Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

In addition, the author sets up a parallel between Candy and his pet by describing them both as ‘old’ and no longer physically strong (Candy is missing a hand and the dog is ‘stiff with rheumatism’). Candy walked ‘slowly’ whilst his dog ‘struggled lamely to the side of the room’. These similarities between the old dog and its owner reminds the reader of the harsh environment the workmen are in. Steinbeck is trying to point out that anyone who is past a certain age and isn’t completely physically able is considered useless and, according to Carlson, better off dead. Candy’s despair is highlighted even further when he says, ‘When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me.’

Candy’s dog was his companion for a very long time and for Candy to let it die made him encounter this emotion of isolation that he never really felt before. A quote that shows this is “I had him since he was a puppy.” This demonstrates to us that Candy has finally realised what life is without his companion by his side, he feels as if his life is isolated and unwanted by the rest. Candy’s dog was his only proper friend who can share his feelings with and now that he is gone, he feels isolated from everyone and as if he cannot share his feelings anymore. Steinbeck uses the relationship between Candy and his dog to help the reader engage with the emotion of isolation among the characters.

Crooks experiences discrimination on the ranch. Crooks sleeps in a barn instead of the bunkhouse where all of the other men sleep. When Lennie first walks into Crooks’ room, Crooks gets defensive and announces, “‘You go on get outta my room. I ain’t wanted in the bunk house, and you ain’t wanted in my room’” (65). Crooks alienates himself from society, because he thinks that society has alienated him. He desires to be included. Crooks wants to punish the men for not allowing him in the bunk house. Crooks feels rejected. Crooks describes to Lennie why the ranch workers do not want him near them: “‘Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink’” (65). Since the workers do not include him, Crooks thinks that he does not belong at the ranch. His self esteem diminishes when the men isolate him for something he can not change. Finally, Lennie reveals his dreams of owning a farm to Crooks. Crooks acts skeptical of the idea when he explains, “‘I seen hunderds of

In the book. Candy, a sweet old man always takes care of his dog. His dog is very old, and when it was little, it was a great sheepherder. But as it has gotten older, it has lost its productiveness on the ranch because it has “‘Got no teeth, he's all stiff with rheumatism (Steinbeck 22).” Even though the dog isn't helpful at all, Candy keeps it with him. He keeps the dog even when it has lost its purpose because the dog keeps Candy company. The dog is a symbol to keep pushing through for candy because even with all the disabilities of the dog, it is still living, and when Candy sees that, it reminds him that he should always keep pushing through with his dog, soulmate, and companion. People should value companionship in rough times by how Steinbeck showed how Candy kept his dog just for his own comfort to help him through tough times. This is very helpful to learn today because with someone you can always lean on, you know they will be right there for you no matter

“You go on get outta my room. I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain’t wanted in my room.” “ Why ain’t you wanted?” Lennie asked. “Cause I’m black…” (Steinbeck 68)

This shows that Crooks is sensitive to prejudice, so this allows him to act superior to Lennie. It is hypothesised that because Crooks has been segregated for such a long time, it has made him lonely and mean. Crooks lives alone and the other workers on the ranch tolerate him, but do not live with him. When the Black-American, woman, eldest worker, and mentally disabled are all left on the ranch, they try to show how they are better than another even though they are all unable to achieve the American Dream. “Crooks said sharply, ‘You got no right to come in my room.

Don’t make no difference who the guy is long’s hes with you. I tell ya’, he cried, ‘i tell ya a guy gets too lonely an he gets sick’” (Steinbeck 72). This proves that Crooks was truly lonely. Nobody would talk to him or even interact with him because he’s black.

Candy is one of many characters on the ranch that shows loneliness. Candy Is very limited to what he can do since he lost his hand, causing him not to be with the other men while working. Since he can't work with the other men Candy is very isolated, he works as a swamper with no one else and he had a dog. Candy and his dog were very close even though the dog was getting very old and starting to smell. Carlson decided since the dog was old, smelly, and wasn't much help he wanted to shoot it. Candy did not want that to happen but Carlson overpowered him and pressured him. Carlson shot the dog and Candy now had no one. “Well-hell! I had him so long. John Steinbeck states, “Since he

Crooks is isolated he is a black man who does the stable buck for the farm but because of the time period they don't allow blacks in the bunkhouse with everyone else so he is forced to live out in the barn with the horses. His room is not the biggest but he has a lot of items such as a dirty magazines, shotgun and a regular books crooks said “ A guy is nuts if he ain't got nobody . don't make a difference who the guy is as long as he's with you” this quote shows that crooks is going crazy with no one to talk to

Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is a literary masterpiece that paints a vivid picture of American life during the Great Depression. There are many recurring cycles, or themes, apparent in the novel. Three of these are loneliness, the American dream, and human nature. Using these cycles, Of Mice and Men offers a look back at the harsh reality faced by the American people who were living during the Great Depression. Steinbeck articulates the feelings of struggling Americans during that time in his spectacular novel.

Crooks is the only black man on the ranch. Most of the men share bunks with each other, but Crooks is forced to live alone. “Crooks, the negro stable buck had his bunk in the harness room; a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn” (Steinbeck 66). The housing arrangement for Crooks creates a larger divide between him and the rest of the men forcing the lack of relationships he has with them. Even though the men do not have to live with him, they still refuse to associate with him because of his skin color. “‘They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black’” (Steinbeck 68). The constant feeling of being alone and an outsider has caused Crooks to be suspicious of anyone nice to him and to abandon all of his dreams. When Lennie and Crooks first interact, Crooks comes across rude for he fears Lennie will act like everyone else. It becomes clear during his conversation with Lennie that all his time alone has messed greatly with his mind. “’ I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick”” (Steinbeck 73). Loneliness and isolation caused Crooks to have a hard, warped

He states that guys who work alone for so long get desperate, but because he has a friend that does not include him (Steinbeck 17). George’s loneliness can be implied because he has taken on the responsibility of a mentally ill man. He does not have a life without Lennie; he doesn’t know what it feels like to live without Lennie. George is constantly occupied by Lennie, and never a moment to himself (Gray). He explains that without Lennie he could possibly get a girl and although George appreciates Lennie, he is not pleased with Lennie’s bad judgment (Steinbeck 91). When George kills Lennie, he becomes one of the lonely stable hands that he excluded himself from being in the beginning (Steinbeck 106). Candy is also lonely, he is forced to be isolated because he has a disability and is not able to do much (Steinbeck 59). He also had a dog that no one wanted to be around because he smelled so bad, that dog was Candy’s only friend (Steinbeck 44). Further, when his dog is shot ultimately Candy does not have anything to live for, this is the reason he decides to latch on to George and Lennie (Steinbeck 60). George also dreams of getting rid of Lennie. He tells Lennie multiple times in the book that he wishes he didn’t have to look after Lennie, or what he could be doing if he didn’t have Lennie at his side (Steinbeck 11). Readers can interpret that George often wishes or dreams that he didn’t have to be Lennie’s

He lives in "a little shed that leans off the wall of the barn". This quote suggests that Crooks in like an animal because he lives alone, isolated by the rest of the workers and excluded and banned from joining them in the bunk-house, the characters often say "nigger" or "negro" however they do not always mean it in a bad way however it is still a derogatory word that is just second nature to them as they believe that it is socially acceptable as did most people in those times .This quote makes the character seem very alienated as he is away from the other characters as were many black people did. This quote instantly makes it impossible not to already feel sympathy for whoever is living there. Steinbeck has created this image of loneliness And Curley’s wife who is also discriminated against because of her gender is a very threatening person and treats Crooks poorly and only exacerbates the situation.

Within the time period of the 1930's, many non-white people kept themselves isolated from others and stayed out of trouble, to avoid the risk of being lynched. Segregation, isolation and racism was a normal lifestyle led by those who were black; one of the characters that portrays this theme in the novel is the character of Crooks.

Crooks is a lonely stable buck who is the only black person on the farm and in the surrounding cities. He works all day in the stables and sleeps in his own room at night.He is also the only man, that works on the farm, with his own room. Crooks explains “There was not another coloured family for miles around, and now there ain't another man coloured man on this ranch anymore”(70). He is explaining how he, since he's black, always in isolated and removed from everyone else and how he doesn't have any other people to talk to or people of his own race to talk to or play with. Considering that he has no one to talk to and no one of his race around him, he has nothing to do but sit in his room and read books. It is taking a mental toll on him and hes getting sick because he is lonely and has no one to do anything with. Considering Crooks is the only man of