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. Candy is an example of a character who is extremely lonely; he has almost nothing to live for and no reason to live except for the small jobs he does on the ranch. This is shown through …show more content…
He hates it, but he has come to expect it, as he states, “Guys don’t come into a colored man’s room very much” (75). Crooks has reached the point in his life where he knows that he probably won’t ever have many friends, and this knowledge has made him gruff and seemingly unfriendly to those who come near him. However, once Crooks realizes that Lennie genuinely wants to sit and talk for non-discriminatory reasons, he becomes much more friendly, and he opens up about the state of his isolation, saying, “‘Books ain’t no good. A guy needs somebody-to be near him.’ He whined, ‘A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long he’s with you, I tell ya,’ he cried, ‘I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick’” (72-73). Crooks is isolated due to the social barrier of his race, and he is reduced to reading books alone, which doesn’t exactly make for a full and happy life. Due to his discrimination, he pushes anyone who tries to get close away, as he knows they will eventually join the prejudice, and will only make him more distant and lonely. He knows that his books and his work as the “stable buck” are really not at all the same as true friendship; however, there is nothing Crooks can do about it.This unfortunately seems to form a cycle where he perpetually pushes away society in an effort to not become more lonely, …show more content…
When Crooks suggests to Lennie the thought of losing George, Lennie becomes very scared and paranoid of the idea, saying, “‘George gonna come back,’ he assured himself in a frightened voice. ‘Maybe George come back already. Maybe I better go see’” (73). George and Lennie have a unique relationship in that George sometimes wishes he was without Lennie, while Lennie feels the exact opposite way, never wanting to part with George. This relationship is very important to Lennie, in particular, because, as George puts it, “somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself” (13). Lennie hates the idea of being alone; he got quite mad at Crooks when he suggested the thought. However, it seems that sometimes, when Lennie is being stubborn or gets into trouble, George doesn’t want anything to do with Lennie, due to his mental state. It seems that the people on the ranch don’t really know what to make of him, so they just stay out of his way. As a result of the social barrier of Lennie’s mental handicap, most people don’t really want to have anything to do with him. Therefore, the relationship between him and George is even more special, because without George, Lennie would be completely and utterly alone, and maybe even dead, for Lennie is not very smart, and wouldn’t last very long on his
Candy is the janitor on the farm. His best friend is an old dog he got when he started working on the farm. Steinbeck explains, “A shot sounded in the distance.” (Steinbeck 49). They guys were in the bunk and Carlson- one of the men who works on the farm, offers to shoot the dog to put him out of his misery. When they hear the dog shot Candy is all alone. This was his best friend of all times. Candy explains, “I'd make a will an leave my share to you guys in case…. I ain't got I relatives nor nothing…” (Steinbeck 59). He said this because he was trying to escape loneliness. When his best friend was killed he needed to find a way to escape it do trying to go with George and Lennie to their farm after they raised enough money it would keep them all
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.
During the entire novel, Candy’s desperation was shown as Steinbeck’s main example of Loneliness and its impact on humans. Isolated after the loss of his hand, he is unable to work with the other men and reduced to the role of the swamper which causes Candy to feel unimportant and disposable. Candy seems to have spurts of short term depression throughout the novel. For example when candy is forced to put his dog down, “Candy did not answer. The silence fell on the room again. It came out of the night
Because of his mental disability he does things that further put him out of the “normal” group of ranch hands. Lennie has a good friend in George but he is portrayed as being lonley in the book anyway. He just wants to be like every one else on the ranch.
Of Mice and Men Summative Essay What does being secluded do to a person? It does a lot. In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men most characters are lonely and how they act reflects that. Both Crooks and Curley’s Wife’s behavior portrays in who they are and how they are treated.
Had since he was a pup. ”(44). The other workers are always out working or in town and he has no one else. A second example on Candy being lonely is that Candy knows that when he gets too old or crippled to work that he won't have anywhere to go so he tells George and Lennie that he has $300 that he will give to them to be in their dream farm. ”S’pose I went in with you guys.
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.
John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, is a story in which a influencing idea of unpreventable loneliness conquers. Steinbeck uses words such as ‘solitaire’ which means ones self; The novel starts off in ‘Soledad’ which means loneliness. In this novel Steinbeck shows us the importance of friendship and companionship and how important it is to have a friend to share your life with. He uses almost every character in this novel to stress the importance of having a friend. Most of the characters are craving companionship, lonely and have no one to share their life with. This book is filled with characters who are trying to find friendship but are incapable of finding a way out of their lonely and isolated life. Steinbeck shows how the lifestyle
He was all alone. While the others could fraternize and hang out, he was deserted in his little closet of a room, forced to keep about himself and read books to pass time. His separate living quarters place a physical barrier between him and the others. One time, Lennie ventured into Crooks’s quaint little room in desperate need of a friend.
Have you ever been so lonely or isolated in the novel of mice and men; there are many characters that face isolation and loneliness 3 men that stick out are Crooks, Candy, and Slim.in the novel mice and men isolation and loneliness made people cold sad. Even though isalashion makes people willing to listen to whatever someone's saying, it can change people because isolation and loneliness can make people sad and isolation and loneliness can make people mean. In the novel of mice and men the character Crooks is the only black man who works on a farm full of whites all though he has a bunkhouse all to himself he is mean and cold. He never lets anyone in his bunkhouse and most of the whites especially Curley's wife talks down to him.
Of Isolation and Loneliness John Steinbeck once declared, “We are lonesome animals. We spend all our life trying to be less lonesome”. This quote rings true for the characters in “Of Mice and Men”. Some characters are surrounded by people and still find themselves lonely, while others cannot be around anyone becoming all the more lonesome. Sure, most characters advertise a desire for money, sex and alcohol, some even want things greater than that like a career and a home but at the end of the day, they all just want someone to talk to, someone to confide in, someone there for them.
Loneliness plays a large role in developing themes and characters throughout the novel Of Mice and Men. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is a story about the lives of most American workers during the Great Depression. The story follows two friends, George and Lennie, as they try to get enough money to buy their own piece of land in Salinas, California, which seems like an impossible dream. Along the way, George and Lennie meet many other workers struggling with a common problem, loneliness. Throughout the story, it is made clear that everyone is lonely and is longing for companionship, even though no one can truly find friendship in the harsh world they live in. Three of the loneliest characters in the novel are Candy, Curley’s Wife, and Crooks.
Through the characters of Crooks and Curley’s wife, John Steinbeck shows how being isolated from society because of gender, race, or class, is a consequence of prejudice and can separate people who would otherwise get along. For example, after George and the other men go to town one night, all of the weaker, or prejudiced characters are left behind. Lennie finds Crooks, the African - American stable buck with an injured back, in his room and asks him, “‘Why ain’t you wanted?’” (Steinbeck 65). Crooks then replies by saying, “’Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink’” (Steinbeck pg. 65). By including this, Steinbeck is
Loneliness is a trait of human nature that everyone has experienced in their lifetime and John Steinbeck makes a point of it in his novel. In Of Mice and Men Steinbeck includes the theme of loneliness because no matter the situation that people are in, loneliness is inevitable. In John Steinbeck's novel there are, many instances of characters portraying their loneliness, isolation, and their search to escape from it. When the story first begins George, one of the main characters makes a long speech that is essentially about how he would prefer to be lonely and not have to always have Lennie depending on him, he states “...if I was alone I could live so easy.
People’s largest obstacles often lie solely in their minds. Loneliness, for example, at its greatest extent, can potentially drive people to extreme measures in order to extricate themselves from it. George Milton and Lennie Small, central characters in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, are nomadic workers in the fields of Californian ranches. The men are polar opposites; George is small, sharp, and quick-minded while Lennie is ponderous and intellectually disabled. However, the two are inseparable, sharing with each other the privilege of companionship. What compels them to continue seeking jobs and working is their enduring dream of a farm to themselves. As George and Lennie begin a new job on a ranch in the Salinas Valley of California, they befriend and come across numerous unique workers. Throughout the course of the novel, most of these ranchers exhibit traits that illustrate their lives of loneliness and lack of companions.