How Does Steinbeck Use Companionship In Of Mice And Men

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

•When Lennie tries to hang out with Crooks, Crooks thinks about how nice is it to talk to someone, but he also remembers how mistreated he’s been and takes this out on Lennie, an easy target

Crooks thinks Lennie is crazy because it is unlikely they will be able to own land when the economy is so bad. They are talking on a Saturday night in Crooks room in the stable. Crooks is not interested in having a conversation with Lennie, but eventually warms up to his presence and lets him stay. Steinbeck shatters reality over Lennie by having him talk to Crooks who lost all hope in the world. The author’s unique way of saying that nothing good will come hints at Lennie’s fate.

“Of Mice and Men” is a novel written by John Steinbeck that takes a look at people and analyzes their needs. On of people’s most essential needs, as shown by the novel, is companionship. People are either attempting to seek companionship, or to hold onto the companionship that they already have obtained. There are people in the novel, most notably George and Candy, who actively try to not be alone by maintaining their relationships. George and Lennie’s relationship is centered around their dream of owning land together.

     There is only one thing in life that is really needed and that is friends. Without friends, people would suffer from loneliness and solitude. Loneliness leads to low self-estee. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the characters, Crooks, Candy, and Curly’s wife all show some form of loneliness. They are curious of George and Lennie’s friendship because they do not have that support in their life. Through his novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck demonstrates that many times, a victim of loneliness will have a never-ending search to fulfill a friendship.

Crooks is the Negro stable hand whom has a crooked back from when he was kicked by a horse. In the novel, Crooks admits he is lonely. For example, on page 72, Steinbeck writes, “…‘S’pose you didn’t have nobody. S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunkhouse and play rummy ‘cause you was black. […]

He desires to have a friendship like the one between George and Lennie. In the book, when Lennie goes into Crooks room and begins to talk about George, Crooks becomes jealous because he wishes he had a companion. He deflects his jealousy towards Lennie by scaring him and says that George will not come back. Despite Crooks's want for friendship, he pushes away people that talk to him because he has been separated for so long, which causes him to become resentful. Critic Charles Johnson agrees and says, “...Crooks seems to have virtues of a character that would make him a candidate for friendship.

    Steinbeck shows that Crooks is lonely because no one talks to him in the novella. Racism still existed during the Great Depression and it's still expanded in California. Here Crooks explaining to Lennie why he can not play cards with the other people, “They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black” (Steinbeck 68). Crooks is a black man that is why he is not treated the same like the other people on the ranch. Crooks is willing to fight for equal rights against the whites.

Crooks is conversing this to Lennie a bigger character in the book so that somebody can share his pain with him, so that he can get through these terrible times. “ And

Being burdened by close friends or family can be especially bothersome or problematic, as there is a need to constantly attend to them. The responsibility of satisfying each other’s needs before one’s own or repairing their mistakes is often shared between both parties, as well as the negative consequences that may follow. At times, it may even seem simpler to just abandon hope and desert them; however, the fear of loneliness generally prevents this from occurring. John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men consists of a diverse group of people living and working on a ranch. Although they come from many walks of life, they all share one similar trait. Many of the characters’

This quote shows that Crooks was taking one of Lennie’s worries / insecurities, and beating it to a pulp, making Lennie worried about a hypothetical situation. This gets to Lennie, making him anxious, agitiated and tormented at the thought of George not being there for

In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife, along with others are constantly searching for friendship. “I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely”(86), says Curley’s wife. Steinbeck portrays how people desperately need fraternity through his writing in Of Mice and Men. Loneliness causes the characters in this story to desire things that are very unlikely, do things that they otherwise wouldn’t have done, and look for friendship in unlikely places.

Everyone needs companionship to truly prosper in life and be cheerful. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck this claim appears many times through characters who struggle with feeling fulfilled due to the lack of companionship. The characters are jealous of the relationship George and Lennie have because of their solitude. This envy is proven multiple times within the book with Crooks, Candy, and even Slim, showing that it is human nature to crave attention because of the fear of being alone.

Steinbeck also writes, ‘Crooks said sharply’ and the word ‘sharply’ supports this idea because it shows it is an immediate reaction to the intrusion. It is also like a defence mechanism as he feels slightly paranoid about what is about to happen. He lets Lennie in his room eventually but he continues to torment him, ‘his voice grew soft and persuasive’. Crooks tries to use persuasive language in order to insult Lennie and take advantage of his condition. “Sp’ose George don’t come back no more(...)what’ll you do then?” Crooks takes the chance to fight back from how he has been tortured in the past. He also wanted to make Lennie feel how he has been feeling for most of his life; lonely and isolated. Yet Lennie tries to fight back and Crooks gets scared and tries to carm him down.

Also he tends to react in this way because he is insecure about himself. Crooks, and his character development, is the outcome of him being isolated, lonely, separated from others, and discriminated against. Loneliness drives the way that people think, and how they feel. As Crooks trys to explain to Lennie how lucky he is to have someone to lean on, he feels a sense of sorrow, because what he is telling Lennie, is his life. Crooks proclaims to Lennie, “Maybe you can see now. You got George. You know he’s goin’ to come back. S’pose you didn’t have nobody. S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunkhouse and play rummy ‘cause you was black. How’d you like that? Sure you could play horseshoes till it got dark, but then you got to read books. Books ain’t no good. A guy needs somebody--to be near him.” He whined, “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you. I tell ya,” he cried, “I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick” (72-73). This quote specifically is talking about Crooks life, and what he goes through everyday. That day Lennie became Crooks somebody, which is something he has never experienced before. At first he was hesitant about Lennie, but because he never talks to anyone, Crooks let him in because he realized that Lennie could be that somebody, somebody to talk to and connect with. Crooks symbolically represents loneliness, and the negative effects of not building/having