Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

The book Of Mice And Men is set a few miles south of Soledad, which

    In the novel, Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck used George and Lennie's relationship and the theme of hope to point out the loneliness in the novel. The novel starts off and is set in Soledad which means lonely. At the beginning they get a job working on a farm together. Lennie is a little retarded and has great physical strength that isn't too controllable. As they work from ranch to ranch, Lennie relies on George for guidance and help. Rather than wasting their earnings, they try to save it in the hope of buying a place of their own. While working at one ranch they meet a worker named Candy who tries to help them financially. Before their dream can be fulfilled, Lennie kills the wife

An idea I found interesting in the novel ‘Of Mice And Men,’ by John Steinbeck was loneliness and isolation. I found this idea interesting because it helped me understand how important it is to be surrounded by people. George and Lennie’s friendship contrasts this idea as they are friends and they have each other, whereas most of the other ranch workers travel alone. The idea of loneliness was strongly conveyed through the characters Crooks and Curley’s wife, they are both key examples of lonely and segregated characters. The location of the ranch also represents the idea of isolation as the Spanish translation of the town’s name ‘Soledad’ means loneliness.

To start, George and Lennie chase their dream of having their own farm throughout the story. Their friendship makes this dream possible, which motivates them to keep working towards their goal. Without each other and their dream, they would live a lonely, boring life and become cruel like everyone else. Next, without the motivation of a friend to achieve his dream, George gives up on buying his own farm at the end of the story, even though him and Candy have the money to do it. George shows defeat when he states,“-I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would.”(Steinbeck 94) Throughout story, George tries to stay enthusiastic about achieving the dream, but when his only friend dies, he gives up on it. Lennie didn’t play a big role in obtaining the money or land for the farm, but he was George’s only companion to help him push through the tough times of the Great Depression, and the dream helped George escape this horrible reality. Lastly, having a friend like Lennie keeps George from becoming the cookie-cutter man in the Great Depression. Throughout the story, George shows flashes of cruelty and anger, but having Lennie there as a friend, keeps him humble and kind. Having Lennie gives George a responsibility that he wouldn’t have if he were alone. With

Many of the men on the ranch already know what kind of trouble she can get them into. They could tell by how she looks and talks that it would be best to avoid her. Lennie and Curley's wife are in the barn, and she describes, "You can talk to people, but I can't talk to nobody but Curley. Else, he gets mad” (Steinbeck 87). Curley’s wife needs attention, but the only way she can do that is by turning her looks.

Loneliness is the feeling of isolation and no hope or dreams in your life which is what Steinbeck achieves by portraying this theme effectively using key characters and settings in Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck writes about the Great Depression and how two friends, Lennie and George, stay together through this tough time. They go from town to town and work on ranches, always staying together. This new haven in California they stumble upon seems like a good fit, however Lennie creates problems and terminates their chances of survival there.

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.

Loneliness can be caused from a lack of activity and communication with anyone. People become upset when their lives go downhill but if they do not do anything to change it then that is there own fault. In the book Mice and Men,John Steinbeck develops the concept of loneliness through Candy’s age, Crooks race and Curley’s wife’s gender in order to demonstrate that loneliness can cause people to act out and become depressed.

Loneliness can affect people’s choices and behavior in various different ways. It is a reflection of psychological closure. In general, short-term or occasional loneliness does not cause psychological or behavioral disorders, but long-term or severe loneliness may cause certain mood disorders that reduce people's mental health. First of all, both George and Lennie are lonely. At the beginning of the story, George once says that ranch workers like Lennie and him are the loneliest guys all over the world.

(Steinbeck 87). Curley’s wife was feeling bad for herself this night, and she wished her husband was not so controlling. Curley’s controlling personality led her to live a very isolated

While many of the ranchers didn’t have real friends by their side, they were still acquainted with other ranchers. Other characters in the book were isolated from all, causing an even greater feeling of loneliness. Characters that experienced this bitter sensation were those such as Curley’s wife and Crooks. Curley’s wife was the only woman on a farm of lonely men. Throughout the book, you would think she would be the character who received the most attention.

Loneliness: A Desolate Hill It should not be possible for two people to be as close as brothers yet both be completely alone, however, in the novella Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck, Lennie and George are two very close friends who are practically each in their own world. Lennie and George have been traveling together for a very long time and have always were always there for each other. Lennie is shown throughout the book as having a severe mental illness that makes him have the mind of a young child.

Loneliness is a void in the heart which slowly consumes its host until finally it takes away any hopes or aspirations they once held. John Steinbeck ahead of his time published Of Mice and Men in 1937 to show how social discrimination was prominent during this time period. Throughout his short novel he utilizes his characters to display this ill treatment of humanity. Often times, loneliness drives its victims away from their dreams, making them to believe in things that are seemingly irrational. Steinbeck, in Of Mice and Men, created the character of Candy to give him a longing to join George and Lennie’s dream in order to illuminate the affect of society’s alienating, harsh treatment of the old and disabled.

Loneliness is a prevalent theme in literature. John Steinbeck uses this theme throughout his novella, “Of Mice And Men”. George and Lennie, migrant workers in California, strive to achieve their goal of owning a farm by working to make enough money. They come into troubles with Lennie not knowing how to deal with his strength and accidentally hurting others. Lennie is socially awkward and mentally slow but is stronger than the average man which makes him dangerous. While working on the ranch, they meet two characters who struggle to overcome their loneliness. In the novella, “Of Mice And Men” by John Steinbeck, the theme of loneliness plays a major role in Candy, Slim, Curley's wife's lives and he emphasises this through the lives of the characters. Loneliness and isolation eventually win in the end.

     The friendship between Lennie and George went beyond what was unambiguous, they shared a common dream, and they never stopped trying to acheive their dream. They dream of a peice of land of their own. Independence. A couple of acres, a cow, some pigs, and rabbits that Lennie dreams of tending to. Their dream will later be shattered by fate.