Contents

Acknowledgements

Abstract

摘要

Chapter One Introduction-1

1.1 Introduction to John Steinbeck-1

1.2 Introduction to Of Mice and Men-1

1.3 Background of the Study-2

1.3.1 Oversea Research on Of Mice and Men-2

1.3.2 Domestic Research on Of Mice and Men-3

1.4 Composition of the Paper-4

Chapter Two Loneliness in the Novel of Of Mice and Men-5

2.1 Loneliness of the Characters-5

2.1.1 Loneliness of the Migrant Workers-5

2.1.2 Loneliness of the Ranchers-6

2.2 Loneliness of the Friendship-6

2.3 The Lonely Dream-7

Chapter Three Effects and Causes of Loneliness-9

3.1 Effects of Loneliness-9

3.1.1 Idealized Friendship-9

3.1.2 Impossible Dreams-9

3.2 Causes of Loneliness-10

3.2.1 The Cruelty of Human Society-10

3.2.2 The Weakness of Migrant Workers-11

Chapter Four Conclusion-12

References-13

Abstract

John Steinbeck is a famous novelist in the United States in the twentieth century. He won the Pulitzer Prize in literature in 1940 and won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1962. He is recognized as one of the most important American writers in the twentieth century. Of Mice and Men is one of his representative works. It describes the tragic fate of migrant workers in the Great Depression, and it expresses Steinbeck’s profound understanding on the living condition of human beings.

The novel mainly tells the tragic experience of two migrant workers in California during the Great Depression. They dream of earning money to buy a piece of land, which would enable them to sustain themselves, and, most importantly, offer them protection from an inhospitable world. The dream is American dream. It is also the dream that can’t be touched by the bottom of society. George, the protagonist of the novel, works hard to create his dream. But the ending is that his dream is shattered and the only friend is dead. Loneliness and helpless are the best descriptions that reflect the state of human beings.

This paper mainly analyses the causes and the nature of loneliness in the novel at that time through the interpretation of the lonely characters, their helpless friendship and impossible dream. The deep significance that reflected in characters can also be understood by studying the theme of loneliness in Of Mice and Men. In this way, Steinbeck’s thought on human that hidden in the text will be fully conveyed to readers.

Keywords：John Steinbeck  Of Mice and Men  Loneliness  Theme