Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

(Steinbeck 45) These words are uttered soon after Carlson proposes that Candy put down his dog. This lengthy relationship and the parallels between Candy and his dog lead him to become lonely both prior to, and after the dog's death. Both Candy and his dog are old cripples that have started to become obsolete from a working standpoint. While Candy does let Carlson put down his dog, this event severely damages his emotional stability.

In addition, Crooks also does not know how to relate and function normally anymore because of how his loneliness has effected him. Crooks 's animosity was exemplified when Lennie comes into his room unannounced. He greets Lennie with: "Come on in and set a while... 'Long as you won 't get out and leave me alone, you might as well set down." Crooks has been lonely for so long that he expects people not to talk to him. When Lennie comes in and does not have any intention of hurting him, he realizes it and he let 's his guard down. It may seem that he doesn 't desire friendships or affection, but he no longer knows how to deal with his loneliness. It has made him into another person, one that obtains a relentless hostility toward anyone and everyone that gets close to

Carlson shot his dog because he was old and stunk. “When they can't use me here I wisht somebody'd shoot me but they won't do nothing like that. I won't have no place to go, and I can't get no more jobs” 1Candy says (222-223). When his dog was shot he was upset and went back to the room, laid back and stared at the ceiling. When George told Candy his plans of leaving and living on the fat of the land, Candy wanted to join him and Lennie, he put a generous amount of money they needed in order to leave. That’s why Candy is seen as a weak character because of how he handled these specific situations.

This quote was taken from the book, when Carlson offered to shoot Candy’s dog. I think at that moment, Candy had a huge decision to make. This can make connections to real life, when someone’s pet has to be put down. It would be very hard to let go of a pet that you’ve had since it was born. It’s almost like losing a family member or a beloved friend. People struggle with deciding on whether they should get their pet to be put down or not. It’s a tough decision, and a lot of times people agree to it, because they think it is better for their pet. In Candy’s situation, it’s definitely a hard decision for him, because he’s had his dog since it was a pup. He had many memories from the

“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”(Steinbeck 72). The Great Depression, which occurred in the 1930s, was rough on migrant workers, young and old, women, and black people alike. Candy, Curley’s wife, and Crooks undergo loneliness and discrimination during the Great Depression. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men characters Candy, Curley’s wife, and Crooks, like so many people during the 1930s, experience harrowing times of being isolated from everybody else during those times. The things they face are being separated in a different room, being shunned by men who think they are above them, and people thinking that they are too old and useless. The theme of loneliness is expressed and felt in the novella Of Mice and Men through the isolation and discrimination of Candy, Curley’s wife, and Crooks.

Page 102: Lennie’s issues with abandonment make me sad as I can relate to him just a little. Instead of internalizing all of fears and the disappointment he is scared to receive for his actions, they being to haunt him. When George appears, he is really happy to see him because George makes him feels like he’s better than that, and takes the fear he has away and gives him the idea of a bright future, which is something a friend should

First, Steinbeck uses Crooks as a symbol to contribute to the overall theme of loneliness. Crooks is a nigger and also a stable buck. When the boss gets mad takes his anger out on him. They call him Crooks because he has a crooked back where a horse had kicked him. Candy explains, “... the boss gives him hell when he's mad…” (Steinbeck 20) . Candy says this because Crooks is all alone. They don't treat him right because he is the only colored on the farm. Because of this people don't relate to him and he tends to get left out. Crooks says, “come on in and set a while”. (Steinbeck 69) Crooks says this to Lennie when he comes in his room because the

The act of helping Lennie comes from George’s thoughtfulness that aids Lennie in certain situations. Moreover, George’s care makes others question the compassion he feels for Lennie, for instance, Crooks says “” Well, I never seen one guy take so much so much trouble for another guy”” (Steinbeck 22). Other characters such as Crooks share the pain of loneliness. Crooks race places a part of why he is alone as well as Candy’s relationship with his dog. The deep connection in which George and Lennie have is rare in the novella’s time period and location. The protection that Lennie receives from George demonstrates the sacrifice for life and brotherhood.

When Candy thinks back on his dog, he becomes sad and says to George, "I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog" (61). Candy thinks that the right thing to have done would have been to kill his dog himself. Later in the story, George is faced with a similar situation. While Lennie is being hunted by the angry group, George decides that it would have been better to kill Lennie himself because Lennie was George's companion, his best friend, his pet, and his responsibility. Candy continues to search for companionship by trying to get in on the dream to own land, which was originally shared by Lennie and George. Candy tries to contribute money to the dream but in the end, the dream is shattered when Lennie dies. This is Steinbeck's way of saying that men are destined to be alone in the end. Even though Candy and George were still around, they both realized that there was no hope for getting out of the horrible hand they were dealt.

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.

•When Lennie tries to hang out with Crooks, Crooks thinks about how nice is it to talk to someone, but he also remembers how mistreated he’s been and takes this out on Lennie, an easy target

responds to his friend, "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in

In the novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck depicts the essential loneliness of California ranch life in the 1930s. He illustrates how people are driven to find companionship. Which he shows through Candy, Crooks, Curley’s wife, George and Lennie.

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.

Candy ends up even more lonely when his dog is killed. Candy is an older rancher who is missing a hand who cannot do much and he has an old dog who also cannot do much. The old dog just follows Candy around, does not have teeth, stinks, and is just too old. One of the other ranchers, Carlson keeps insisting that Candy should shoot the dog to take him out of his misery. Steinbeck writes, "Carlson was not to be put off.