Isolation in psychology is;
“a person, often shy or lacking in social skills, who either avoids the company of others or has no friends within a group.”
Steinbeck uses a variety of different methods to demonstrate isolations grip on the ranch in the novella. For example the use of the colloquial voice of the characters implies isolation. For instance,
“Aint’ I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am , anyways? You’re a nice guy. I don’t know why I can’t talk to you. I ain’t doin’ no harm to you.”
This is a quote from Curley’s wife who is primarily isolated because she is the only woman on the farm, therefore creating a sexual boundary between her and the rest of the ranch members, who see her as a tart.
Her isolation is also fuelled from her marriage to Curley; who’s hot tempered and aggressive nature is another reason why ranch members don’t want to have any relation to her. On top of everything else, Curley is also possessive towards his wife, he doesn’t allow her to talk to anyone but himself consequently creating a mask of fear around his wife, making her a risk to have any connection to, isolating her from anyone but Curley.
Ultimately this isolation is the cause of her loneliness and causes her to wander about the ranch looking for company. Hence her always looking for Curley is just a subject to start a conversation on. However in this quote she reveals to Lennie that she doesn’t have a clue as to why she is being isolated by the farm members and is oblivious to the immense risk that anyone who talks to her is going through.
http://www.shmoop.com/of-mice-and-men/weakness-theme.html
One of the underlying themes that is implicated by Steinbeck is weakness.
SLIM John Steinbeck describes Slim as a “God-like” character who has an “understanding beyond thought”, which gives the reader the idea that Slim is an intelligent and understanding character that thinks deeper than the average american at that time. These descriptions are the foundations of Slim’s character and purpose in “Of Mice and Men”. This is firstly because of Slim’s role in the plot of the novel, he plays the role of the incredibly talented Skinner who seems to converse with one of the main characters, George. Throughout the conversations between Slim and George, there is evidence that there is a large amount of understanding and respect between each of the characters. This is because, during one of their conversations George talks about his and Lennie’s own past in Weed which could have been disastrous, if spread, to their jobs on the farm. (Note that Slim is also a character without a revealing back-story.) However underneath the plot of the book Steinbeck gives an underlying purpose to almost all the characters including Slim. Slim’s purpose in the book is to be the American role-model for all men at the time of the Great Depression. This is because Slim thinks on a different level than the other characters on the farm and respects almost everybody including Crooks, this furthermore relates towards “The American dream” and that “All men are created equal” ; this overall, gives Slim an atmosphere of deference.
Slim
“Slim don’t need to wear no high-heeled boots on a grain team.”
This quote is the description that Candy says to George and it describes Slim as a humble and strong willed character because Slim doesn’t need to act tough to be on a grain team; this instantly shows he must be quite strong overall to keep his wit around other people. Furthermore the author when describing Slims describes him as “Godlike” and having an “understanding beyond thought”. So evidentially Slim is described as an almost omniscient character who’s opinions and being could be said as a comparative to the authors own feelings towards his work. Overall Slim is an intelligent and understanding character who thinks more seriously than for example Carlson who could be said as the average American at the time.
Because of this George trusts Slim with his past and appreciates Slims advice and understanding of what George and Lennie are going through.