Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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.

In the novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck depicts the essential loneliness of California ranch life in the 1930s. He illustrates how people are driven to find companionship. Which he shows through Candy, Crooks, Curley’s wife, George and Lennie.

All of us have gone through loneliness at some point in our lives. Some more than others, but definitely at one time. Google defines loneliness as, “sadness because one has no friends or company.” In the book Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, this is a recurring issue that many characters face at different times throughout the story. Most of the time, the author has the character express their loneliness directly through dialogue directed towards another character, but sometimes the reader needs to analyze hints from the author or re-read sections to uncover a character's hidden loneliness.

Of Mice and Men Essay Loneliness can be an unavoidable part of life that can affect anyone. In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, loneliness is an experience shared by all of the ranch workers regardless of social class demonstrated by Curley, Lennie, and Crooks who all represent different social standings. As the boss’s son, Curley is somewhat of an authority figure to the other ranch workers, though not a respected one.

In John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, he shows us what it is like for

In the novella, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck discusses the idea of loneliness and how people who work at the ranch have no family and no future in lives. He indicates that all people at the ranch are lonely, but he specifically uses a few characters to highlight their state of being lonely and more miserable than the others. He emphasizes the loneliness of ranch life during the Great Depression, and shows how people are willing to try and find friendship in order to escape from the state of loneliness. Steinbeck uses loneliness as the principal theme and issue among Candy, Curley’s wife, and Crooks to show their desire in pursuing companionship, attention and success.

Curley’s wife, who is unnamed from the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ showed that loneliness is a problem that must be overcome to live a happy life. She is very lonely on the ranch because Curley, her husband pays little or no attention to her. She tries to seek attention from other men on the ranch. Curley’s wife is an example of a character whose loneliness creates tragedy and problems for other characters in the book specifically Lennie. Steinbeck reinforces the frightening, lonely and troubled times of the depression by illustrating the loneliness of the characters in the novel.

1. In the story, Crooks demonstrates extreme loneliness and isolation throughout the story. For example, Lennie and Candy were in Crooks’ room when Crooks said, “Guys don't come into a colored man's room very much. Nobody been in here but Slim. Slim an’ the boss”(75). Crooks tells how nobody but Slim comes to talk or visit with him. How he is just left alone on the ranch to do his own thing. Crook’s has lived on the ranch for most of his life, but no one thought about him, they just expected him to do his own thing. For instance, another example of this is, Lennie had come to Crooks room and Crooks told him how, “I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse…”(68). He told how no one wanted to be near him or with him, no one wanted anything to do with him. Crooks is the character

In the novella, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck displays characters who each express their individual sense of loneliness. In particular, Crooks, the stable buck, exhibits a specific kind of solitude which stems from his background, discrimination towards him, and his isolation. As a child, Crooks grew up with two brothers that were “always near [him], always there” (73). He mentions remembering “[his] old man’s chicken ranch” (73) where he could live freely, spend time with his family, and play with his friends. Now, he has lost everything - his brothers, his family’s ranch, and the company that he had through his family and friends - thus igniting his loneliness.

Loneliness is a wicked disease. It can cause someone to turn cold towards the world or lash out in unexpected ways. Although this may be true for the most part, loneliness also has a way of causing someone to become numb to it and hide it away. John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, is set in a time where many people were stuck in an endless cycle of being lonely. This heart wrenching novel has a major theme of loneliness that sadly shines through in many of the characters.

The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a story which follows the lives of two migrant farm workers named George, a small man with well-defined features that can think quickly, and Lennie, a giant man that has some mental handicaps, as they start to work at a new job. The story takes place during the Great Depression where many men roamed the country in search of a place to settle down and make a living. Throughout the story, we meet many new characters who are facing similar struggles. When the two main protagonists arrive at the ranch, they are greeted by Candy, an old "Swamper" trying to make himself useful even with his age working against him. Later they learn of a man named Crooks who lives alone in the barn because of his dark

Loneliness is a major theme throughout John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men with many characters who exhibit its negative effects. The ranch’s swamper Candy’s losses makes his life at the ranch very lonely. Curley’s wife struggles with isolation at the ranch. Similarly, the stable buck, Crooks, is isolated from the other men because he is African American. Of Mice and Men tells the story of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, in the 1930s who hope to achieve the american dream.

“Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty. ”(Mother Teresa) This quote deals with humanity in general because people who have nobody to lean on and nobody who loves them suffer terribly. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, loneliness in a variety of ways and through a variety of characters; the ranch is a major setting where men are thrown together in the 1930’s to earn a living by doing hard labor.

“Loneliness, triggered by a desire to connect with others, reaches deep into [their] soul[s] and pushes [them] towards others” (Ed Donner). Loneliness has always been a problem in this society. It is an unpleasant feeling to have. Most people will experience loneliness and will acquire problems due to it, but most are unable to cope with it. This theme is recurrent in the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. He describes Crooks and Curley’s wife as characters who are subjected to this emotion, loneliness; however, in their own way they survive through it.

Loneliness is an illness that can crush the human spirit. This sickness affects many of the emotionally devastated characters in John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men. This novel shows that all humans need companionship, or else they will become emotionally sick. Candy, the old and disabled swamper, is consumed with the loss of his only companion, his dog. Curley’s wife, the only female on the ranch, is prohibited from talking to anyone. Isolated because of his skin color, Crooks wastes away alone in his room because no one talks to him. Without companionship, loneliness spreads across the ranch like a disease.