Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Barbara Sher once said, “‘Isolation is a dream killer’” (qtd. in Wishcraft). In his novella, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck scrutinizes the effects that alienation can have on society. Many characters experience loneliness throughout the novel. He illustrates the results of individuals becoming isolated from their peers. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck portrays characters alienated from society in order to illustrate the harmful effects of loneliness caused by discrimination.

Crooks is the most character who is affected by the lack of friendships. The main cause of Crooks’ lack of friendship focuses on the fact that he is black. Similar to Curley’s wife who is isolated from the rest of the workers because she is the only woman on the ranch. Crooks is also isolated from the other workers but because he is black. He was forced to sleep in a separate bunk than the others. This caused him to be lonely. Steinbeck shows why Crooks background partly explains his aggressive nature. Crooks’ dream of being seen as equal to everyone else and not getting judged by others based on his skin

The idea of loneliness and isolation is shown though the use of contrast - George and Lennie have a friendship which allows them to have support and “someone to talk to that gives a damn about us.” This

Being Isolated is like being sick no one wants to be around you which causes you to be lonely. In the story Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is mainly about Lennie. He has a mental disability and is being taken care of by George. Most of the story takes place a few miles south of Soledad. The characters Curley’s wife, Crooks, and Lennie all exemplify loneliness and isolation.

The reason why Crooks is the most lonely character is because he is black. Since Crooks is black, the men on the ranch are really racist to him. They don't let him sleep in the bunkhouse or play cards with them because he's a "nigger." Crooks has no friends or family, and so he reads because he can't meet and talk with anyone so he has nothing better to do. He is a complete person who is disliked and ignored and is shut out by community of people/all good people in the world.

Crook’s life is one-sided because of his skin color. When Lennie comes into Crook’s room, Crooks said to Lennie, “Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, you all of you stink to me” (Steinbeck 68). Crooks gets bored of staying in his room where he can only read, sleep, or sit. But compared to other workers on the ranch Crook’s life is different from top to bottom because he cannot talk to others and play cards. Staying in a room for years and not able to go outside and see the world can be challenging and only because one thing that you are not the same color as everybody else.

“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.

“Language…has created the word ‘loneliness’ to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word ‘solitude’ to express the glory of being alone.” (Paul Tillich) This quote narrates the novel, “Of Mice and Men”, by John Steinbeck. In the first chapter, Steinbeck presents the idea of loneliness and men who work on ranches with no point in life. Steinbeck utilizes this setting to demonstrate these thoughts. The novel “Of Mice and Men”, demonstrates loneliness and isolation in the characters Candy, Crooks, and Curley's wife.

“Middle aged adults who live alone have a 24% increased risk of dying of heart disease”, according to a 2012 Harvard study. This shows that loneliness does not only affect you mentally but also physically. Being lonely makes your stress levels rise because of the lack in somebody to talk to. In Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck, he develops the concept of loneliness through Crooks, Candy, and Curley's wife, to show the negative impact of loneliness on somebody's life.

The social barriers are formed and the workers on the ranch feel forced to stay within their social boundaries. They all know that Crooks does not live in the bunkhouse, but instead, out by the barn. Crooks, is in his own social boundaries because he has been hurt before and does not want to relive his past pain he had suffered. When Crook expresses the quote, “S'pose you didn't have nobody. S'pose you couldn't go into the bunk house and play rummy 'cause you was black. How'd you like that?”, it really gives you a feeling of his lifestyle. With Crooks, it felt as if you could take a step out of your own life into his, with the detail of his daily struggle of loneliness, it made the novel feel very personalized.

Loneliness is the state of sadness because of having no companions or living in isolation. Loneliness is a feeling that no one should ever feel, however, it is a feeling that many come to have at one point in their lives or another. In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, two men, named Lennie and George, travel together to California to work on a ranch. While working on the ranch, Lennie and George encounter many hardships and look to their friends in order to help overcome them in order to achieve their life’s goal. Throughout the story, many of the characters dreams and desires are affected by a form of loneliness. As a result, many of the characters try to find ways in order to cope with their internal struggle.

Because of her mother, she had to marry Curley. For this reason, she is isolated on the ranch and has to live a lonely life. On the other hand, Crooks also tells Lenny about his past. “‘The white kids came to play at our place, an’ was pretty nice. My ol’ man didn’t like that. But I know now” (70). Crooks understands segregation through his childhood stories and his father. Now that he recognizes discrimination, he knows that he has to live a isolated life on the ranch because of his skin color. In a way, both characters end up in extreme loneliness because of their parents. Curley’s wife wants to be an actress and Crooks wants to be treated equally and longs for a better relationship with white men. Their aspirations are all shattered because they are isolated. Additionally, both speak to Lenny about their past. The effects of these factors leads them to a lonely life on the ranch and affects them emotionally and physically.

One character that experiences loneliness in this novel is Crooks. Crooks is an African American on the ranch, who because he

“Loneliness will sit over our roofs with brooding wings.” - Bram Stoker. This quote is saying that loneliness will continue to change our lives, whether it is being antisocial or not being able to talk to anyone. Loneliness will change our lives, whether we realize it or not. In the Book Of Mice and Men, loneliness portrays a key role in the theme of the story. Affecting many workers on the ranch that Of Mice and Men is set in. In the the book Of Mice and Men, the theme of loneliness is expressed and affects people throughout the story through Crooks, making him shy, unwilling to protect himself, and isolated, Curley 's Wife, by flirting with people and pushing to make friends, and by Candy, by wishing he was part of a plan and had people to talk to and hang out with.

Loneliness is seen in the novel Of mice and men by John Steinbeck, in ways that are quite interesting. Lennie shows a lot of loneliness in the book but he’s not the only one.