Loneliness is one of the few things that may haunt society or bring a sort of calmness to it. In the novela, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck tells the story of two ranch workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, who moved to a new job in hopes of making their American Dream come true. They met a number of foes and isolated people on the ranch, some causing Lennie’s mental disability to become more of a burden than it already is. Many different events led up to the death of Candy’s dog, the death of Curley’s wife, and the death of Lennie himself. Through various characterization, Steinbeck’s belief that both personal choice and social barriers cause isolation is demonstrated by the characters of Candy, Curley’s wife, and Crooks. The older swamper introduced in the story is not as direct about his sense of loneliness, but is certainly considered lonesome. Candy, not choosing isolation, was secluded from the others because …show more content…
All the ranch workers seemed to neglect her, shaming her each time she tries to strike up a conversation. They interpreted it as flirting, since she’s a woman and was in an unhappy marriage. The ranch workers’ rejection of her presence conveys that even if she wasn’t prohibited to talk to people, nobody would bother to. Her husband, Curley, kept her essentially caged up at home with no company. He didn’t allow her to talk to anybody, nor did he allow her to make any friends. During her conversation with Lennie, she confessed that “you can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley” (87). Also throughout their discussion, Curley’s wife reflected on her own broken dreams and dissatisfied life. She began to ramble on hastily “as though she hurried before her listener could be taken away” (85). It’s as if she was used to people coming and going, never staying with her to fill in her
Curleys wife -Curley 's wife 's loneliness has altered her demeanor towards others tremendously, making her overtly insecure and excessively flirtatious. Curley 's wife has become virtually another person because of loneliness. The men on the ranch avoid her because of flirtatious personality to keep out of trouble. No one understands her situation and how loneliness affects her. Her insecurity is evident by the way she dresses and utilizes her make-up. She uses her appearance to receive attention like when "[Curley 's Wife] was standing there looking in. She had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters,
Just like Crooks, since she is an outsider, Curly’s wife is looking for constantly looking for company and the perfect opportunity to talk to someone is when goes Curly is out with the workers. All who are left are ‘the weak ones’-herself, Candy, Crooks and Lennie. She even says it herself- ‘Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs-a nigger an’ a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep-an’ likin’ it because they ain’t nobody else’. However, she is so desperate for companionship that she talks to them anyway. She is ‘breathing strongly, as though she had been running’; again this shows us just how desperate and lonely she is as an outsider.
This can be seen when she says, “Nobody can’t blame a person for looking” however the George calls her ‘poison’ and ‘jail bait’ meaning the other workers don’t like her at all and describe her using foul words. However this would be expected in this time period. Even though she is married she is still lonely because of problems in their relationship. She even wishes Curley had his other hand broken. She says she had a dream to become a Hollywood and Curley promised he would make her dream come true but that was all lies and instead is being taken advantage of and is in a position where she almost can’t escape. In section 4 we see that she is harsh to the other men who did not go into town, calling them the ‘weaker ones’ and intimidating them. This is ironic because she is also one of the ‘lonely ones’ and she is very cunning but also vain as she tries to seek out those who are weaker to get to the other men and gain more attention.
Loneliness is one of many central themes in John Steinbeck’s classic novella, Of Mice and Men. Throughout the story many characters sought after the company and attention of others. Each character has a certain barrier that keeps them isolated from the outside world. Three characters who portray this loneliness throughout the novella are Crooks, Curly’s wife, and Candy. Each having a different wall between them and society.
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.
In a society of people all in the same situations how can someone feel so alone. When lives fall apart and people have nothing to hold on to people need each other most, yet are pushed so far from others. The novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, follows the storyline of two men who are displaced farm workers during the Great Depression; they travel around and stick by each other’s sides no matter the circumstance. After many jobs they end up on a farm,the farm they hope will be their last stop. The time spent on the farm is filled with blooming friendships and careless quarrels, yet with an abundance of characters and entertainment- many people on the farm feel alone and out of place. Characters such as Crooks and Curley’s wife often come to mind when the subject of loneliness is brought up. Throughout the book using characters such as Crooks and Curley's wife, John Steinbeck demonstrates that humans are immensely impacted by separation from society and it will change the way that people will act and show themselves to others.
Isolation occurs when one does not have a support system where they can talk and express their thoughts and emotions. Isolation in the novel Of Mice and Men highlights the effects of human nature by portraying it as something social and dependant on others rather than individuals first. This is shown by the characters when they get affected by isolation and become destructive, delusional, and desensitized from other people.
At this point in the novel, we have heard George mention twice that his life would be improved without Lennie. However, George still seems to feel a need to look out for Lennie. That said, he protects Lennie from conflict by explaining to everyone they meet that he is just a “big kid”.
Candy was discriminated in the story because he was old and handicapped.”But he was reassured by the swampers defense.”(Steinbeck 24) Candy was discriminated against his age because he was old, they even gave him a nickname which is swamper because he was old and smelly. “I ain’t much good with on’y hand.”(steinbeck 59) Since he lost his arm and was handicapped he was discriminated against because he couldn’t do much work. His dog played a huge part too because the dog was like a symbol. Since the dog was too old it was
Curley’s wife, on the other hand, is not insecure, but suffers from ostracism and isolation because she is a married woman. Michael Meyer points out, “…the hardship for a woman to live on the ranch as presented in the novel should not be ignored”. Curley’s wife only wants someone to talk with her, but the men on the ranch mistake her trying to start conversations as sexual advances: “I never seen nobody like her. She got the eye goin’ all the time on everybody… I don’t know what the hell she wants” (Steinbeck 51). They also ridicule her, calling her a
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.
“Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.” From the words of Mother Teresa, we can learn that isolation is one of the most detrimental things that a person can face. It destroys the human soul and forces people to lose faith for a better future. But what is the cause of isolation? What forces people into eternal loneliness? John Steinbeck, the author of Of Mice and Men would agree that isolation leads a person to lose hope, but he would also suggest that isolation is a consequence of prejudice. Once someone becomes victim to prejudice, there is a chain reaction of utter loneliness to follow. The book Of Mice and Men is a story centered around several characters living and working on a ranch in Salinas, California during the Great Depression. The book focuses on Lennie, a man with the strength of an ox, but with the mental capacity of a child, and George, a hardworking man who cares for George and travels with him. Several other characters in the book also give us clues as to what Steinbeck’s message about isolation is. These characters include Crooks, an African-American stable buck, and Curley’s wife, a lonely woman who is controlled by her husband and craves attention. John Steinbeck, the author of “Of Mice and Men,” suggests that there is a direct connection between prejudice and isolation; those who face prejudice also face isolation from society. In other words, people who are discriminated and seen as outcasts consequently are also secluded because they are seen as unequal.
Imagine getting up everyday, going to work, and not having any family or friends to talk to. It sounds like a very lonely and boring life, but this is how the characters lived their lives in the book Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. It is about two bindle workers named George and Lennie who start to work at a new ranch to fulfill their dream of owning their own land during the Great Depression. While they are there, they meet new people who are all lonely in their own way. Loneliness affects many people in different ways like Curley’s wife, Candy, and George.
Candy, Curley’s wife, and Crooks undergo loneliness and discrimination during the Great Depression. John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men has three characters that, like so many people during the 1930s, experience harrowing times of isolation and discrimination from everybody else during those times. Notably, the theme of loneliness is expressed and felt in the novella Of Mice and Men through the isolation and discrimination of Steinbeck’s characters. In chapter
‘Of mice and men’ is a tale of loneliness and hardship felt by the people living in America during the 1930 's. Written by John Steinbeck and published in 1937, it tells the heartbreaking story of two ranch workers during the depression; George Milton and Lennie Small. At the time America was very poor, with a shortage of jobs so people had to travel in search of new jobs. As many people were constantly moving, lasting friendships or relationships were hard to come across. People became scared to have friendships, scared of each other making them lonely and isolated. Most of the characters lived by ‘every man for himself’; only having to care for themselves, not having to worry about others and therefore