Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Loneliness is one of the primary themes in Of Mice and Men. Throughout the novel, John Steinbeck shows the enormous effect that loneliness has on the characters. Steinbeck most clearly illustrates this theme through Crooks, Candy, and Curley 's wife. Ranch hands are ideal types of people to portray as being lonely, because their constant travel leaves them without someone to talk to or share things with. Steinbeck also shows how important it is for every human being to have a companion. Companionship is necessary in order for someone to live an enjoyable life. Although loneliness affects each one of the characters in Of Mice and Men differently, they all experience negative feelings from their lack of

The theme of Loneliness had started as soon as the protagonists enter the farm property. All the characters were in awe of the relationship and they aspire to have that. It also seemed too good to be true for characters such as Curly, as he would poke fun at them. He was either jealous or amazed that two people could have each other 's backs like this. "We travel together," said George coldly. "Oh, so it 's that way." George was tense and motionless. "Yea, it 's that way." (2.80-82)

Candy had a go at Curley’s Wife and told her to leave, Crooks said that “Maybe you better go

“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place . . .With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us.” (Steinbeck 13-14)

The tragedy in this ultimate display of brotherly love is that it comes too little too late. Instead of seeing the good he has in front of him all along, George doesn’t realize until the situation is out of his control just how lucky he was to have Lennie in his company. All he can really see in the future is his big dream of their own house with lots of farm land and animals to look after, living “off the fatta the lan’” with no worries or cares. This goal almost seems attainable when Candy mentions all the money he has saved up and George becomes blind-sided by the possibility of his dream coming true so much sooner than he had imagined. In this, he loses sight of what is really important to him, which is Lennie. He forgets how Lennie is and let’s go just long enough for Lennie to get himself into trouble for the very last time. This time, Lennie has actually killed a woman and done something George can’t fix for him and every hope he’s ever had goes out the window with the loss of his best friend

Even her old friends are not even cordial with her because of an incident that happened at a party.“Her eyes meet mine for a second.”I hate you,” she mouths silently. She turns her back and laughs with her friends” (5). Despite all the negativity that is going on with her old friends, Melinda finally finds a friend that makes her feel like she belongs again but once again, another friendship dies right along with Melinda’s hope of feeling normal again. “You don’t like anything. You are the most depressed person I ever met, and excuse me for saying this, but you are no fun to be around and you need professional help. (105). After the only friends that she has breaks her heart, the thought that Melinda is alone in this world finally hits her and she just wants to curl up in a ball. Melinda’s depression takes over her social skills and she just shuts down.

Being burdened by close friends or family can be especially bothersome or problematic, as there is a need to constantly attend to them. The responsibility of satisfying each other’s needs before one’s own or repairing their mistakes is often shared between both parties, as well as the negative consequences that may follow. At times, it may even seem simpler to just abandon hope and desert them; however, the fear of loneliness generally prevents this from occurring. John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men consists of a diverse group of people living and working on a ranch. Although they come from many walks of life, they all share one similar trait. Many of the characters’

George’s internal battle highlights one of the prominent themes of book: that loneliness leads to suffering,

In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the topic of loneliness is very heavily emphasized throughout the story. This is especially noticeable in the fact that George and Lennie are very unique in that they travel together, which is something most migrant workers do not do. It seems that almost everyone on the ranch is lonely in some way or another, from Crooks to Candy to Curley’s wife. Through the use of dialogue and characterization, Steinbeck demonstrates that loneliness can be caused by social barriers or personal choice, and sometimes both.

But while they are conversating Curley’s wife walks in and crooks gets defensive because everybody thinks she is trouble and he doesn't want anything to interfere with what he now has. Crooks acts out by yelling at her. “ I had enough he said angrily. You ain’t wanted here.” ( page 79) Crooks tries to stand up for Lennie and in return he get threatened to be lynched.

Sometimes the loneliest people are the ones surrounded by loved ones. We usually pin loneliness on the people who are by themselves. In Of Mice and Men Curly, Crooks, and the workers on the ranch were some of the loneliness people in the book while also being surrounded by a ton of people. They all in their own way dealt with some sense of loneliness or isolated. In Of Mice and Men, The hopes and dreams of Curly, Crooks and the other workers help them fight through the struggles of life while also relating back to the theme.

It is this aggression and suspicion that leads to him isolating himself. Furthermore, the style of ranch life leads to the men in a more permanent position (and consequently being superior on the “hierarchy”)on the ranch being isolated. Men such as Curley and Slim have clearly spent a lot of time on the ranch, and therefore will not be able to make any long lasting friends. Slim himself tells George that the men “just come in and get their bunk and work a month, and then they quit and go

‘Of Mice And Men' by John Steinbeck is a classic novel, tragedy, written in a social tone. The authorial attitude is idyllic, however, as the story develops it changes into skeptic. It is evident that Steinbeck knew the setting and places he is writing about.

“Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody.” These are the words of Steinbeck describing loneliness on the ranch in Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck makes an image of loneliness appear as the words are read from the page. The loneliness in the novel is not caused by abuse or a broken heart, but by socially imposed barriers. The barriers were never really made, they are more a ranking of social power over anything else.

A little later in the play, Laura’s mother and brother discussed their worries for her. Her mother described a time when she brought her to a church group and said, “She spoke to nobody, nobody spoke to her. Now all she does is fool with those pieces of glass and play those worn-out records” (35; Scene 4). Since Laura didn’t put a lot of effort into meeting new people, they didn’t put a lot of effort into meeting her. Laura was so shy and nervous that it was hard for her to make friends, and she ended up spending a lot of time alone.