The Role Of Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

In the beginning chapter, Steinbeck present the idea of loneliness and men who work on ranches living temporary lives. As they were walking along the trail, it is depicted as “a path beaten by hard boys coming down from the ranches” (18). The men who work on the farm have had temporal, isolated and solitary lives. It suggests that the isolated and nomadic lives are inevitable. The journey of the George

Solidifying the theme of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the protagonist George expresses his significant loneliness despite a strong kinship with his friend Lennie, “’I ain’t got no people… I seen the guys that go around the ranches alone. That ain’t no good’” (41). Published in 1937, amidst the horrific turmoil of the Great Depression, Steinbeck’s novella struck a sensitive chord with readers. Set in the heart of California’s Central Valley, this story follows two men, George and Lennie, as they run from old shadows to a new farm for work. Clinging to the distant dream of owning their own piece of land, the men imagine life outside their present difficulties. Illustrating that life is varied by emotional complexities beyond black and white, George’s longing for companionship and family seep through in conversations with his new co-worker Slim. Despite Lennie’s sheer physical strength, his mental abilities are limited to that of a naïve, innocent, and very young boy; the result is a relationship akin to an uncle and nephew. Lennie, with primal-like behaviors and a gold-fish memory, struggles to adhere to George’s words of wisdom. In the end, tragedy strikes them both as George is forced to kill Lennie due to an accident with the son of the landowner’s wife – a woman who looks for trouble at the onset. Consequently, George’s state of loneliness is bequeathed to a new level as he begins to imagine life without Lennie in tow.

“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. . . . With us it ain’t like that” (Steinbeck, 15). As we follow Lennie and George on their journey towards what they consider to be the dream life, the audience comes to learn along with the characters that dreams are not all they’re cracked up to be and sometimes the most rewarding goal in life is one which has already been achieved. The two main characters in the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck are poor farm workers who hope to one day own their own farm and become self-sufficient. What they never realize is that the most important thing they can ever have is each other. Despite their periodic quarrels, Lennie

Steinbeck's belief is that those who do not deserve it, needs affection and attention. Steinbeck created so many lonely characters in the book, but not George and Lennie they are blessed to have each. George knows how depressing the lifestyle him and Lennie live in, he even says “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no fambly. They don't belong no place” (32). An example of truly lonely character would be Curly, the reason he is so aggressive and mean is because he has a lot of self hatred and he tend to take it out on others. Curly knows that his dad don't care for him much Steinbeck is also saying

In John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, he shows us what it is like for

The year is 1937 and our two main characters, Lennie and George, are found wondering about the wilderness south of Soledad, California due to an incident with Lennie and a woman. Early on it becomes evident that Lennie and George are vastly different. George is a man of wit while Lennie is a physically powerful man who is intellectually limited(5). They are roaming ranch hands in search of labor. George is told of a farm a few miles away with two job openings.

They don’t belong no place… With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us” (Steinbeck 13-14). Steinbeck with negative diction and tones, reveals that George and Lennie are part of the ranches, but different because they have each other. It is also repeated in page 104, before George kills Lennie.

Loneliness is an issue that can lead to some very bad decisions. Perhaps you have felt lonely in the past and ended up eating out of boredom or wasting your day looking at memes. Many of the characters in John Steinbeck's “Of Mice and Men” feel lonely, causing anything from insanity to manslaughter. In the novel “Of Mice and Men” loneliness affected Crooks, Candy, and Curley’s wife the most.

Loneliness in Of Men and Men. “No man is a failure, who has friends.” stated by Clarence in the famous Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life, John Steinbeck backs this quote very frequently throughout his novella Of Mice and Men. George and Lennie have a unique relationship compared to everyone else because they have each other and their dream of one day being ranch owners.

Although the characters display many differences, they are all connected because of loneliness; much like people in society today, the characters in Of Mice and Men face the world alone because they do not fit the societal “norms” of the time. George and Lennie, having nowhere to call home, find solace in each other. Ranch hands commonly moved place to place in search of work during the 1930’s. Because of this, ranch hands were lonely people. In chapter one, Lennie says, “But not us!

In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck addresses the theme of loneliness and isolation. The novel tells the story of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, who while traveling together chase the American Dream. This becomes difficult because society misunderstands Lennie’s thought process. This gets him into trouble that George has to get him out of. This connection George and Lennie shared was rare for workers during this era. Migrant workers never stayed in one location for too long. They also traveled by their lonesome. Not only this, but many people were also social outcasts and shunned by society. Steinbeck establishes the theme of loneliness and isolation, a very common problem throughout the Great Depression, by telling of those that are alone and others actions towards them.

Of Mice and Men by Jacob Pedler John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men, is set in the 1930s during the Great Depression which explores the sufferings that were confronted by migrant workers through the themes of loneliness and isolation. The text takes us through a journey with two migrant workers named George and Lennie that live their lives moving from ranch to ranch chasing their ‘American Dream’. Steinbeck uses various literary techniques to explore the themes of loneliness. Steinbeck uses the novella to take us in to detail about the cause and coping mechanisms involved with loneliness through a range of examples and quotes through the text.

In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men he tells the tragic story of a dream gone wrong. The story focuses on the friendship of guys George and Lennie. Lennie is a mentally handicapped man who is taken care of by George. They move from farm to farm working to raise money to buy a place of their own. Their last faithful stop they meet a variety of interesting but lonely people. Steinbeck includes several different themes in the novel, however loneliness are most occurring things and are seen throughout the characters is this novel.

In the book Of Mice and Men there are many character's that are lonely but interesting. The book is about two best friends Lennie and George. The two main characters had the highest dreams. George was gonna buy a house with help from Lennie and a few others. Sadly the story took a terrible turn for the worse. Steinbeck included many different theme's in this book including racism, sexism and loneliness.

Steinbeck wrote the characters of George and Lennie to be the contrast in the novel, allowing him to explore the idea of loneliness and make the readers really feel and empathize for the characters in the novel. Steinbeck wrote Lennie as a childlike character, which allows Steinbeck to convey thoughts to the reader in a blunt fashion without the restrictions of regular adult characters - "But not us because.........because I got you to look after me and you have got me to look after you and that 's why".