Everyone feels lonely at some point in their life. Whether they have lost a friend, family member, or loved one. Loneliness can have many negative effects on a person’s well-being. Some results could be craziness, depression, or even sickness. These effects could lead to even worse mental health issues. In order for humans to be happy, friendships and connections are vital; as well as never keeping isolated from the world. The characters George, Lennie and Crooks were all affected by loneliness. All these characters were affected in different ways. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, loneliness has a prominent affect on the characters’ mental health, as well as illustrate why friendships are vital. First of all, loneliness for …show more content…
Secondly, Lennie suffered from loneliness because he was different. He had trouble making friends because he wasn’t like everyone else. Lennie always counted on George to be his guardian. He always knew that George would keep him safe. In contrast to George, Lennie loved George’s company. The presence of George is what made Lennie feel safe. All of Lennie’s life, George was the only person he could remember. The dangerous thought that always filled Lennie’s mind was the thought of losing George. All these years, Lennie always had George to keep him company. This idea is what drove him insane. Although, Lennie’s mental stability is already poor, this fear made it worse. Lennie was always trying to be nice and apologetic to George, just so Lennie could stay with him. To show George that he cares, Lennie reassures, “But I wouldn’t eat none, George. I’d leave it all for you. You could cover your beans with it and I wouldn’t touch none of it.” This shows how Lennie wanted only the best for George.The fear of being lonely one day was Lennie’s weakness. Lennie’s mental health was greatly affected by the thought of losing George. Lastly, Crooks struggled with loneliness because he was heavily discriminated against. Crooks was the only black worker on the ranch. He had no friends or family to keep him company. All Crooks has are his possessions to help him cope with his loneliness. Friendships were something that Crooks lacked. He was
Friends are needed in a person’s life for emotional stability whom without would lead to a life of loneliness and solitude. In the novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the characters Crooks, Candy and Curly’s wife exhibit a form of loneliness. They are driven to George and Lennie’s friendship because they lack support and that emotional stability in their own lives."A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't matter no difference who the guy is, longs he with you. I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an he gets sick" (Steinbeck, 13). Throughout his novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows that victims of isolation crave to fulfill a companionship to fill in that void of loneliness.
A high school girl carried her feet along into the cafeteria, half past noon. Blue denim jeans and a chunky sweater is her outfit. She finds the nearest empty table, which happens to be in the corner, takes out her lunch and starts munching along. Not much expression is found on her face. A blank stare the whole forty minute lunch. It looks like she doesn’t have many people to talk to. This girl must be lonely. She is not the only person who experiences loneliness. Being lonely is extremely common. Loneliness is a major theme throughout the story, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. In the 1930s, Steinbeck powerfully portrays many characters to be lonely, which causes people to have depression and anger.
In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses characterization of dialogue and actions to reveal that one can be surrounded by a group and still be lonely. The use of dialogue proves that the characters are lonely even though they are working closely together. Also, through the characterization of actions the author reveals that most of the men are lonely and that the men occupy themselves even though they are with a group of people. John Steinbeck’s theme applies to the entire would because it proves that loneliness affects everyone at one time or another. It changes the way a person thinks and behaves. When people feel lonely their actions and way of life are affected. Nobody can run away from loneliness even if they live with a group of people. It’s a trait that no one can get rid
In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, it is about two friends. One friend was large but had a mental disability, Lennie, and the other friend is intelligent and average, George. The two friends can't stay and work at a place for too long because Lennie always gets into trouble and they have to find another job. When George and Lennie finally found a ranch to work at, Lennie kills Curley's wife, the boss's son's wife, accidentally so George kills Lennie. Although George is better off without Lennie, now he is going to be as lonely as the other characters. Loneliness can affect a character's actions and choices, by causing them to be mean, isolated, and seeking for someone's attention.
Loneliness is an theme deeply represented in Of Mice and Men. From the obvious examples
Loneliness is one of many central themes in John Steinbeck’s classic novella, Of Mice and Men. Throughout the story many characters sought after the company and attention of others. Each character has a certain barrier that keeps them isolated from the outside world. Three characters who portray this loneliness throughout the novella are Crooks, Curly’s wife, and Candy. Each having a different wall between them and society.
In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, he illustrates the journey George and Lennie have throughout a significant part of their lifetime. Throughout the novel, many characters, including George and Lennie, are facing lonesome and they struggle to deal with it the right way. Most of the men are all alone because they have no family left or they isolate themselves from their peers. Loneliness touches each character at some point in the novel and it really emphasizes the impact it can have on an individual. Steinbeck uses the characters Curley’s wife, Crooks, and Candy to develop the theme that containing loneliness will make someone’s desperation deepen.
He would yell at Lennie and tell him if he didnt have him he could go and do as he pleased. When in reality George did not want these things. He was greatful to have a friend in Lennie, so he would not have to be alone. With Lennie's simple mind, he could not comprehend what George was talking about most of the time. He believed that George got upset over simple things such as ketchup. He too was very thankful to have George to go along with. Although he did not understand the complexity of things sometimes, he knew that he had a true friend who he trusted wouldnt leave him.
In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck looks at the theme of loneliness as it affects many characters on the ranch. Crooks, Curley's wife, and Candy are the most excluded characters on the ranch, because they all have dreams that they will not be able to live out and they all are at loss when it came to companionship. Crooks is lonely because he is the only black man on the ranch. Since this book is set during the Depression, Jim Crow laws are still in effect, whites and blacks had separate facilities for socializing and living. Crooks comments that he can't live in the bunkhouse, and cant even play cards in there.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is book of many themes; one that is very prominent is loneliness. Loneliness is common in many people's lives and that is also true for the lives of the characters of the book. Almost all characters in the book are lonely in one way or the other.
“Actually, feeling lonely has little to do with how many friends you have. It 's the way you feel inside. Some people who feel lonely may rarely interact with people and others who are surrounded by people but don 't feel connected” (Karyn Hall 2013). Truthfully, loneliness is something almost all people fear. It 's a deeper feeling then just being isolated. It 's feeling distant or disconnected from others. Loneliness is so much more than just feeling secluded, it 's feeling rejected by society, or even like an outcast. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck suggests that there is a deeper meaning to being lonely than just the superficial sense of
Crooks was a solitary man as well, being forced by the social boundaries at the time to keep to himself. He could not even make the idle chit-chat that the other men could to occupy themselves and sidestep the preliminary loneliness of working away from family. He was separated not only mentally but physically; “Crooks … had his bunk in the harness room; a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn.” (Steinbeck 33) Crooks, who hailed from a different line of descent than the men surrounding him, was forced by the ethics of the era to stay separated. He had no one to confide in at all. He never mentions family, only lending to the fact that he has himself alone to talk to at all save when people give orders to him around the ranch. It is loneliness at its most concentrated. Not only was he separated but “[He] wasn’t wanted in the bunkhouse …” Not only is loneliness defined as being without companions and solitary, but as being “sad because one has no friends or company.” Not being wanted only makes one sad, and having no one to talk to makes Crooks a perfect match for the definition of loneliness. With Crooks, Steinbeck overwhelmingly makes the theme of loneliness readily apparent.
Many of the characters do suffer from loneliness in the novel Of Mice and Men. George lets everybody know early on in the novel that he is lonely. When George reminds Lennie that "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world” (Steinbeck Section 1). Men like George who travel from farm to farm usually never have anyone to look to for companionship and protection. As the story goes on, Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife all state their deep loneliness. Crooks says, “A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick" (80). In a world with no friends to confide in, random people will have to do. Each of the characters search for a friend, someone to confide in and be able to talk to on an everyday basis, as Crooks says. In the end, however, companionship of Curley’s kind seems impossible to find. For George, when Lennie dies, George’s dreams and hopes of finding a companion disappears.
At some point in one’s life there is not only contentment or grief, but a state of loneliness. Loneliness is a part of human life, although some suffer from isolation more than others. Being lonely can lead to depression or create a different persona in oneself. Struggling through isolation can eventually kill one’s soul, expecting no hope or ending up in dangerous situations. The novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck portrays the theme of loneliness especially through two characters. Crooks and Curley’s wife experience the state of isolation as they crave for a friend or someone they can talk with. Steinbeck urges readers to feel pathos when analyzing Crooks and Curley’s wife through the nature of their isolation, their actions and
To be lonely is an easy thing, being alone is another matter entirely. To understand this, first one must understand the difference between loneliness and being alone. To be alone means that your are not in the company of anyone else. You are one. But loneliness can happen anytime, anywhere. You can be lonely in a crowd, lonely with friends, lonely with family. You can even be lonely while with loved ones. For feeling lonely, is in essence a feeling of being alone. As thought you were one and you feel as though you will always be that way. Loneliness can be one of the most destructive feelings humans are capable of feeling. For loneliness can lead to depression, suicide, and even to raging out and hurting friends and/or