Theme Of Loneliness In Of Mice And Men

Crooks is physically and socially separated. His race sets him apart from everyone else on the farm, and is given his own room to emphasize this separation. “I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain’t wanted in my room.” (Steinbeck, 68) Crooks is as separated from other characters, physically, as well as as he is from a social standpoint. His physical separation emphasizes his separation in society. Socially, his race puts him at a disadvantage and will never be able to get ahead because of it. “ Why ain’t you

Crooks was a solitary man as well, being forced by the social boundaries at the time to keep to himself. He could not even make the idle chit-chat that the other men could to occupy themselves and sidestep the preliminary loneliness of working away from family. He was separated not only mentally but physically; “Crooks … had his bunk in the harness room; a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn.” (Steinbeck 33) Crooks, who hailed from a different line of descent than the men surrounding him, was forced by the ethics of the era to stay separated. He had no one to confide in at all. He never mentions family, only lending to the fact that he has himself alone to talk to at all save when people give orders to him around the ranch. It is loneliness at its most concentrated. Not only was he separated but “[He] wasn’t wanted in the bunkhouse …” Not only is loneliness defined as being without companions and solitary, but as being “sad because one has no friends or company.” Not being wanted only makes one sad, and having no one to talk to makes Crooks a perfect match for the definition of loneliness. With Crooks, Steinbeck overwhelmingly makes the theme of loneliness readily apparent.

“I think cruelty is loneliness disguised in bitterness” (Thomas W. Hiddleston). This quote expounds how the lack of company and friends can potentially lead you down a path of heartlessness, and despair. In the story Of Mice and Men, you follow the duo George and Lennie in their quest to achieve the American dream. John Steinbeck utilizes his story Of Mice and Men to show how the loneliness of the characters leads to their cruel actions, he exposes this through the characters Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife.

Every character is dealing with their own loneliness in Of Mice and Men, but one that especially stands out is Crooks, a black man that is forced to sleep in the barn. Anyone that spends a lot of time alone is destined to become crazy. Crooks has been alone for so long, he has even forgot how to react when people genuinely want to become his friend. This is shown in chapter four when Lennie comes into the barn to talk to Crooks, “Lennie smiled helplessly in an attempt to make friends. Crooks said

Loneliness is a wicked disease. It can cause someone to turn cold towards the world or lash out in unexpected ways. Although this may be true for the most part, loneliness also has a way of causing someone to become numb to it and hide it away. John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, is set in a time where many people were stuck in an endless cycle of being lonely. This heart wrenching novel has a major theme of loneliness that sadly shines through in many of the characters.

Loneliness “Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty” (Mother Teresa). In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, many of the characters fight with loneliness. George, Crooks, and Curley's wife deal with loneliness throughout the novel. All they want is to feel wanted, accepted, and to know someone actually cares about them. John Steinbeck uses loneliness as one of his strongest themes in his novel, written during the Great Depression to emphasize the American society.

John Steinbeck's book of mice and men has lots of event and themes but the most important one is loneliness.Everyone gets lonely but sometimes being lonely makes you a better person, everyone needs someone to be there for them, and no matter who you are you will get lonely.Crooks, Candy and Curley's wife are the 3 loneliest people in the novel. Crooks is isolated candy has no one but his dog and they put him down and Curley's wife who just sits at the house all day while the men work.

In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck it is important to observe the theme loneliness since it relates to the Great Depression in United States at that time. Steinbeck portrays loneliness in the characterisation, specially in Candy, Crooks and Curley’s wife, explaining the loneliness of human existence.

“I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick” (Steinbeck 72). This quote from the character Crooks from Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck demonstrates the powerful effect loneliness has on the human mind and body. Loneliness heavily impacts both the plot of Of Mice and Men and the actions and emotions of characters throughout the novella. It directly leads to the deaths of Lennie and Curley’s wife, as well as playing a crucial role in the day to day lives of Crooks, Lennie, Candy, and Curley’s wife.

“Loneliness, triggered by a desire to connect with others, reaches deep into [their] soul[s] and pushes [them] towards others” (Ed Donner). Loneliness has always been a problem in this society. It is an unpleasant feeling to have. Most people will experience loneliness and will acquire problems due to it, but most are unable to cope with it. This theme is recurrent in the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. He describes Crooks and Curley’s wife as characters who are subjected to this emotion, loneliness; however, in their own way they survive through it.

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.

By providing a wide variety of individuals from different backgrounds, John Steinbeck proves that loneliness is a common theme in his novella, Of Mice and Men. Because he has lost his hand, Candy feels as if he is no longer needed or useful, leaving him feeling all alone while working on the ranch. Being the only woman, Curley's wife is confined to gender stereotypes. This makes her appear desperate for attention, when she is really just seeking companionship. Crooks, the stable buck, lives in an unwelcoming society because of his race.

Loneliness is a prevalent theme in literature. John Steinbeck uses this theme throughout his novella, “Of Mice And Men”. George and Lennie, migrant workers in California, strive to achieve their goal of owning a farm by working to make enough money. They come into troubles with Lennie not knowing how to deal with his strength and accidentally hurting others. Lennie is socially awkward and mentally slow but is stronger than the average man which makes him dangerous. While working on the ranch, they meet two characters who struggle to overcome their loneliness. In the novella, “Of Mice And Men” by John Steinbeck, the theme of loneliness plays a major role in Candy, Slim, Curley's wife's lives and he emphasises this through the lives of the characters. Loneliness and isolation eventually win in the end.

Crooks is an outsider because his race isolates him from the rest of the workers on the ranch. In the novella, Crooks has his own room that is separated from the others. One day, Lennie enters his room and starts to talk with Crooks. “‘Why ain’t you wanted?’ Lennie asked. ‘Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink’” (68). On p. 67 Steinbeck describes Crooks as someone who “kept his distance

“Guys like us...are the loneliest guys in the world”(Steinbeck 15). Loneliness as a common feeling by the millions of migrant workers all over the United States during the Great Depression. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, set in this era, depicts a story of loneliness within an old man named Candy; a young woman known as Curley’s Wife; and a discriminated African American named Crooks, on a barely farm in California. The ranch is filled with migrant workers, but two stick out more than all the others. George and Lennie have a dream for their future, and they plan plan to pursue their own land. Together they support each other while still surrounded by a sea of broken and isolated souls. The theme of loneliness is revealed in the novella Of Mice and Men through the isolation felt by Steinbeck's characters.