Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

’A guy needs somebody – to be near him. 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’”

“A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green” (Steinbeck 1). The novella, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is about loneliness and the different ways the characters combat it. Several characters that are included in the novel such as, George, Candy, and Crooks, all fight against their solitude in their own ways. One of the main characters, George thinks being poor is better than having no one next to him, “Guys like us, that work on the ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family.

In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice And Men, the most important theme that was represented in the book was loneliness, and how it can change an individual’s personality to the point of desperation and desolation, because there were multiple characters that were facing solitude to a different degree that made them do things that they may not have done if they were not feeling that way. For example, when Carlson had finally convinced Candy to let him shoot his old dog, who was essentially Candy’s only real friend, Candy regrets it later, the book describing Candy in the aftermath: “He didn’t look at old Candy, who still faced the wall. Carlson found a little cleaning rod in the bag and a can of oil. He laid them on his bed and then brought out the pistol…

Crooks is a prime example that loneliness affects one's emotions. The constant isolation has created layers of mental protection and a cynical and sadistic outlook on life. He forces this sentiment onto people around him, such as Lennie when he says,”You got no right to come in my room. This here's my room. Nobody got any right in here but me."

John Steinbeck, the author of Of Mice And Men, points out that everyone is lonely in one way or another because of this they tend to act out in a negative way to get the attention of their peers, so they can feel as if they have someone even if it doesn't last forever. We see two men walking on a dirt road to a ranch. The two men George and Lennie have been on the move to find work and when they get there they are greeted by many people which later in the story show signs of loneliness. In the beginning of the story we see Lennie walking with George and Lennie has a mouse in his hand and he is petting it and he pets it so hard he kills it.

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.

Loneliness in Of Mice and Men In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the entire cast of characters face the prospect of loneliness. The author uses the setting of the story to further the theme. The characters Lennie and George have travel together ever since Lennie was left in George's care. Lennie has a mental disability but is very strong, and George is a small man and Lennie’s best friend.

During the depression, many of the people lost their jobs and were looking for work which leads to the story of George and Lennie who are traveling to find a job. The job they take is in the town of Soledad, California at a local ranch, and on the ranch George and Lennie meet many new people including three very different people who all have one thing in common, loneliness. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, loneliness plays a major role and in the novel three very different characters display loneliness. Many instances of loneliness are shown through Curley’s wife, Candy, and the ranch’s stable buck, black man, Crooks.

“You never realize how lonely you are until it’s the end of the day and you got a bunch of things to talk about and no one to to talk to” by unknown. The novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a story about to migrant workers during the Great Depression. The main characters of the book are two men. One man is Lennie Small who is mentally challenged and another man named George Milton. Lennie and George on their way to a ranch after an accident that had happened at their previous ranch, Weed.

Throughout Of Mice and Men it is clear that everyone is not equal. There is a hierarchical structure that dictates a large proportion of what the men can and can’t do, and this heavily enforces the isolation that many men on the ranch feel. It is clear that many of the men who fall low in the hierarchy are lonely, but some that at first appear to be higher in the hierarchy aren’t enjoying their privileged lives as much as they should. Regardless of what the reader thinks of him, Curley is undeniably heigh up the hierarchy and yet undeniably lonely. Although this does not make him any better of a person or any more deserving of the reader’s pity, it is still acutely clear that he is isolated, and it is partially his own fault.

Have you ever felt like you were alone in a room of a hundred people? John Steinbeck, the author of Of Mice and Men, wrote a heartfelt story of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, on their journey to reach the American Dream. After they are chased from their job in Weed they move on to a new job. As they start working in Soledad, California, they meet Candy, the old man with a missing hand, Slim, the skinner, Curley, the boss’s son, Curley’s wife, Crooks, the stable hand with a crooked back and some other workers. Lennie has special needs but George is determined to keep that a secret.

The word “soledad” in Spanish directly translates to the word “loneliness”. Can it be a coincidence that John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men takes place in Soledad, California, where the theme of uninviting loneliness and isolation is evident amongst the characters on the ranch? The theme of loneliness emerges through direct statements and actions made by specific characters in the novel. For example, a main character named Lennie feels dissociated from many people due to his mental disability, ultimately leading to his demise. Additionally, Curly’s wife—who never gets a name feels lonely and abandoned, causing her to look for affection from other men on the ranch, earning her a reputation of promiscuity and unfaithfulness.

Hadrian Text in green is subject to deletion/change How does Steinbeck present the theme of loneliness in Of Mice and Men? This essay will explore the theme of loneliness and isolation in John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men; the two characters from the book which I have decided to analyse are: Candy, an old, handicapped swamper residing with his equally old dog and Crooks, a disabled stable-buck and isolated victim of prejudice. Of Mice and Men— published in 1937— details the experience of George and Lennie, two travelling ranch workers following the American Dream in the year 1930, during The Great Depression.

Many people from the Great Depression were poverty-stricken and forced to wander the countryside for a continuous supply of jobs just to allow for the occasional drink, a trip to a cat house, or survival necessities. Endlessly wandering to find jobs prevented settling down, building a family, and the formation of steady friendships, so most traveled alone and didn’t care for anyone other than themselves for long stretches of time. Whether it be from a desire for attention that was never obtained, behavior issues, or the weight of constant responsibility, loneliness is a recurring theme in the novel Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck, and throughout the novel many characters show and discuss their loneliness. Curley's wife wanted attention and so, she would wear provocative clothes, do up her hair and wear heavy makeup to gain attention from the men on the ranch.

Loneliness is a theme in “Of Mice and Men.” There is a lot of loneliness that is shown by people in this book. The people that are lonely are Candy, Curley’s wife, and Crooks. There are different reasons for them being lonely. Being lonely affects them different ways.