Of Mice and Men - Theme of Loneliness

I believe that Crooks is most similar to Candy as in the social hierarchy of the ranch, both suffer from a disability that places them in the lowest rank. As mentioned, Crooks is lonely and isolated from the others due to the colour of his skin, yet Candy is lonely because he’s not as abled as the other workers. Because he is handicapped, he cannot do the work that the other men do, so when they go off to do work, Candy is left behind. The theme of loneliness is conveyed throughout the novel. Steinbeck also portrays loneliness through characterisation. He uses sexism, racism and ageism to get his message across. When George talks to Candy and his antiquated dog, Candy states to the inarticulate George:

Thirdly, age differences are another factor that can lead to loneliness. Candy is the oldest man at the farm, his best friend, and only friend for the matter is his dog, which gets shot in the middle of the novella. Whilst Candy is friendly and helps out the other guys think he is a little strange. As the text states, “Candy interrupted him, "I'd make a will an' leave my share to you guys in case I kick off, 'cause I ain't got no relatives or nothing….” This quote shows that Candy does not have any other friends or relatives to give anything

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is book of many themes; one that is very prominent is loneliness. Loneliness is common in many people's lives and that is also true for the lives of the characters of the book. Almost all characters in the book are lonely in one way or the other.

Crooks the stable hand at the ranch that George and Lennie come to work at. Crooks has an American Dream just like George and Lennie. Crooks is African American so during this time period some people at the ranch are discriminating against him because of his race. “I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny” (p.81). Even though Crooks supposed to be free from all discrimination people still haven’t changed. Crooks someday dreams of playing cards with the other fellows at the ranch but mostly he wants to be equal. “S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunkhouse and play rummy ‘cause you was black...A guy needs somebody-to be near him” (p.72). Crooks wants to be treated just like the other people on the ranch. He’s not allowed in the bunkhouse because of his race. Crooks has been forced to sleep alone, away from the other workers on the ranch who sleep and play cards together in the bunkhouse. “‘Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black” (p.68). The dream of all becoming equal is very common with many African Americans during this time period. Curley’s Wife also discriminating Crooks. “You know what I could do to you if you open up your trap” (p.80). Every time Crooks stands up for himself he just gets pushed over and never really acknowledged. Crooks also threatened by Curley's wife. She’s nearly at the bottom of the pile in the leadership of the ranch, but she still has power over Crooks. Crooks dreams that there will be a place and time where people won’t judge people by the color of their skin. Even though Crooks has a great American dream in mind he’s likely to not complete his dream. The Boss and Curley have shown that they do not trust Crooks at

Candy is an old worker on the farm. He lost his hand in an accident and is broke working for the ranch. His only companion, his dog was shot by another worker (carlson). Steinbeck writes about candy and his interaction. “The old man squirmed uncomfortably. Well-Hell! I had him so long. Had him since he was a pup. I herded sheep with him.” (Steinbeck 24) this describes how attached Candy is to his dog, and how it is his closest friend. Later on in the novel Carlson, another worker puts down Curley’s dog because of its age. Candy was immediately stricken with grief and went to bed. Overhearing A conversation between the main characters (George & Lennie) he says, “I’d make a will an’ leave my share to you

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.

To begin with, Candy feels isolated and useless because he has lost his hand and the only family he has is his dog which is old and can barely walk. “They’ll can me purty soon. Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunk houses they’ll put me on the county” (66). This shows that Candy feels useless because he is old and can barely work because of his hand. This also shows that he is isolated and lonely because once they fire him all they will do is send him to the county.

This quote shows how Crooks was discriminated due to the fact that he was colored. This also shows that when he was discriminated, he didn’t have communication with the other

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.

Crooks dream is to be a part of a community where he feels he is accepted by the majority. Because of his race, his attitude remains pessimistic toward achieving his goal, and he doesn’t even try to interact with people on the ranch. The boss calls out ”Stable Buck-- ooh, sta-able Buck!’ And then, “Where the hell is that God damn nigger?” (29). The ranch citizens refer to Crooks as the “stable buck” and give him no respect. He has in turn learned to live with being disrespected and has never stood up for himself.

In Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, many of the characters are overtaken by loneliness. This story takes place around the 1930s in a time where it was very difficult to make a living, let alone have a social life. Curley’s wife, Crooks, and George are all faced with this loneliness mentioned inside this fiction tragedy, and continually seek new friendships and acceptance among each other. As described Curley’s wife was, “heavily made up.

They are or want to be alone, and they can never follow the dreams that they set for themselves. Crooks is called names by reasons of his race. He is treated horrendously by people of the opposite race. He wants to be alone and does not want to bother anyone on the ranch. He never gets invited to any activities on the ranch.

Crooks is a bitter man that has lost hope in getting ahead, because of his race. As a black man, he does not have the same opportunities as other people on the ranch. For instance, when Candy and Lennie explain their dream of owning their own piece of land to Crooks, Crooks smashes their hopes. He says, “‘You guys is just kiddin’ yourself. You’ll talk about it a hell of a lot, but you won’t get no land’”

It becomes apparent that the treatment of Crooks has made him cynical. Whenever the American Dream is mentioned he dismisses it. He says scornfully "They come, an' they quit an' go on......An' never a god-damn one of 'em gets it." This stark realism gives us an impression that Crooks has absolutely no hope. However "I remember when I was a little kid....had a strawberry patch. Had an alfalfa patch....Used to turn the chickens out on the alfalfa on a sunny morning" reinforces the idea

Loneliness is inevitable in life, there is no escaping from it. It is a part of life that everyone undergoes. You can choose to let it define you, or you can define it. The choices you make in life will undoubtedly change your future. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, there are a number of people that George and Lennie meet who experience loneliness. They find work as ranch hands in the city of Salinas, California. They meet an abundance of people who understand the hardships of a working man in 1937. George and Lennie soon learn that Crooks, the black man, and Curley’s Wife, the boss 's son’s wife, both endure the misery of solitude and isolation. Loneliness is present in many ways throughout the novel. The characters in the book who are lonely want others to understand what they are feeling. However the fear of being alone can cause extreme reactions.