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.
React!