Friendship And Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

One of the main themes John Steinbeck revolves around in his book, Of Mice and Men mainly has to do with loneliness and friendship. Lennie and George, the two main characters, have a strong brotherly bond that goes way back to when they were young. This book really stresses how Lennie and George are very different from the other ranchers. They stick together rather than being independent and solitaire: “With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jacks jus’ because we got no place else to go. (14)”’ They both stick together and support each other while working towards their dream of having their own farm: “… I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you… (14)”’ The other characters don’t have this kind of bond with anyone. Characters such as Candy or even Curley’s wife either lost their best friend or was not allowed to talk to anyone except her husband. These two characters openly share their feelings of loneliness with George and/or Lennie throughout the book, resulting in false hope, lies, and murder…

Loneliness can be a very harsh emotion. Some let it take over their whole lookout on life . The way each individual deals with it is different but sometimes it bothers people to the point where they let it affect their dreams and decisions. In the book Of Mice and Men, characters make big decisions that affects their dreams that leave them unhappy.

One of the main motifs that is throughout the book Of Mice and Men is loneliness. Throughout the book, the reader meets some interesting characters. These characters are interesting because they express their loneliness and their isolation. These characters embody the motif and show the reader examples of this isolation. Some of these characters are Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife.

As the Great Depression creates a sense of isolation and loneliness, two men seem to have it all figured out as they find their way through the vast land of California. During this time, men are forced into isolation and loneliness as they travel to find work, but George and Lennie represent the need for companionship as they have their whole lives planned together. In his writing, John Steinbeck uses character mannerisms, symbolism, and social injustice to show loneliness and the need for companionship in the novel, Of Mice and Men.

Many of the characters in the novel are isolated and openly discuss their feelings of loneliness and i think that most of them feel that way because the guys travel by themselves and that's one of the reasons they may feel lonely. They also might feel lonely because they don't even have a home or a place they could call their own. The reason why I think a majority of them are lonely though is because they don't have families and just having a family and spending time with them makes you feel better and since they don't have a family is probably why most of the men spend their time at susy's place. Another one of the reasons why i think that most of the men and even the people that work at the ranch are lonely is because they have almost absolutely nothing.

Now, another main character who also greatly struggles with the constant loneliness is Crooks (the black stable hand). Crooks struggles because people push him away, consequently he begins to believe that he really is a whole lot different. He begins to accept it and begins to simply not care. The few chances he is presented with, like the fight at Christmas aren’t because they want to socialize and come in contact with him but because they want entertainment from a black man. This really illustrates a prime example of a false friendship. They lure him in, as if they’re accepting him for once, but in reality he is just entertainment, and if and when he realizes it, loneliness will stab him in the back. Think of how you would feel being

1. In the story, Crooks demonstrates extreme loneliness and isolation throughout the story. For example, Lennie and Candy were in Crooks’ room when Crooks said, “Guys don't come into a colored man's room very much. Nobody been in here but Slim. Slim an’ the boss”(75). Crooks tells how nobody but Slim comes to talk or visit with him. How he is just left alone on the ranch to do his own thing. Crook’s has lived on the ranch for most of his life, but no one thought about him, they just expected him to do his own thing. For instance, another example of this is, Lennie had come to Crooks room and Crooks told him how, “I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse…”(68). He told how no one wanted to be near him or with him, no one wanted anything to do with him. Crooks is the character

In the novel of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, Lennie and George are traveling together and dream about “living off the fat of the land” (Steinbeck 14). The loneliness of Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Crooks, plays a big role in the plot of this story. Loneliness overtakes characters in the novel and makes them say and do impractical things.

The only cure for loneliness is having a companion. Whether that is a dog, or a best friend . All living things need somebody by their side. Friendship is everywhere in Of Mice and Men. George and Lennie are not the only two people that stay with each other. It may not be mentioned as often, but even the people on the ranch needed each other. In his novel Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck suggests that everybody, no matter what race, religion, or gender needs friendship.

Everybody gets lonely sometimes. Loneliness can cause people to do rash and sometimes terrible things; it can motivate someone to kidnap a child or to simply go out and buy a cat. Whether it’s been death, broken dreams, or the fear of being abandoned, several characters in Of Mice and Men exhibit the trademark signs of loneliness. Lennie, Curley’s wife, Crooks, and even George cannot escape the desolate lives they live simply because they all fail to see the potential inside of each other.

Of Mice and Men, a tragic novel written by John Steinbeck, tells about the dream of Lennie Small and George Milton. Lennie and George are two hard workers that travel place to place to make money to buy the piece of land they have always dreamed of owning. Steinbeck includes many different themes in his novel, however, loneliness seems to play a major role in the book. When Lennie and George arrive at the farm where they are going to work they meet many new people. They are introduced to Crooks, Candy, and Curley’s wife who represent the theme of loneliness in the novel.

There are many themes in “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck. A few themes are friendships, American dream, woman's rights, and the working class. But the theme I chose is friendship. Steinbeck portrays friendship as a big part of the book, and there are many ups and downs in friendships in “Of Mice and Men.” I believe that most of the friendships are very odd or just not good, true friendships. Lennie and George, Curley and Curley’s wife, and Crooks and the rest of the workers, are the friendships that I feel have the most impact on the story. Starting with George and Lennie.

Friendship is a necessity for almost all living things. Without friendship, many people or even animals around the world would be very lonely or even grumpy. Friendship is something to look forward to when you’re feeling down. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck shows many examples of friendship through the characters Lennie and George. George and Lennie’s relationship shows us the true meaning of friendship. George and Lennie have a great friendship where they take care of one another, support each other, and show how they make sacrifices for the sake of their friendship.

Unfortunately, despite a need for companionship, people set up barriers that maintain loneliness, and they sustain those barriers by being inhumane to each other. One barrier is based on gender: The bunkhouse is a male world, where women are not to be trusted. While Curley's wife is always looking for attention, Curley's jealousy causes all the hands to stay away from her. Although Curley's wife is often portrayed as cruel and troublesome (and therefore, we can see why she is left alone), the real thing that isolates her is that she is a female in an all-male world. Race is another barrier. Crooks, for example, must occupy a room in the stable alone, and he is not welcome in the bunkhouse. For Candy, the barriers are age and handicap. He is

In the novel, “Of Mice and Men,” John Steinbeck emphasizes how solitude is sustained through inhumane boundaries made by one another among the characters of the novel. Analyzing further into its context, Steinbeck claims the barbarity of isolation with only the friability of self-hope. Evoking the characteristics of the George and Lennie’s friendship , and intending to compare it to the real world, Steinbeck exposes the necessity for friendship in a striving path toward a possible benefitting future. The theme of solitude within the striving path to fulfilling a dream, demonstrates that friendship is vital as it is evident through the characters of George, Lennie, Crooks and Curley’s wife. Evident as it is that the personality of George makes a dramatic contrast with Lennie’s actions, both of their