WHO IS THE LONELIEST CHARATCTER ON THE RANCH?
Steinbeck has written of Mice and men in a time period where men travelled alone and rarely sent time with other people. This is reflected in the characters of the novel, who are all lonely however some are lonelier than others. These include Crooks, Candy, Curley and Curley’s wife. They all have the hope of achieving their own dreams, which is the cause of their loneliness.
It can be argued that Crooks is the loneliest character in the novel. This is because he is segregated due to his race. He is the only black person on the ranch so has absolutely no one to talk to. The other characters think of him as being dirty and inferior to white people and Crooks himself has become so used to
…show more content…
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.
To conclude, these are the four loneliest characters in the novel. They all have similarities in terms of dreams and loneliness however in the story the characters do not notice this but the reader almost classifies these characters as an outsiders group. Their characters show how having big dreams and high aspirations can make you lonelier. We can also see how the views of society affect loneliness such as the acceptance of racism and sexism in this time period as well as the fact that every man was for himself so there
The first character that exemplifies loneliness is Crooks. Crooks was always lonely because of his race. Crooks never had a black friend growing up which was no different from the ranch. He stated, “There wasn’t another colored family for miles...now there ain’t a colored man on this ranch.” Crooks felt like all white people didn't want to be around black people which made him isolate himself.He also felt isolated because he was not permitted in the bunkhouse like the other men. Since the guys wouldn’t let him in their area, he felt no one belonged in his, making him isolate himself from everyone else. “They play cards in there, but I can’t play because i'm black. They say I stink. Well,I tell you, all of you stink to me” (75). He also stated, “I tell ya a guy gets too lonely” . This shows you he actually get lonely.
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
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.
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.
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.
Crooks is shown as being isolated from the community, this is defining factor that characterises him. He is isolated from the ranch community and the community in Soledad for two primary reasons, his race and his disability. Crooks was kicked by a horse prior the start of the book, this leaves him unable to stand up straight and similarly to Candy gives him the appearance of uselessness (Steinbeck,2002). He is unable to work in the fields as the other men do and therefore he is even more isolated from their community. In addition to this his exclusion from the bunkhouse means he has almost no interaction with the other men on the ranch. This isolation also applies to the neighboring
Another character who is lonely is Curley’s wife. She married Curley only because she never got her letter from the Hollywood producer, not because she loved Curley. As a result, she has no relationship and no friends ,so she wanders the bunkhouse every day looking for somebody to talk to. She wants to escape loneliness by talking to people, but everybody pushes her away, even Curley, her husband. As she says on pg 89, “I don’ like Curly. I could been in the movies, an’ have nice clothes.” This shows that Curley was just her last resort option in her idyllic path to movie stardom. The last character affected by loneliness is Crooks. He is black and thus he is pushed away by everybody and even has to live in an isolated room in the bunkhouse. Because of this he pretends to push away people too even though he longs for their presence because he doesn 't know how to act any differently. In the book, Steinbeck shows that it is almost impossible for Crook’s to escape loneliness unless he escapes out of poverty first.
The character Crooks has shown loneliness throughout the whole story and that drives him to a point where he doesn’t want to be existent to all the other men. In the middle of the book Lennie and Crooks start a conversation and Crooks explains how he’s feeling. Steinbeck writes, “‘They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, all of you stink to me’”(68). Crooks doesn’t get much sympathy from the men because he is black. He is so desperate to play cards with the guys, but all of them leave him out and makes him feel even more lonely. Crooks experiences the most desolation because the men tell him that he “stinks” and can’t play cards because he’s “black. In addition to the last example, the novel also explains in the story how separated Crooks is from everybody else and shows us how alone he actually is. Crooks is the most lonely character in the novel and it shows by his actions and personality. Steinbeck shows, “This room was swept and fairly neat, for Crooks was a proud, aloof man. He kept his distance and demanded that other people keep theirs” (67). He felt desperate enough to tell the men to keep their distance so he
The first example of a character who experiences loneliness is Crooks. Crooks is an African American stable buck. He is the lowest at the ranch because of his race. Crooks lives alone in his own bunkhouse because he is not allowed in the bunkhouse where the white workers live. He has no one to talk to because he is different than the rest of the group. Later in the novela, Crooks confides in Lennie. “A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody” (Steinbeck 72). Lennie is the only person on the ranch willing to listen to Crooks. Crooks is telling Lennie that it drives him mad that he doesn't have anyone to talk to. He sits alone in his bunkhouse reading books.
Are you really as lonely as you think you are? In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the two main characters Steinbeck focuses on, are George and Lennie. Lennie is very childish and cannot do things without someone to help him. George is very independent, but he looks after Lennie, and is like a father figure to Lennie. Lennie gets in trouble in there old town, so him and George leave town and go to find a new job. When they arrive at their new job, George tells lennie not to speak, so he doesn't blow their opportunity at this new job. After the ranchmen see Lennie work, they are very interested in having Lennie and George work on the ranch. Lennie later in the book, kills one of the worker's wives and runs away and hides. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the book focuses on the idea of loneliness, 3 characters that portray loneliness are George, Crooks, and Candy.
I agree with the messages Steinbeck was trying to portray in the novel because Crooks’ and Curley’s wife’s actions that made it clear. When people are experiencing loneliness, their actions, as well as their way of life is altered. Loneliness can change people drastically into something they are not as seen in the novel Of Mice and Men and through my personal awareness. Both characters, despite their hard bitter shells, reveal a desire to overcome their loneliness and win
The way she acts during the play shows that she is lonely. In the play she is always looking for some companionship "[She] is just looking for somebody to talk to. Don't your never just want to talk to somebody?" (p. 8) Sometimes she sneaks over to the bunkhouse under the premise of looking for somebody "I'm looking for Curley" (p. 8) The rest of the men on the ranch see Curley's Wife as a tart or slut who is constantly looking for a man "she got the eye" (p. 7), "Seems like she can't keep away from guys." (p.13). The men on the ranch are afraid of her because she is married to the son of the Boss. They figure that if they were to do anything to her that she would somehow get them fired "Get going. We don't want no trouble" (p. 15). Near the end of the play as she prepares to run away it is apparent that she is lonely and only sought a companion on the farm. She does not love Curley "I don't like Curley. He ain't a nice fella. I might a stayed…but least night [Curley] and [The Boss] both lit into me." (p. 20), and prepares to run away to go to Hollywood. Before she dies, she and Lennie become friends. She has shared some of her innermost and secret ambitions with him which signifies that she likes him, trusts him, and thinks that she can confide in him. Curley's wife is an example of isolation and intolerance of women during the 1930's and is
Finally, the most significant point is loneliness. Crooks and Curley's wife are the loneliest people in the book. Crooks says, "Books ain't no good. A guy needs somebody to be near him…" It is evident that he is very lonely.
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.
The novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck contains an evident theme of loneliness and isolation. Steinbeck uses his characters to invoke this theme throughout the novella. One character that is able to portray this perfectly is Curley's wife. John Steinbeck's main message through the use of the theme of loneliness, is that it's better to isolate oneself from others in order to achieve your goals.