Loneliness In Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck

“Actually, feeling lonely has little to do with how many friends you have. It 's the way you feel inside. Some people who feel lonely may rarely interact with people and others who are surrounded by people but don 't feel connected” (Karyn Hall 2013). Truthfully, loneliness is something almost all people fear. It 's a deeper feeling then just being isolated. It 's feeling distant or disconnected from others. Loneliness is so much more than just feeling secluded, it 's feeling rejected by society, or even like an outcast. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck suggests that there is a deeper meaning to being lonely than just the superficial sense of

“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.

Loneliness is a revolving topic throughout the book. Many characters are impacted by it and this changes the outcome of the book. In Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, he develops the concept of loneliness through Candy's disability, Crooks unable to fit in, and Curley's wife in order to demonstrate that loneliness impacts people by causing anger and depression.

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

Although Crook, Curley's Wife, and George are lonely, ultimately you need to have someone in life.

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

got you to look after me and you got me to look after you, and that's

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

Loneliness is an ongoing theme throughout Of Mice and Men. For example, on page 72, Crooks said, “Books ain’t no good. A guy needs somebody to be near him.” Due to his color, Crooks is ostracized from the other men and only has books to keep him company. He is lonely and need companionship that a book will never be able to provide. Curley’s wife is another example of loneliness. She said to Lennie on page 87, “Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.” Curley’s wife is frustrated that her husband doesn’t allow her to talk to anybody on the ranch but him. She gets bored of Curley and battles her loneliness by flirting with the ranchers.

“Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty”. Mother Teresa was a very well known saint and an extremely powerful speaker who changed the lives of millions. Loneliness is like a disease that crawls its way into a heart and eats it away until there is nothing left to take. John Steinbeck’s book Of Mice and Men does an excellent job of highlighting the damages of loneliness and prejudice. Beginning with the characters, George and Lennie on their way to the ranch that they are to begin working on the next morning when they are then introduced to Candy, Crooks, Curley and Curley’s wife. Steinbeck uses the characters George, Lennie, Crooks, Curley’s wife and Candy to skillfully paint a picture of loneliness and prejudice and the pain and suffering caused by them.

In chapter three, an older migrant worker called Candy explains to George how he lost his hands on the ranch and was compensated with a “swapin” job and 250 dollars. Because of Candy’s older age, readers can infer that he has outlived many of his friends and family members; consequently, Candy feels all alone and longs to find a “family” before he dies. Knowing that Candy doesn’t have any remaining family helps the audience understand why he struggled so much with Carlson’s proposal to end his dog’s suffering: “ I had him so long. Had him since he was a pup...You wouldn’t think it to look at him now, but he was the best damn sheep dog I’ve ever seen”(44). And moments later after Slim supported Carlson’s decision to shoot the pup, Candy added, “Maybe it’d hurt him... I don’t mind takin’ care of him”(45). In this scene, Candy loses his best friend-his only friend-and this tragedy forced him to not only recognize just how much he relied on his dog for companionship, but also just how much his dog kept him going each day. At the same

In the novella, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck displays characters who each express their individual sense of loneliness. In particular, Crooks, the stable buck, exhibits a specific kind of solitude which stems from his background, discrimination towards him, and his isolation. As a child, Crooks grew up with two brothers that were “always near [him], always there” (73). He mentions remembering “[his] old man’s chicken ranch” (73) where he could live freely, spend time with his family, and play with his friends. Now, he has lost everything - his brothers, his family’s ranch, and the company that he had through his family and friends - thus igniting his loneliness.

"I gottathink about that. We was always gonna do it by ourselves. " Candy interrupted him, "I'd make awill an' leave my share to you guys in case I kick off, 'cause I ain't got no relatives ornothing…" (218-219)" Candy had one friend who was his dog. After he was shot because of hisold age, Candy felt that he had nothing to live for and was desperate for attention.

Loneliness is usually an unpleasant, emotional state in response to emptiness and isolation. Loneliness isn’t just wanting friends or wanting to go out and do stuff with another person. It’s also the fear of being disconnected or cut off by people you care about, or just people in your life. Loneliness can cause insecurity, depression, and anxiety.