Loneliness in Of Mice and Men

Loneliness is one of many central themes in John Steinbeck’s classic novella, Of Mice and Men. Throughout the story many characters sought after the company and attention of others. Each character has a certain barrier that keeps them isolated from the outside world. Three characters who portray this loneliness throughout the novella are Crooks, Curly’s wife, and Candy. Each having a different wall between them and society.

Loneliness is one of the primary themes in Of Mice and Men. Throughout the novel, John Steinbeck shows the enormous effect that loneliness has on the characters. Steinbeck most clearly illustrates this theme through Crooks, Candy, and Curley 's wife. Ranch hands are ideal types of people to portray as being lonely, because their constant travel leaves them without someone to talk to or share things with. Steinbeck also shows how important it is for every human being to have a companion. Companionship is necessary in order for someone to live an enjoyable life. Although loneliness affects each one of the characters in Of Mice and Men differently, they all experience negative feelings from their lack of

had an old dog at the beginning on the novel .He had this dog for a

“A guy needs somebody- to be near him...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). The Great Depression, which occurred in the 1930s, was rough on migrant workers, young and old, women, and black people alike. Candy, Curley’s wife, and Crooks undergo loneliness and discrimination during the Great Depression. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men characters Candy, Curley’s wife, and Crooks, like so many people during the 1930s, experience harrowing times of being isolated from everybody else during those times. The things they face are being separated in a different room, being shunned by men who think they are above them, and people thinking that they are too old and useless. The theme of loneliness is expressed and felt in the novella Of Mice and Men through the isolation and discrimination of Candy, Curley’s wife, and Crooks.

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

Of Mice and Men: A Lonely Struggle Loneliness is a basic struggle in the human life. Everyone is affected by it once in a while, but in Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice and Men”, he portrays the it through the lives of ranch workers in the early 1930’s America. Loneliness being the dominant theme, he presents characters who are yearning for companionship or an audience, particularly Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife. Crooks is probably the loneliest character in the ranch, who suffers from extreme loneliness because he’s black and his surrounding area is very racist towards him.

He says to Lennie that he reads books all the time, but he also says “Books

Loneliness is attributed to many of the characters in “Of Mice and Men”. It is a major theme in the story because of how some characters are isolated by their differences from the rest. The most lonely characters in the book “Of Mice and Men” are Candy, Curley’s wife, and Crook. Candy is one of the loneliest characters because of his age. Curley’s wife is also one of the loneliest characters because of her husband.

Braidey Neace Mrs.Newell English 9 21 February 2018 Of Mice And Men Essay Option 3 The book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck uses loneliness and isolation to give a big central idea and theme of the book. Characters in this book are experiencing loneliness and they are faced to live a difficult life.

Thematic Essay “It is when I felt the most lonely that I understood what being a true friend meant for me. ”-Unknown. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, a large majority of the characters that live on the ranch are lonely. The three main characters that best portrayed loneliness in the story were Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s Wife. They would do anything to have some type of companion to fulfill their emptiness but they are unable to because they are settled in permanent situation.

Loneliness Loneliness is defined as, “sadness because one has no friends or company; the quality of being unfrequented and remote”, but even if one has an acquaintance they can still feel alone. In Of Mice and Men, loneliness is shown throughout the characters and it showed that one doesn’t have to be alone to feel loneliness. Many of the characters portray this trait as Steinbeck described the emotions they feel. Loneliness is a major theme in this book as it continued to recur throughout the novel.

“A guy needs somebody-to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody...I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick” (Steinbeck 72-73), Crooks, an african american migrant worker, explains. Loneliness is a powerful theme in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Being lonely, whatever race, gender, or belief, will make anyone go to the point of insanity where it will affect you and those around you. Taking place in the 1930’s, during the time of the Great Depression. Migrant workers commonly traveled alone at the time in search of work. But George and Lennie, the main characters of this novella, are migrant workers who travel together. Steinbeck shows how these two men stand out from the others because they look out of each other. Candy, an old migrant worker, and Crooks, an african american migrant worker also play an important role in Of Mice and Men. Both of these characters reveal how George and Lennie’s relationship is different from the rest which helps them able to have the American Dream that is so desired by everyone at the time. Consequently, the theme of loneliness is revealed in the novella through the isolation felt by Candy, Crooks, and Lennie.

“Of Mice And Men” essay Have you ever been lonely and isolated from everyone? Well, in the story, “Of mice and men” George, Crook, Lennie, and Curley’s wife go through this. In the story “Of mice and men” the characters previously mentioned are very similar to each other on the topic of loneliness. This essay will demonstrate and show how the characters previously mentioned are alike to each other on the topic of loneliness and isolation. Each paragraph is about one character.

Loneliness can affect the way one perceives both themselves and those around them. They will often try convincing themselves that they are fine in solitude, but in reality they know they need others. Depending on the person, loneliness will be shown and handled differently. While some handle it better, others cannot take the pressures of it. In both John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men and Nicole Krauss’s The History of Love, the characters deal with loneliness in ways that are both successful and, more often, unsuccessful.

Imagine walking into work, and no one seems to even notice you. You are not welcomed and the smallest bit of acknowledgment you get is a nasty glare from your co-worker. This is what it feels like to be lonely. The people at your work ignore you to the max and you have no idea what it is like to have a friendly conversation. Many characters in Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men such as Crooks, Curley’s wife, and Candy are plagued by loneliness and alienation and are searching for friendship and acceptance.