Loneliness In Of Mice And Men, By John Steinbeck

“Anger is a manifestation of a deeper issue... and that, for me, is based on insecurity, self-esteem and loneliness,” (Naomi Campbell).Campbell expresses through this heartfelt quote, how the anger and bitterness that one feels builds up and results with one's loneliness. The story of Mice and Men, centers around these feelings as it describes the experiences of two migrant workers, George and Lennie. Of Mice and Men tells the story of two friends, George and Lennie, who find themselves on a ranch in pursuit of their dreams. Unfortunately for them, circumstances beyond their control cost Lennie and George their dream and much more. In Of Mice and Men, the author John Steinbeck portrays that loneliness leads to bitterness though the characters Carlson, Curley's wife, and Crooks.

The character Crooks has shown loneliness throughout the whole story and that drives him to a point where he doesn’t want to be existent to all the other men. In the middle of the book Lennie and Crooks start a conversation and Crooks explains how he’s feeling. Steinbeck writes, “‘They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, all of you stink to me’”(68). Crooks doesn’t get much sympathy from the men because he is black. He is so desperate to play cards with the guys, but all of them leave him out and makes him feel even more lonely. Crooks experiences the most desolation because the men tell him that he “stinks” and can’t play cards because he’s “black. In addition to the last example, the novel also explains in the story how separated Crooks is from everybody else and shows us how alone he actually is. Crooks is the most lonely character in the novel and it shows by his actions and personality. Steinbeck shows, “This room was swept and fairly neat, for Crooks was a proud, aloof man. He kept his distance and demanded that other people keep theirs” (67). He felt desperate enough to tell the men to keep their distance so he

Loneliness, it's a strange thing to think about since it isn't a problem these days, but during the Great Depression and times around this loneliness was not rare at all. This is why loneliness was a significant theme in the book “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck. The most lonely characters in the story by far were Crooks (The dark man that works on the ranch), and Candy (the old one handed man that operates on the ranch). These two characters were not described directly as lonely, but it grew more noticeable the further into the story.

Throughout the novel, Of Mice and Men (by John Steinbeck), loneliness is the major underlying theme of the novel. You could almost say that the book has ‘hormonal' up's and down's. Most of the characters are very lonely because they have no family. However, George and Lennie are the contradiction to this. George and Lennie's bond towards each other are so- strong that you can almost see it as you are reading the book. Candy the old crippled man wants to be part of George and Lennie's dream to own a farm and "live off the fatta the land". Curley and his dog are like the metaphor in the book for George and Lennie. Candy has to take care of his dog and George of Lennie. The other two

Loneliness is sadness because one has no friends or company. In Of Mice and Men there are tons of lonely characters but, the top three loneliest characters are Crooks, Candy, and Curley's wife. The most lonely character is Crooks because he is black and all the ranch workers stay away from him. The second lonesome character in the novel is Candy because he has no family left and he had a dog but then his dog was killed. Finally, the last character is Curley's wife because she is the only girl near the ranch so she has nobody to talk to.

“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world” (Steinbeck 13). Loneliness affects people in different ways. Some people go out of their way to get attention from others, and others isolate themselves. In the story Of Mice and Men, some of the people living on the ranch are struggling with loneliness themselves. Loneliness affects characters in Of Mice and Men through Crooks isolating himself from others, Curley’s wife flirting with other men for attention, and Lennie worrying about George leaving him to take care of himself alone.

Crooks whines to Lennie “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 72-73). Crooks obviously needs someone to talk to and feels like he needs to know someone cares about him. In his spare time he reads books which become very boring to him. He is so desperate to talk to Lennie even though he is not listening. Crooks questions Lennie “S’pose you didn’t have nobody. S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunk house and play rummy ‘cause you was black. How’d you like that?” (Steinbeck 72). He feels left out of everything because he is the only black person in Salinas Valley and that makes him extremely lonely.Curley’s wife is also a victim of discrimination that leads to loneliness. Her dreams of becoming an actress did not plan out and she decided to settle down and get married. She got married to someone that she did not love and now she is miserable. Curley’s wife complains to Lennie “I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anyone?” (Steinbeck 87). She has no one to talk to besides Curley who she doesn’t even like. This makes her feel lonely and it makes her try to find attention from other

The book Of Mice And Men is set a few miles south of Soledad, which

In the book, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, loneliness is a big part of many characters’ lives. Curley’s wife can’t talk to anyone, George didn’t have anyone to share his troubles with, and Candy doesn’t have anyone either.

During this time of the early 1900s racism and prejudice was more than common. Because of the amount of melanin in Crooks’ skin, he is rejected from the rest of the guys at the ranch. When Lennie comes into Crooks’ living area, Crooks says, “S’pose you didn’t have nobody. S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunkhouse and play rummy ‘cause you was black.” (Steinbeck 72) Crooks is explaining his situation to Lennie, Crooks has to sit alone with the horses and read for entertainment.

Most of the characters in the story show that loneliness is a big part in “Of Mice and Men.” There are three main characters that show this trait; Candy, Curley’s wife, and Crooks.

The book “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck shows in depth character struggles of farmers daily lives in the mid 1900’s, as they confront loneliness in southern California. It follows the lives of Lennie, Candy and Curly’s wife as they cope with loneliness. These characters display a depth of loneliness that makes the reader want to understand what they are going through and how they deal with the lifestyle they are dealt with. Everyone is lonely in this book because they are all different, they all have impairments.

In a world full of mistreatment, racism, and crushed dreams, how would one feel? Welcome to the 1930s, in the midst of the Great Depression. With the last thread of hope clinging, coupled with a judgmental society, characters in Of Mice and Men express themes such as freedom and innocence. Perhaps one notable theme present throughout the novel is loneliness, a quality which all the characters share to an extent. John Steinbeck portrays the theme of loneliness through several characters in the novel, specifically through Lennie, Candy, and Crooks.

Loneliness Loneliness is one of the biggest themes in John Steinbeck’s novella. All the characters in Of Mice and Men are in some way isolated. Soledad, the town this story takes place in, means ‘solitude’ or ‘alone’ and this wasn't a coincidence on Steinbeck’s part. Despite the need for companionship, the characters set up barriers that maintain loneliness, and they preserve those barriers by being ruthless and hateful towards each other. One factor that would be considered a barrier is gender.

In the fictional novel “Of Mice and Men “ by John Steinbeck the author portrays a theme of loneliness and isolation. He also addresses the fact that many of they characters are misunderstood.One in particular,Lennie, has these qualities. On page #2 Steinbeck describes Lennie as, “a huge man,shapeless of face,with large,pale eyes,and wide,sloping shoulders.”Lennie is also described as an affectionate but dangerous man,because he does not know his own strength.Which leads him to cause one of the biggest conflicts in the book.