Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Of Mice and Men Essay Have you ever felt like you had no one to be there for you? Well that’s how the characters in Of Mice and Men felt. In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck there are many characters that are lonely.

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.

John Steinbeck, an American novelist, is well-known for his familiar themes of depression and loneliness. He uses these themes throughout a majority of his novels. These themes come from his childhood and growing up during the stock market crash. A reader can see his depiction of his childhood era. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows the prominent themes of loneliness, the need for relationships, and the loss of dreams in the 1930s through the novels’ character.

Born of African-American descent, his isolation is only worsened from his childhood where he was the only black child playing in a group of white children. Crooks’ father didn't like that he hung around a bunch of white children, however Crooks being so young he didn't know about the racism around him. When he is speaking to lennie in the barn, he tells him that,“”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’s he's with you. I tell ya,” he cried, “i tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick.””(72-73). This quote from Crooks explains how crook feels, and has felt for most of his life. Crook explains that everyone just needs someone to be with throughout their life, growing up with racism in the world has made Crooks believe that he can't make a connection to anyone ultimately leaving him alone at the farm for the rest of his life.

He became lonely because he had a dream that will never happen now; he doesn’t have anyone in his life; and he will waste all the money he gets now.George and Lennie had a dream that one day they were going to have their own little farm with animals and crops. They were going to save up their money so they could buy a farm. Since Lennie died, George could not longer purchase a farm.When George was forced to shoot Lennie, he knew that he was not going to have anyone else in his life. He knew that he was not going to have someone and he was going to be like the rest of the guys on the ranch.George knows that he will go into town once he gets his paycheck and just spend it because that is what every other guy at the ranch does. On Page 104 George mentioned, “An’ when the end of the month comes I could take my fifty bucks an’ go to a ... cat house...”George became lonely when Lennie died because he knew that he was not going to fulfill his

“Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for.” Dag Hammarskiold

The reason why Crooks is the most lonely character is because he is black. Since Crooks is black, the men on the ranch are really racist to him. They don't let him sleep in the bunkhouse or play cards with them because he's a "nigger." Crooks has no friends or family, and so he reads because he can't meet and talk with anyone so he has nothing better to do. He is a complete person who is disliked and ignored and is shut out by community of people/all good people in the world.

    George is lonely because he never had anyone to tell his troubles to. He could only

As the Great Depression creates a sense of isolation and loneliness, two men seem to have it all figured out as they find their way through the vast land of California. During this time, men are forced into isolation and loneliness as they travel to find work, but George and Lennie represent the need for companionship as they have their whole lives planned together. In his writing, John Steinbeck uses character mannerisms, symbolism, and social injustice to show loneliness and the need for companionship in the novel, Of Mice and Men.

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

“Let me tell you this: if you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you, it’s not because they enjoy solitude. It’s because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them.” This quote, written by Jodi Picoult, explains the true meaning of how people can become lonely. Sometimes people’s differences can cause others to push them away. In the fictional novella, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, he displays this notion through the diversity of his characters.

In his novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck exhibits a multitude of different themes, such as the impractical nature of the American dream, social standards, and powerlessness. Each of these themes affect all of the characters, whether they should or not. A character, such as a Curley, lives the American dream, does not suffer from social standards restricting him, or powerlessness, is depicted as an evil man, full of rage and contempt, yet he has everything he could ever desire. Curley, who uses his status as the boss’s son as a personal benefit, masks his small size with his mean-spirited nature, pugnacious tendencies, and his possessiveness towards his wife.

There are many possible situations in life that can separate one person from his or her family and friends, which he or she cannot control a majority of the time. In the novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, loneliness is a major theme and can be found in most characters. This is inevitable considering the story’s setting: the American Depression, highlighting the journey of the mentally impaired Lennie, and his equally unfortunate friend, George. The ranch they work on is located in the town of Soledad, meaning loneliness. This is appropriate since these two, along with their fellow ranch hand Candy, are all lonely due to circumstances that they could not influence.

Have you read books where there are characters that have similar personalities? There is a lot of it in the book Of Mice And Men, written by John Steinbeck. This novel is about George and Lennie working in a ranch. The time was during the Great Depression. George and Lennie’s dream is to have their own land.

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