Loneliness And Discrimination In Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck

One thing that can change a man is meeting another, as this gives him the opportunity of having a friend and not being alone. A person who is lonely will always search for a friendship. In Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the characters Crooks, Lennie, and Curley’s wife all exemplify loneliness and isolation.They all search for a bond in their own way.

“Anger is a manifestation of a deeper issue... and that, for me, is based on insecurity, self-esteem and loneliness,” (Naomi Campbell).Campbell expresses through this heartfelt quote, how the anger and bitterness that one feels builds up and results with one's loneliness. The story of Mice and Men, centers around these feelings as it describes the experiences of two migrant workers, George and Lennie. Of Mice and Men tells the story of two friends, George and Lennie, who find themselves on a ranch in pursuit of their dreams. Unfortunately for them, circumstances beyond their control cost Lennie and George their dream and much more. In Of Mice and Men, the author John Steinbeck portrays that loneliness leads to bitterness though the characters Carlson, Curley's wife, and Crooks.

In chapter three, an older migrant worker called Candy explains to George how he lost his hand on the ranch and was compensated with a “swapin” job and 250 dollars. Because of Candy’s older age, readers can infer that he has outlived many of his friends and family members; consequently, Candy feels all alone and longs to find a “family” before he dies. Knowing that Candy doesn’t have any remaining family helps the audience understand why he struggled so much with Carlson’s proposal to end his dog's suffering: “I had him so long. Had him since was a pup… You wouldn’t think

“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.

Isolation and loneliness can plague even those who socialize with others the most. Although all the main characters in this novel live in such close quarters, and socialize with each other on a daily basis, they are still isolated in their own ways. There are many factors that can lead to loneliness, such as race, intelligence and general appearance. The constant fear of being lonely, can also lead a person to be even more isolated. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, isolation and loneliness are evident through several key characters; Crooks, George, and Candy.

Loneliness is a revolving topic throughout the book. Many characters are impacted by it and this changes the outcome of the book. In Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, he develops the concept of loneliness through Candy's disability, Crooks unable to fit in, and Curley's wife in order to demonstrate that loneliness impacts people by causing anger and depression.

Loneliness, it's a strange thing to think about since it isn't a problem these days, but during the Great Depression and times around this loneliness was not rare at all. This is why loneliness was a significant theme in the book “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck. The most lonely characters in the story by far were Crooks (The dark man that works on the ranch), and Candy (the old one handed man that operates on the ranch). These two characters were not described directly as lonely, but it grew more noticeable the further into the story.

Understanding just how important security is to his own future, Candy hopes he can tempt George with his life’s savings and seal the deal when he mentions he had no living relatives to either help him or benefit from his death. Scared and embarrassed, Candy never comes straight out and admits how ageism has affected him, but he does express his feelings of fear and his desire to feel like he belongs when he comments to George, “They’ll can me purty soon. Just as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunkhouses…” (60). Without any family or friends, without a job or any money, Candy latches on to the idea of owning land together: “An’ it’d be our own, an’ nobody could can us” (58). Unfortunately, since Candy is much older than the other ranch workers, he often feels left out and lonely amongst a group of young, healthy men. Despite his insecurities, Candy still wants to contribute something to society to help provide him with a sense of purpose and to help make him feel like someone still needs him.

Candy is the only other character (aside from George and Lennie) who has a companion, his old and weak dog. Carlson, a ranch hand, shoots Candy's feeble dog to put him out of his misery. Following right after the loss of his poor dog, Candy immediately agrees to George and Lennie's plan to settle on a farm of their own and even pitches in three hundred and fifty bucks. He also has the need to be with Lennie more often and share his thoughts. Naturally he looks for a new companion because of the immediate loneliness feeling.

Although Crook, Curley's Wife, and George are lonely, ultimately you need to have someone in life.

Candy is an old worker on the farm. He lost his hand in an accident and is broke working for the ranch. His only companion, his dog was shot by another worker (carlson). Steinbeck writes about candy and his interaction. “The old man squirmed uncomfortably. Well-Hell! I had him so long. Had him since he was a pup. I herded sheep with him.” (Steinbeck 24) this describes how attached Candy is to his dog, and how it is his closest friend. Later on in the novel Carlson, another worker puts down Curley’s dog because of its age. Candy was immediately stricken with grief and went to bed. Overhearing A conversation between the main characters (George & Lennie) he says, “I’d make a will an’ leave my share to you

In the book "Of Mice and Men" the theme isolation and loneliness is cast upon three characters which are only some of the examples: Candy, because of his age, Crooks, Because of his skin color, and Lennie because of his level of intelligence. However going deeper into the reasons of why candy is isolated and lonely. First we see how candy has no friends or family. Candy says "I'd make a will an' leave my share to you guy in case I kick off, 'cause I ain't got no relatives nor nothing" (Steinbeck 59).

“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world” (Steinbeck 13). Loneliness affects people in different ways. Some people go out of their way to get attention from others, and others isolate themselves. In the story Of Mice and Men, some of the people living on the ranch are struggling with loneliness themselves. Loneliness affects characters in Of Mice and Men through Crooks isolating himself from others, Curley’s wife flirting with other men for attention, and Lennie worrying about George leaving him to take care of himself alone.

John Steinbeck feels poorly about women,makes then feel unwanted in his writing. Women have a high value in life but not in Steinbeck's eyes. Loneliness is a major part of Mice and Men.Curley's wife experiences being lonely and starts to do things to get attention

'Of Mice and Men' written by John Steinbeck in 1937, is a bemused novella, full of crestfallen moments and derogatory people. John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men' was set just outside Soledad in Southern California, written during "The Great Depression." This novella contains George Milton and Lennie Small, who are itinerant workers who have a dream of owning a big house with animals. These men encounter intricate situations, yet still manage to surpass them. After leaving Weed due to complications with Lennie, they settle in a nice, comfortable ranch in the next town over. The two manage to get themselves on the wrong side of the boss' son, Curley, after talking to his "tramp" of a wife. Later in the novella it is revealed that Lennie Small