How Loneliness Affects Characters in of Mice and Men

Loneliness is an theme deeply represented in Of Mice and Men. From the obvious examples

The modern world, filled with loneliness and desperation portrayed by over 40% of the population. Loneliness, described as being isolated or having a feeling of little importance, or having little companionship with others. Everyone feels the loneliness creep upon them at some point in their lives. As we feel lonely, we feel the impact and must react some way to cope with the feeling and feel better with ourselves. As seen in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the devastating impact of loneliness on human beings is demonstrated through Curley’s Wife, Crooks, and Candy.

All Alone: Loneliness in Of Mice and Men In a society of people all in the same situations how can someone feel so alone. When lives fall apart and people have nothing to hold on to people need each other most, yet are pushed so far from others. The novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, follows the storyline of two men who are displaced farm workers during the Great Depression; they travel around and stick by each other’s sides no matter the circumstance. After many jobs they end up on a farm,the farm they hope will be their last stop. The time spent on the farm is filled with blooming friendships and careless quarrels, yet with an abundance of characters and entertainment- many people on the farm feel alone and out of place. Characters such as Crooks and Curley’s wife often come to mind when the subject of loneliness is brought up. Throughout the book using characters such as Crooks and Curley's wife, John Steinbeck demonstrates that humans are immensely impacted by separation from society and it will change the way that people will act and show themselves to others.

Loneliness is the sadness resulting from being isolated or abandoned. Being lonely is almost always directly connected to relations between people, or the lack there of. Mother Teresa once said “Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.” In John Steinbecks classic novel, Of Mice And Men, the three characters, Crooks, Curley’s wife and Candy struggle with loneliness in different forms because of characteristics that they can’t control. All three characters deal with their loneliness by searching for companionship with others on the ranch and this works out differently for each of them.

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.

No relationship can be expected to prosper when it is based on responsibility, This attachment is made towards Lennie by both Crooks and Curley’s wife. They take advantage of Lennie’s disability, and use him to assuage their solitude. Curley’s wife complains to Lennie of her isolation while in the barn, saying, “I get lonely,’(...) ‘You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad.” (Steinbeck, 87) She establishes outright that she is lonely, and uses that to persuade Lennie to speak to her. This was, however, unhealthy because she didn’t actually care about Lennie. When he stayed with her, she only talked about her past, and vented her issues, without a care for Lennie. In the same fashion, Crooks also chose to ignore any emotional needs that Lennie may have, preferring to speak only to alleviate his loneliness. When Lennie comes to Crooks’ room, Crooks is so desperate for another person to talk to-for a chance to be social-that it doesn’t matter to him that his words fall on deaf ears. He revels in the company, explaining, “So it don’t mean nothing, see? You couldn’t remember it anyways. I seen it over an’ over- a guy talkin’ to another guy and it don’t make no difference if he don’t hear or understand.”(Steinbeck, 71) This encounter between Crooks and Lennie affirms the fact that theirs isn’t a symbiotic relationship. Crooks is fueled by his need for human contact, and it makes absolutely no difference to him what Lennie feels or thinks. He is dependent on Lennie’s defective brain for assurance that he can just talk without having to worry, though a healthy relationship should include mutual understanding and care. Isolation is evidently not best relieved through a flimsy form of

Loneliness in “Of Mice and Men” 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

“Guys like us, that work on ranches are the loneliness guys in the world. They got no family...we got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us” (Steinbeck 14). During the Great Depression, much of society is alienated while survival of the fittest prevails. The power of loneliness affects the individual involved as long as the society it is present in continues to harvest the discriminatory ways. During the 1930’s, the Great Depression was at its peak; The stock markets crashed, and a chain reaction caused the unemployment rates to rise to an all time high. Thus, migrant worker became popular because they were always needed on a farm and it was a way for one to find employment. In of Mice and Men, Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife are all victims of the Great Depression. Candy and Crooks work on the farm, while Curley’s wife is the flirtatious nuisance whose dreams were crushed. The pervasive emotion throughout this novella is loneliness. Loneliness is felt by Candy, Crooks, and and Curley’s wife, whether it’s being represented symbolically as the characters are fighting social devastation, learning to make it alone, or through their actions.

Everyone has been lonely in their life before. But in the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck illustrates how in the 1930s workers George and Lennie two guys desperate for work and poor come upon the ranch Soledad, California. Most of the characters are lonely and are searching for companionship. He calls the ranch Soledad because it means lonely.

talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad at me." (91) Curley's wife tries to combat her loneliness by flirting with the other workers, but when they plainly turn her down in order to stay out of trouble, it just further adds to her loneliness.

Loneliness affects everyone in different ways, and most people are forced to make rash decisions. In Of Mice and Men there are a plethora of lonely characters but, some of the the top three loneliest characters in the book are Crooks, Candy, and Curley's wife. The loneliest character is Crooks because he is colored and all the ranch workers stay away from him because colored people were thought of differently back then. The second most lonesome character in the novel is Candy because he is the last member of his family, and his dog that he raised from a pup was killed. The third most desolate character is Curley's wife because she is the only girl near the ranch so she has nobody wanting to talk to her because her loneliness causes her to pry

Of Mice, Men and Loneliness John Steinbeck is the author of the story Of Mice and Men. He grew up in the Salinas River Valley in California, where Of Mice and Men takes place. Steinbeck grew up in 1929 when the Great Depression was going on. Of Mice and Men also takes place during the Great Depression. There were many migrant workers during the Great Depression. Migrant farm workers are men who move around the country working and earning wages and then moving to the next farm. These migrant workers do not have a home base of operations, they have little to call their own. Moving around a lot, migrant workers do not have time to make lasting friendships. In his novella, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses George, Candy, and Crooks to

The film’s gorgeous visual presentation allows it to communicate the theme of loneliness in a superior fashion. Throughout the film, many fantastic uses of imagery deeply emphasizes the lonesomeness of the story. A great example of this is shown during the scene where Candy mourns his dead dog. Here, the entire shot of the farmland is tinted gray, with the sky being cloudy, and the trees and grass fields appearing dull. Candy is seen to be standing alone on the empty field while the other ranch hands left for work. He solemnly takes off his hat in respect for his old friend’s passing, and turns to face away from the audience (Sinise). The imagery presented in this scene greatly articulates the deep emotional desolation Candy is experiencing,

Loneliness affects Crooks and Curley’s wife through their actions and how they live. Curley’s wife is portrayed as a sexual and inappropriate woman to other men in the novella because of her makeup and behavior. Her makeup is a mask covering her real self –lonely and living a life of solitude. Even though she is married, not once do we see Curley’s wife and her husband together. Curley is going to a whore house every Saturday and his wife acts subtle about it. We

The author, John Steinbeck, is famous for pieces including The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, and Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck was born February 27, 1902, and unfortunately passed away on December 20, 1968, at 66 years old. Of Mice and Men is set in the time period of The Great Depression. The Great Depression was the worst economic downturn in history. It started when the stock market crashed in 1929. World War II marks the end of this economic downfall that will forever be remembered. In his novella, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses the characters of George, Candy, and Crooks to contribute towards the overall theme of loneliness.