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

Everyone becomes solitary once in awhile. It’s an inevitable feeling in one's life. Throughout Steinbeck's story “Of Mice and Men,” he illustrates the loneliness of farm life and proves how people are driven to attempt and find friends to avoid from solitude. While human instinct is to be with someone, Steinbeck characters live in solitarity even though they want to be with someone because of fear.

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

Everyone has been lonely in their life before. But in the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck illustrates how in the 1930s workers George and Lennie two guys desperate for work and poor come upon the ranch Soledad, California. Most of the characters are lonely and are searching for companionship. He calls the ranch Soledad because it means lonely.

During the Great Depression, it was not uncommon to become morosely secluded while working. Men would go far away from their families in search of any jobs they could get, with only themselves to confide in; colleagues only filling in the void of friends and family partially. Naturally, John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, written during this period, would reflect this fact as a major aspect of the story. Loneliness would become the sinew of Of Mice and Men, manifested in some of the story’s main characters: Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife. These allusions to loneliness are found throughout the book, mimicking the rampant disease of isolation at the time.

“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world” (Steinbeck 13). Loneliness affects people in different ways. Some people go out of their way to get attention from others, and others isolate themselves. In the story Of Mice and Men, some of the people living on the ranch are struggling with loneliness themselves. Loneliness affects characters in Of Mice and Men through Crooks isolating himself from others, Curley’s wife flirting with other men for attention, and Lennie worrying about George leaving him to take care of himself alone.

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.

I don’t like Curley. He ain’t a nice fellow” (Steinbeck 89), Curley’s wife confides this crucial information to Lennie in order to justify her unfaithfulness. Unfortunately for her the other men pay so little attention to her that they do not even refer to her by her real name and simply refer to her as Curley’s wife.

Of Mice and Men teaches a serious lesson about the way of human existence. Nearly all of the characters, including George, Lennie, Candy, Crooks, and Curleys wife, admit, at one time or another, to having a very deep/extreme sense of loneliness and being isolated. Isn't it unexpected yet interesting, because something happened that is the opposite of what you'd expect that you can be together but lonely, and alone but not lonely? George, Who works at a ranch near Soledad, California, With his friend Lenny. Always has someone with him but still has a feeling of loneliness because no one understands him.

Over 41,000 deaths occur annually as a result of depression. (CDC) This is one of many starting statistics that proves loneliness is an instigator of death in many individuals. John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas California. He was a great writer that wrote many books that have left a lasting impact on the american people. One book inparticular is Of Mice and Men published in 1939. Based on the time of the great depression, Of Mice and Men tells a story of two men, Lennie and George, who are trying to achieve their dream of owning a patch of land and raising animals. Lennie is a mentally disabled man who is taken care of by George, who is small and quick witted. The two lonely men flee the town of Weed and try to continue their lives on a small ranch Salinas Valley. While on the ranch the men meet many characters who are also battling loneliness. The theme of loneliness is mostly

“Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.” - James Dean. John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” is one of the most popular books ever. In this novel best pals, George and Lennie, work hard to reach their dreams of owning their own ranch. Steinbeck’s characters may want to own their own place but many people, problems, and obstacles make the road bumpy.

Soledad’ is the name of the town where the ranch is in the novel, Of Mice and Men which means loneliness in Spanish. Loneliness is the theme of the novel, and the name ‘Soledad’ relates to the people that live and work at the ranch. This novel took place during the Great Depression and working on ranches was very common for people at this time. There are three characters that are very lonely on the ranch.

What is it like to be truly alone? Perhaps, it’s getting stuck in an unhappy marriage. During the Great Depression, many people were treated unequal, which lead to many people being alone. Many people of color could not live with white people, people with disabilities weren’t respected and women were seen as objects, they weren’t treated equally during that time period. In the book, “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck teaches on an important topic to readers about how greatly the time period affects the way people viewed others. This affected many people because they were left alone and isolated.

The book Of Mice and Men is written by John Steinbeck. This fictional story is about two men by the name of George and Lennie that are looking for a job so they could live off the fat of the land. They get close to achieving their dream but it soon downfalls. Along the book, loneliness is portrayed many times through the characters such as Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife. George and Lennie are the exception for loneliness.

The author of the book Of Mice & Men, John Steinbeck, showed one important theme throughout the entire book. The theme the author showed most was the nature of loneliness. Steinbeck wants the reader to consider the theme of loneliness for many reasons. First, he wants us to know how people suffered through lonesome during the Great Depression era where many workers were migrating and looking for a job. The author placed the setting in a city in California named Soledad, which means ‘Solitude’ in Spanish. Also, he illustrated loneliness by including a card game called ‘Solitaire’ meaning by one’s self.

Loneliness is best portrayed by crooks in my opinion who is the only black man on the farm. While almost every character is lonely this man sticks out. Cause of his skin color the other men would not let him around them. So he did not get to socialize any with anyone. He talks about how a man goes crazy if he doesn’t have anyone to talk to and everyone needs someone.