crooks, Curleys wifes, and Candys lives. Crooks faces the feeling of loneliness many times during the story. He is often alienated because of his race, causing him to feel extremely alone. Aside from being the only African American on the ranch, Crooks must live with the knowledge that there is only one other African American family in all of Salinas. However, by masking his unhappiness with pride, Crooks eliminates any possibility that he may appear weak or vulnerable to those around him. Aside from being estranged by his race, Crooks is separated from others on the ranch by his handicap. Acquiring his name from his crooked back, Crooks not only looks different from others, but is labeled because of it. Although he does not speak of his handicap and its many faults, Crooks views it as yet another reason for him to feel ostracized when compared to the perfect&quo...