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In rural Salinas, California where John Steinback's Of Mice and Men takes place, the ranch that is set among beautiful golden hills and bright blue skies is much more complex than it seems. The small ranch is surprisingly very reflective of human nature and life in general. This is apparent through four main themes that occur throughout the story; broken dreams, friendship, loneliness, and inequality. These re-occurring themes shape not only the characters' personalities, but also the story itself, and they show that the rural little ranch is truly reminiscent of the world around it.
One of the most prominent themes in the novel is that of broken dreams. Many characters throughout the story have their own idea of their American Dream. However, as a result of the harsh conditions of the world and mankind in general, no characters ever achieve their goal. For example, George and Lennie have the ongoing dream of one day owning a ranch together. In times of distress, George and Lennie find comfort in discussing their future plans. Their entire goal in coming to the ranch from Weed was to work hard enough to earn enough money for their ranch. They labor away endlessly on the ranch for their idea of the American Dream, but in the end, none of it matters when George is almost forced to kill Lennie, and the dream is no longer useful to him. Another example of broken dreams comes from Curley's wife. At the beginning of the climactic scene in the barn when Lennie and Curley's wife are conversing, she confides to Lennie of her dreams to become a movie star and move to Hollywood. She tells him of the day she met a man in the movie business who told her she was a natural, and how he promised to send her a letter of how she can become a movie star. Alas, she never received the letter, and she never got to live out her dream. Instead, she resorted to marry Curley, a man to whom she never truly did love. "I tell you I ain't used to livin' like this. I coulda made somethin' of myself" (88). These two examples of broken dreams in the novel prove to show how reaching the American Dream is almost an impossible task. While the idea seems pessimistic, it is sadly realistic. In the scene when Lennie, Candy, and Crooks are talking, Crooks addresses this issue as he is attempting to belittle Lennie's unrealistic idea of the American Dream, "I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an that same damn thing in their heads … every damn one of ems got a little piece of land in his head. An never a God damn one of em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Everbody wants a little piece of lan. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land" (74). As is apparent throughout the entire novel, the American Dream is, after all, only a dream.
Another ongoing theme in the novel is friendship. From the beginning of the story, the strong bond between George and Lennie is obvious. In fact, the ending scene when George shoots Lennie has such a touching, and emotional impact because the strength of their friendship is deeply apparent to the reader. Throughout the novel, George and Lennie compliment each other nicely, and they seem to always be there for each other. Their strong bond is apparent in their quest for their dream of owning a ranch together. The two men band together like brothers to achieve their dream. "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… Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you" (14). George and Lennie share this common dream together throughout the story until the very end, they protect each other continuously, and they encompass the ideal friendship. However, living in such a harsh world where only the strong survive, and the weak are picked upon, George and Lennie's friendship suffer a tragic fate. At the end, when Lennie is being hunted down for killing Curley's wife, George knows that Lennie will be terribly lynched by the men. With this thought in mind, George realizes that the best way for Lennie to go, though it may seem the most unlikely, is for George to kill him himself. George realized that if he let the other men kill him; it would be far more brutal than what Lennie deserved. Ironically, this event was foreshadowed earlier on in the novel, when Candy's old, grubby dog was killed. After it was said and done, Candy confided to George that he would have much rather killed the mutt himself. "I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog" (61). While it may seem unjust for George to shoot his best friend in the end, it was evident to him that it was the only way to achieve any sense of resolution to the strong friendship that they shared.
In stark contrast to the strong friendship of George and Lennie, many characters feel a sense of loneliness. George recognizes this loneliness as a part of life in the beginning of the novel, "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place" (1). For example, Crooks, the black ranch-hand, has been isolated all his life as a result of his skin color. Crooks isn't allowed to be in the "white people quarters," and he spends all of his days by himself reading. When Lennie comes to visit Crooks, it is apparent that he is glad to finally have somebody to talk to, even though he tries to hide it. During the conversation, Candy appears in the doorway, obviously anxious to join the conversation. It is apparent of that Candy is lonely also, because him and Crooks never talk. The fact that he comes to confide in complete strangers shows how desperate he is for somebody to talk to and to not be lonely anymore. Candy is able to dream his way out of his loneliness, however, when he joins George and Lennie in their dream for owning a ranch. Like George and Lennie, Candy finds comfort in having something to look forward to. "I planted crops for damn near ever'body in this state, but they wasn't my crops, and when I harvested ‘em, it wasn't none of my harvest. But we gonna do it now, and don't make no mistake about that. Me an' Lennie an' George" (76). In addition to Crooks and Candy, Curley's wife is also very lonesome. There is never really an insight into her character until the scene with Crooks, Lennie, and Candy. Her loneliness is never sensed until she too confides in complete strangers. After she gets shooed away, he gets irritated and starts complaining about her miserable life, marriage, and loneliness. This pivotal scene in the novel shows not only the extreme loneliness of these three characters, but also their extreme disparity for simply somebody to talk to.
Another prominent theme throughout the story is inequality. Inequality affects the characters, and the outcome of the novel. It shows that not only to the strong pick on the weak, but the weak pick on the weaker; and that the strength of people is built off of their own weakness. It mirrors the harsh, imbalanced ways of human nature. First of all, minorities are not regarded highly in the story. Crooks is isolated by himself on the ranch because he is black. He is considered nothing but the "nigger" to all the other men in the story, and he is ridiculed for nothing but his skin color. However, while Crooks seems to be the most weak, he jumps at the oppritunity to make himself feel larger by making Lennie feel weaker. When Lennie comes to visit Crooks, he ridicules his dream of owning a ranch, all to make him feel more equal than he is. "Crooks' face lighted with pleasure in his torture of Lennie" (71). Not only does Crooks do this, but so does Curley's wife. It is obvious in the story that women are thought of nothing but animals to men. The simple fact that Curley's wife doesn't even have a name is reflective of this. The men consider her a "tart" and a "tramp," and they think that she causes nothing but trouble. Even her mere presence is "trouble" When she enters the barn that Crooks, Candy, and Lennie are in, Crooks says, "Maybe you better go along to your own house now We don't want no trouble" (77). All throughout the novel she is oppressed for being a minority, but she, like Crooks, also jumps at the oppritunity to make herself feel more equal by picking on those that are more weak than her. For example, she threatens to have Crooks lynched by her husband, "Listen, Nigger, you know what I can do to you if you open your trap?" (80). Immediately, Crooks didn't say a word, and Curley's wife felt stronger than she knew she was. But not only are people considered unequal for being a minority, but also because of their character, if it seems to be weak. This is apparent with Lennie. Lennie is a big guy, yet he isn't very smart. As a result, people dwell on his weakness and belittle him for it. Curley especially does this. He takes advantage of the fact that Lennie isn't smart, and attempts to pick on him for it. Again, small weaknesses are dwelled on, and add to the inequality on the ranch. This theme of inequality, and the strong picking on the weak, as well as the weak picking on the weaker, exists throughout the novel.
In conclusion, it is apparent that the small ranch in Salinas is very similar to mankind and life. The themes of broken dreams, friendship, loneliness, and inequality have proven this. These themes show that dreams are hard to achieve, good friendship is difficult to come by, and people yearn for equality. However pessimistic it may seem, they capture the characters and not only their worst, but also their best; and they further show the harsh reality of life.
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