Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Crooks was marginalized because of his race; this symbolized the marginalization of the black community during this era. Firstly,he couldn’t play cards with the other men or go into the bunkhouse because he was black. Secondly, he sleeps in the barn with all of the horses. Even though he is injured and it is hard for him to walk, he still had to work everyday. Since he was always by himself, Crooks was probably always lonely and that was also a struggle for most of the characters."Well, you keep your place then, nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny."(p120) Curley’s wife threatened to have him hung and she would never have said that to any of the other workers. She had just said that because he was black and she needed to feel control over someone. Out of all the men on the ranch, Lennie was the only one that ever talked to him or tried to talk to him. When Curley's wife talked to him, it was always rudely or to call him

Talking to her, he tries to say something that seems over the line to Curley’s wife, and so she just shut him up. To this, Crooks has nothing at all to say. This shows the effects of race and power in this time period. Since Curley’s wife has the power to pretty much destroy Crooks life, he can’t do anything. How others act to him also depends on his race because he is black, and during this time, black people are thought to be slaves and less than to white people. This gives the power to Curley’s wife to control Crook no matter what he does. Trying to fight that comes with profound consequences, which is why after the talk by Curley’s wife, Crook ‘reduced himself to nothing’, This means that he was ‘something’ before, and was trying to fight authority, which didn’t turn out great for him. There are also many examples of hyperbole in this quote since someone can’t actually reduce himself to nothing. What he says also isn't possible for a human to do, such as toneless voice, and no

After Curley 's wife talks about her loneliness she begins to verbally attack the men about their lack of concern and apathetic attitude towards Curley. After Crooks asks her to leave, she threatens with him lynching. Curley 's wife knows that she could easily have this done, as she is married to the bosses son and can

The characters Crooks and Curley’s wife seem to be solitary, and the author explains the reasons for their loneliness. For example, in a part of the book we see Crooks asking Curley’s wife to go back to her house, before he and the rest of the guys get in trouble for being with her she said “Well, I ain’t giving you no trouble. 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). This shows that the boys try to stay away from Curley’s wife because they don't want her husband to think that there is something going on between one of them and her, leaving her lonesome. This also clarifies the nature of her isolation because she says that she likes to talk to someone else than just Curley and that she enjoys going out of the house when Curley is not there, and gives a sense of indignation as she is trying to defend her reasonings for talking to the boys, this statement leave us to question about Curley’s personality and give us an idea of how jealous and violent he can be for the boys to be afraid. In contrast to this, Crooks story is different, “Crooks was a proud, aloof man. He kept his distance and demanded that other people keep theirs… Noiselessly Lennie appeared in the open doorway and stood there looking in… Crooks said sharply, ‘You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here but me’” (Steinbeck 67-68). This quote proves that Crooks is proud of him being

In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men Candy, Curley’s wife, and Crooks all suffer from the same fate, loneliness. Candy is lonely since he has nobody, Curley’s wife is ignored, and Crooks is segregated from the rest of the workers. Of Mice and Men’s characters show that loneliness is a problem that must be overcome in order to live a happy, fulfilled life. Candy doesn’t have any family or friends, and who’s only hope was for George and Lennie’s dream. Candy had a long time relationship with his only dog, “Candy looked about unhappily ‘No,’ he said softly ‘No, I couldn’ do that.

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…

Without argument, loneliness is a very large theme in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Throughout this novella loneliness has affected every character. The ones that it has affected the most are Crooks, Candy, Lennie, George, and Curley’s wife. Out of all of the characters I believe that Crooks has faced the most loneliness.

Katherine Aragon Mrs. Donato-Jennings Ninth Grade 6 November 2015 Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck brought up this theme of loneliness in many characters in the book. Crooks, Curley’s wife, and Candy are three characters that are part of this theme. In the beginning of the novella George said “ Life working as ranch hands is on the loneliness lives to live, for these people to find friendship is impossible.” Crooks’ loneliness is cause because he is black, at the time the story was taken place there was racism. Since Crooks was black, He wasn't able to socialize with the white men.

As Lennie walked into Crooks room, Crooks abruptly says , "You got no right to come in my room. This here's my room. Nobody got any right in here but me" (68). Crooks adapted to being left alone in his room without interaction with others. It becomes strange to him when someone wanted to speak with him.

Loneliness affects everyone at some time in life, unfortunately some more than others. In the novella, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, loneliness affects everyone in the story. Three of the characters who suffer from loneliness for assorted reasons are Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and Crooks. Lennie’s loneliness is due to his mental disability, Curley’s wife due to a bad marriage, Crooks from racism. Lennie is lonely because of his mental disability.

The year is 1937 and our two main characters, Lennie and George, are found wondering about the wilderness south of Soledad, California due to an incident with Lennie and a woman. Early on it becomes evident that Lennie and George are vastly different. George is a man of wit while Lennie is a physically powerful man who is intellectually limited(5). They are roaming ranch hands in search of labor. George is told of a farm a few miles away with two job openings.

Relating to Crooks as an equal, they share the plan to buy a farm. Race is forgotten, until Curley’s wife appears. Forgetting to remember that he is black, Crooks’s orders her out of his room when she becomes belligerent and insulting. The backlash is immediate. Curley’s wife attacks Crooks in the most despicable display of racism in the novel. Warning him to remember his “place” and stay in it, she reminds Crooks that she can have him “strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny,” implying that she has the power to kill him by accusing him of rape or some other heinous assault. The threat is chilling because Crooks knows it’s true. His word means nothing, and Lennie and Candy’s testimony would not save him from her false

Crooks, Curley, Candy and Curley 's wife are all lonely, but all for different reasons such as discrimination and prejudice. Crooks is a black man who has always been pushed aside from every group. He is treated as second class, he

Though Crooks is a Black man he is a hell of a good worker, so he says himself. When he talks to Lennie and Candy he feels pleasure mixed with anger. When Curley 's wife comes in and threatens him, he feels small and scared and feels like he lost power and privileges over his room and realizes he is black and shouldn 't have back talked her. He knows what she could do to him for what he did, so she says her self. “She closed on him. “You know what I could do?”.....“Well, you keep your place then....I could get you strung up so easy it ain 't funny. '”(80, 81). Because she was a white female and the boss ' son 's Wife she had superiority over him and so he felt alone at that moment. He didn 't realize the cruelness of white folk when he was younger but as he grew older he did, mainly because of where he slept and the way he was treated. “ 'Why ain 't you wanted?”...“Cause I 'm black. They play cards in there, but I can 't play because I 'm black... '”(68). This

With Crooks it was due to him being black, but with Curley's’ wife, it's because she is a women, and due to that she experiences a strong sense of loneliness. Curleys’ wife in the novella wants to gain attention from other characters, in the hopes of her getting companion that she truly desires, something similar to Crooks. This is clearly indicated to us by Curley's’ wife responding; ‘Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.”’ and ‘her words tumbled out in a passion of communication’ Like stated before, she’s trying to use her language to gain the attention of other characters and for them to sympathise her, this again is very similar to