Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

In the novella ‘Of mice and men’ there is a consistent theme of loneliness is shown throughout the novella. In the novella, there is also a strong sense of the death of companionship within it, Candy and his dog and George both experience the death of their companionship within the story. While Curley’s Wife and Crooks experience loneliness. All of the characters experience this theme of loneliness throughout the story whether through the death of one's companionship or never having a companionship in the first place.

In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, he illustrates the journey George and Lennie have throughout a significant part of their lifetime. Throughout the novel, many characters, including George and Lennie, are facing lonesome and they struggle to deal with it the right way. Most of the men are all alone because they have no family left or they isolate themselves from their peers. Loneliness touches each character at some point in the novel and it really emphasizes the impact it can have on an individual. Steinbeck uses the characters Curley’s wife, Crooks, and Candy to develop the theme that containing loneliness will make someone’s desperation deepen.

4. This passage comments on the reoccurring theme of loneliness and how it can cause people to lose hope in life. George and Lennie are able to maintain faith in their dream because they share a connection. This is a way to show how we humans really do need each other and that being isolated is unhealthy.

In Of Mice and Men, there are an abundance of themes throughout the novel. One of those themes is friendship which is shown clearly though George. In the novel, when Lennie says, “Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you.” (Steinbeck 14) shows how close of friends George and Lennie are. They rely off of each other because George physically helps Lennie, and Lennie helps George mentally to not be as grim. However, another on of the themes is loneliness. Although George has Lennie, he can get lonely because he does not have anyone else to talk to. George is not the only who is lonely because Curley’s wife also shows that she is lonely when she says, “Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?” (Steinbeck 77) When Steinbeck was writing his novel, he wants readers to understand even though our best friends are loyal, they need other people to talk to and will at sometime lose

George’s isolation is also illustrated in Steinbeck’s Mice and Men. George expresses many hard feelings towards Lennie at the opening of this story. “‘...you’re a lot of trouble,’ said George. ‘I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl.’” (pg.7). For as much as George says he doesn’t like to have Lennie by his side every second of the day, something keeps him from completely abandoning him. At one point, Lennie realizes how much George wants him to leave, and he almost goes off by himself to find a cave so he doesn’t have to cause George so much grief and sorrow. “‘No-look! I was jus’ foolin’, Lennie. ‘Cause I want you to stay with me...” (pg.12-13). George

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.

There are many important themes in this novel including the importance of loyalty and friendship. The friendship that George and Lennie share forms the central part of the novel. The two men are different from all of the other characters in the story and Lennie sums this up when he states ‘I got you

Throughout the novella, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck’s use of motif reveals the theme that friendship is an important part to living a fulfilling life . Lennie has just run away due to the fear that he would no longer be able to tend the rabbits. He had this fear because he had just killed Curley’s wife and the young pup. So he ran away to the bushes that George had told him to go to in the case of an emergency. George was talking to Lennie even though he knew he had to kill him.

George’s isolation is illustrated in Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men. George expresses many hard feelings towards Lennie at the opening of this story. “‘...you’re a lot of trouble,’ said George. ‘I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl.’” (pg.7). For as much as George says he doesn’t like to have Lennie by his side every second of the day, something keeps him from completely abandoning him. At one point, Lennie realizes how much George wants him to leave, and he almost goes off by himself to find a cave so he doesn’t have to cause George so much grief and sorrow. “‘No-look! I was jus’ foolin’, Lennie. ‘Cause I want you to stay with me...” (pg.12-13). George

In John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, he shows us what it is like for

1. By the end of Chapter 1, the themes of responsibility to others and loneliness and isolation are easily identified. For instance, when Lennie suggested that he would leave George if he told him to, George responded by saying, “Somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself. No, you stay with me” (Steinbeck 13). This exemplifies the theme of responsibility to others, because it reveals how George feels a sense of responsibility towards Lennie. He fears that Lennie could not survive on his own, and would feel guilty or remorseful if something unfortunate were to happen to him. Due to Lennie’s mental disability, he’s more susceptible to engaging in detrimental behaviors, even if he doesn’t realize it, therefore George feels as though

Many individuals like to be alone, but loneliness only serves them well in small doses. Being alone can benefit some to help keep their emotions in check or clear their minds, but too much of it becomes unbearable. Eventually, constant loneliness, resulting from a lack of friendship, will lead to cruelty. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck examines the effects of loneliness through a life without friendship. In the story, George and Lennie travel from town to town as migrant workers, trying to accumulate enough money to buy their own ranch. The personality of Crooks, Curley’s wife, and George and Lennie’s relationship show that a life without friendship leads to loneliness and cruelty.

In the story Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, the author continuously reiterates the theme of loneliness throughout his story. On first reading Of Mice and Men, I thought it to be no more than just a story. After reading several literary criticisms and discussing it in class, however, I see that it is more critical of the theme of loneliness than I had originally thought. I agree with William Goldhurst that the image of Lennie’s death in Of Mice and Men is evidence of loneliness. Unlike William Goldhurst, however, I believe that this is only the plight of a singular group of people, and that not all men are doomed to the fate of loneliness as he suggests in his literary criticisms.

The book “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck shows in depth character struggles of farmers daily lives in the mid 1900’s, as they confront loneliness in southern California. It follows the lives of Lennie, Candy and Curly’s wife as they cope with loneliness. These characters display a depth of loneliness that makes the reader want to understand what they are going through and how they deal with the lifestyle they are dealt with. Everyone is lonely in this book because they are all different, they all have impairments.

“Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty” was said by Mother Teresa, a well known Catholic figure. The novella Of Mice and Men was written by John Steinbeck, who lived through the Great Depression in the 1930s. The story shows the experience of two individuals, George and Lennie, during this period. Friendship plays an important role during these times because people depended on each other, especially George and Lennie. These times represented pain and blood for the average American citizen.