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Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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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

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