This blog is about the theme of loneliness in Of Mice and Men. The theme is that you can still experience loneliness when you are with someone you care about. George and Lennie are still lonely when they are with each other. George and Lennie know they are lonely. Readers are reminded of George and Lennie's loneliness often throughout the book when George says, "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. They come to a ranch an' work up a stake and they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they're poundin' their tail on some other ranch. They ain't got nothing to look ahead to. With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don't have to sit in no bar room blowin' in our jack jus' because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us." (Steinbeck 13 1937)
Every character in Of Mice and Men is lonely. Some are lonelier than others. None of the characters in Of Mice and Men have families. None of the characters except George and Lennie have strong friendships.
Here is a video for a song that I think would be great for Of Mice and Men. The song is called Boulevard of Broken Dreams. The song is about a person always being alone. The person goes everywhere alone and he sometimes wishes that someone would find him.
This song's title can be related to the end of Of Mice and Men. When George kills Lennie, his dreams of owning his own land are broken. Now George walks alone because he doesn't have Lennie with him. (Video from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tijW_SrCoxs)
If you want to see the lyrics, use this link:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/greenday/boulevardofbrokendreams.html
