Abstract：John Steinbeck (1902-1968) was the foremost novelist of the American Depression of the 1930s. He has been called “a giant of American letters”, and many of his works are considered classics of Western literature, such as Tortilla Flat, In Dubious Battle and The Grapes of Wrath. Among them, Of Mice and Men, which was written according to his own experience, brought him the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Of Mice and Men mainly deals with George and Lennie’s experience as ranch workers to strive against the loneliness and pursue the dream of obtaining a land of their own during the Great Depression. From this novel, Steinbeck showed a pessimistic attitude towards people’s attempts to fight against loneliness, while he also expressed his appreciation on their efforts to overcome loneliness.

This thesis consists of five parts. The first part, the introduction, concludes a brief introduction to John Steinbeck and his Of Mice and Men, as well as a literature review. The second part reveals the lonely situation on the ranch. The third part analyses the causes of loneliness on the ranch. The fourth part lists and analyses the measures against loneliness taken by people on the ranch. The last part, the conclusion, is a summary, revealing the theme of loneliness in the novel.

Keyword: John Steinbeck; loneliness; Of Mice and Men

约翰·斯坦贝克《人鼠之间》的孤独主题研究

摘  要：约翰·斯坦贝克（1902-1968）是二十世纪三十年代经济大萧条时期最杰出的作家，有“美国文学巨人”之称。他的许多作品，例如《煎饼坪》《胜负未决》和《愤怒的葡萄》，都是西方文学的经典，。在他众多的作品中，《人鼠之间》根据他自己的亲身经历为素材，也是他斩获1962年诺贝尔文学奖的作品。

《人鼠之间》主要讲述了在经济大萧条期间，农场工人乔治和莱尼为反抗孤独，追求拥有自己的十英亩土地以建造自己的家园的梦想而工作,最终因为内在原因和外界影响而失败的经历。在这部小说中，斯坦贝克虽然稍显悲观地认为在这个不完美的世界里，人反抗孤独的努力并不能取得理想的结果，但同时，他也表达了自己对人们积极采取行动反抗孤独这一行为的赞誉之情，以及他对底层人民深切的同情与爱。

本文包括五个部分，分别是引言，正文三个部分以及结语。引言部分包括了对约翰·斯坦贝克及其作品《人鼠之间》的介绍，和文献综述。正文第一部分展现了农场里孤独的现状，正文第二部分探究了造成农场孤独现状的原因，正文第三部分例举并分析了人们为对抗孤独而采取的方法。结语作为一个总结，解释了小说孤独的主题。

关键词：约翰·斯坦贝克；孤独；《人鼠之间》

Contents

1. Introduction 1

1.1 John Steinbeck 1

1.2 Of Mice and Men 1

1.3 Literature Review 1

2. Manifestations of Loneliness in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men 4

2.1 The Defective Relationship between People 4

2.2 The Monotoneou Lifestyle of Characters 5

2.3 The Hard Living Conditions on the Ranch 6

3. Causes of Loneliness in the Novel 8

3.1 The Impact Caused by the Great Depression 8

3.2 The Varity of Discriminations 8

3.3 The Inevitable Fate of Human Beings 9

4. Measures Taken to Deal with Loneliness in the Novel 11

4.1 The Establishment of Friendship 11

4.2 The Pursuit of Dreams 12

4.3 The Prevention from Being True Self 12

5. Conclusion 14

Reference 15

1. Introduction

1.1 John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California, which became the setting of many of his novels. Influenced by his mother, a former school teacher, Steinbeck had a passion for reading and writing at a young age. The Bible and the tales of King Author impressed him and his works profoundly. After graduating from high school in 1919, Steinbeck spent his summers working on ranches and with migrant workers on farms. From this experience, he learnt of the harsh aspects of the migrant life and the dark side of human nature, which supplied him with material for works like Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck went onto study English Literature at Stanford University and left to New York without a degree in 1925. When he failed to publish his work in New York, he returned to California and worked in 1928, and published his first novel, Cup of Gold, in 1929, and married Carol Henning, his first wife in 1930. In the same year, Steinbeck met the marine biologist Ed Ricketts, who became a close friend and mentor to Steinbeck during the following decade (1930-1936). Steinbeck learnt a great deal about philosophy and biology from Rickett. Steinbeck died because of heart disease in 1968.