Of Mice and Men Loneliness Essay

Early in the novel, George confesses that the life as a ranch hand is one of the most loneliest. He directly states, “Guys like us, that live on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world.” He says this to verbalize how life as a ranch hand can get very lonely at times. He also says this to show that if it weren’t for Lennie then he would be all alone. Even though George claims that he would be better off without having to care for Lennie he indicates that he wouldn’t want Lennie to go anywhere else: ““If you don' want me I can get off in the hills an' find a cave. I can go away any time,”” George responds with, ““No—look! I was jus' foolin', Lennie. 'Cause I want you to stay with me”” Even though George sometimes puts up a front when expressing his feelings towards Lennie he really does care for him. Lennie is practically the opposite of George which makes their friendship even more interesting. George was always lonely as just a regular ranch hand, but since he’s been with Lennie he has gained a companion.

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

“Guys like us, that work on ranches are the loneliness guys in the world. They got no family...we got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us” (Steinbeck 14). During the Great Depression, much of society is alienated while survival of the fittest prevails. The power of loneliness affects the individual involved as long as the society it is present in continues to harvest the discriminatory ways. During the 1930’s, the Great Depression was at its peak; The stock markets crashed, and a chain reaction caused the unemployment rates to rise to an all time high. Thus, migrant worker became popular because they were always needed on a farm and it was a way for one to find employment. In of Mice and Men, Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife are all victims of the Great Depression. Candy and Crooks work on the farm, while Curley’s wife is the flirtatious nuisance whose dreams were crushed. The pervasive emotion throughout this novella is loneliness. Loneliness is felt by Candy, Crooks, and and Curley’s wife, whether it’s being represented symbolically as the characters are fighting social devastation, learning to make it alone, or through their actions.

     There is only one thing in life that is really needed and that is friends. Without friends, people would suffer from loneliness and solitude. Loneliness leads to low self-estee. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the characters, Crooks, Candy, and Curly’s wife all show some form of loneliness. They are curious of George and Lennie’s friendship because they do not have that support in their life. Through his novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck demonstrates that many times, a victim of loneliness will have a never-ending search to fulfill a friendship.

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.

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

In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck looks at the theme of loneliness as it affects many characters on the ranch. Crooks, Curley's wife, and Candy are the most excluded characters on the ranch, because they all have dreams that they will not be able to live out and they all are at loss when it came to companionship. Crooks is lonely because he is the only black man on the ranch. Since this book is set during the Depression, Jim Crow laws are still in effect, whites and blacks had separate facilities for socializing and living. Crooks comments that he can't live in the bunkhouse, and cant even play cards in there.

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

Of Mice and Men is a novella written by John Steinbeck in the 1930’s. It possesses many prominent themes that are evident throughout the whole book. One distinct theme is loneliness. John Steinbeck uses many conventions to convey this theme to the reader including characterization, context, foreshadowing and resolution. Through the use of these conventions, readers developed attitude and opinions, which change with modern society and the reader’s context.

Mother Theresa once said, “Loneliness and feeling that nobody needs you is the worst kind of poverty”. The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck has some very important themes. Loneliness is one of the major themes that is portrayed by almost every character in the book in some way. Race, age and gender are some of the key factors that make the characters lonely. In Of Mice and Men, different variations of loneliness can be seen through Crooks, Candy and Lennie.

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.

The novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, takes place during the Great Depression era in the 1930s. Life changed dramatically from the thriving 1920s. Work was hard to find because of the bad economy, and everybody lived tough lives. It was even tougher for African Americans, women, and the elderly because they were all considered useless at the time. Everyone had no respect for them, and they were very low on the social pyramid. Due to their low status and respect, these people were very lonely and wanted companionship of others. Steinbeck depicts these problems through the lives of Crooks, Curley’s wife, and Candy, who are social pariahs on the ranch because of their physical conditions, and therefore,

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.

“I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick” (73). Throughout the novella, the tone is desperate and lonely; it is the Great Depression Era, and many men became migrant workers, searching the country for a job. Certain groups of people are discriminated against; it was a very racist and sexist time period. The theme of loneliness is revealed in the novella Of Mice and Men through the isolation felt by Candy, Lennie, and Curley’s wife. Candy is a victim of ageism; people think he is just old and useless. However, he has a lot of experience and could help people in tough situations. Lennie is discriminated against because of his mental issues, which he was born with. Finally, Curley’s wife is by many considered a “tart.” Except for what the other characters don’t know is that she is just trying to keep part of her dream of being an actress, which is her clothes.

“ For a moment the place was lifeless, and then two men emerged from the path…”(2), illustrating that a place can be empty for a second then filled which shows how people suffered during the Great Depression because of loneliness. In John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men, it emphasizes how people are desperate to come out of isolation to live in a ranch-like space. George and lennie are companions who go through alot together and meet a lot of new people when they go to a ranch to live somewhere. They meet new people like Crooks who is a african American, Curley’s wife who is the only female with not specific name, and Candy who is the oldest man living at the ranch. John Steinbeck uses mood to develop the theme of loneliness in Of Mice and Men, specifically loneliness for land, loneliness for attention, and loneliness for companionship.