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Isolation In Of Mice And Men

Good Essays

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While reading and evaluating Of Mice and Men (1937) by the famed novelist John Steinbeck, the several relationships in the story reveal both true, authentic friendship, as well as the opposite, sad, desperate degrees of loneliness and plummeting isolation. Similar to the people that we come across in our lives, a handful of the characters in Of Mice and Men portray false faces of contentment, yet in actuality, they are alone and caught feeling stuck and empty on the inside. On the other hand, there are numerous representations of sincere friendships that seem as if they could last a lifetime. There are also episodes of different characters being vulnerable and straightforward with each other in a frantic attempt to have someone …show more content…

She even claims that she “don’ like Curley” and “he ain’t a nice fella” (86). It is not until this part of the novel that she lets this emotion known publicly, admitting this to Lennie while they were alone (86). Curley’s wife only married Curley in order to get away from her mother, who was accused by Curley’s wife of sabotaging her career as an actress. So, in the end, Curley’s wife does not have her mother, her aspiring career in theater, or a loving husband. The other ranchers are also stuck in an inconspicuous cycle of loneliness with each other. They all just want to have a genuine relationship with someone, no matter who he/she is. So many people in Of Mice and Men are lonesome, wanting a good friend to spend their time with.
Aside from the plenty illustrations of isolation, seclusion, and loneliness shown in the characters in Of Mice and Men, the natural, truthful relationships throughout the book can not afford to be forgotten about. Lennie and George share an unusual, odd friendship that almost looks as if they are not friends at all. Though it is not how a conventional friendship may seem to other people, it makes sense to George and Lennie. George and Lennie share a relationship that is quite similar to the same relationship that a dog shares with its master. George tells, basically commanding, Lennie to do something (like not talking), and Lennie listens and “obeys” without question. If George tells Lennie not to

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