We all may have had the feeling of loneliness and isolation, wanting companionship feeling abandonment. In John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, there are men living on a ranch having their own reasons for loneliness or being isolated. The three characters Crooks, George, and Lennie crusade dealing with own ways of loneliness and isolation. Crooks has no one that likes him because he’s black, Lennie struggles mentally and George struggles with always having to care for him. They all can’t decide whether it is that they want to be alone or not. Steinbeck displays through the dialogue and characterizations that these characters experience isolation because of both social barriers and personal choice.
OF MICE AND MEN ESSAY Loneliness is a tough, sad feeling for many people and can definitely have affects on how they act and/or feel. Within Of Mice and Men the constant topic loneliness is talked about. Of Mice and Men is a novel written by John Steinbeck and is a realistic fiction novel that takes place in California during the Dust Bowl Era. Just about every character talks about their loneliness, some more that others. All the characters say at one point that they feel lonely and it affects their acts.
As German theologian once said, “We are all so much together but we are all dying of loneliness.” This is quite apparent for multiple characters in the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. George and Lennie are two men that travel around together in efforts of finding work during the Great Depression, which they must do often due to Lennie’s mental illness that causes him to do “bad” things and ruin things for them on multiple jobs. However, they find work as ranch hands south of Soledad, which causes them and multiple other characters, such as the stable buck Crooks, to come face to face with their constant loneliness. Soledad, which ironically translates to loneliness, is relevant to the novel. Crooks, Lennie, and George are some of many of the characters who experience this negative feeling.
”(13) This quote proves the thesis true by saying that George needs Lennie in order to defeat Loneliness. George says that even though they are a symbol of companionship they are also a symbol of loneliness because even though they are companions that does not automatically make them not lonely. Together they make a unique companionship where they can rely on each other to battle loneliness. Later in the book George and Lennie are still companions during this rough time in history.
Loneliness is a strong word, however it means a lot to be lonely. The definition of lonely or loneliness is sadness because one has no friends or company. In the novel Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck shows that Crooks, Candy, and Curley’s Wife have loneliness because they never have company or friends to talk to. These Character’s show that loneliness is a problem that must be overcome in order to live a happy, fulfilled life.
In the book Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, he writes about two men one named Lennie and one named George having a dream, but is ruined through the troubles of Lennie 's doings. This book was written in the 1930’s talking about migrant workers and how they survived through that era. In that era all migrant workers preferably work alone, but with George and Lennie they stick together because Lennie is a more challenged person so he doesn 't know his wrong doings which causes lots of trouble for George. On page 94, one of the most significant passages is written on having a dialogue between George and Candy about how they were unable to get the farm because Lennie had ruined their chances of getting it. Steinbeck creates a motif of loneliness through the different characters he writes about, ties in different strands of the story to make one storyline, and foreshadows events to come.
“Sometimes it is better to be alone. Nobody can hurt you.”- hercules. There are many examples of how loneliness is portrayed through different characters and events in the book of mice and men. Three characters that show loneliness is crooks, Curley 's wife, and candy.
In Of Mice and Men, loneliness is a prominent theme that reveals itself in many instances throughout the book. It seems that nearly all the characters possess it in some way, shape, or form, but they do not all show it in the same manner. Being lonely can cause tragedies to occur similar to the death of Curley’s wife, or it can create a cloud over someone, causing his or her ultimate end. A couple of characters that seclusion is very noticeable in are Curley’s wife and Crooks. They go about life being secluded, but they show it in different ways. George and Lennie show loneliness, although it seems they do not since they accompany each other. There are many reasons that people become lonesome, including experiencing a lack of attention, having no one to talk to, or being the only one of their kind. These reasons and the situations of each character can be evaluated to figure out exactly why loneliness is a dominant part of his or her life.
One’s self has experienced loneliness from choice or forced into isolation. The novel ¨Of Mice and Men¨ written by John Steinbeck, took place during the Great Depression, near Soledad, California. The protagonist, George and the antagonist, Lennie are mid aged, white men who are working on a ranch with other mid aged, white men. Along with ones who aren’t as focused at the time, such as Crooks, the negro or black, Curley’s wife, the woman and, Candy, the old and weak man were treated differently from all the white, strong males in the novel due to the setting the novel. This making distance in relationships in Of Mice and Men, isolating these characters into loneliness.
Of Mice and Men was published in 1937 during a time of bi-racism between the caucasians and the african americans, and the apathetic Great Depression, which may have served as inspiration. In the novel two opposites attract, a gargantuan but mentally challenged man by the name of Lennie, and a small, nimble, and intelligent man named George. Suffering from a mental illness Lennie gets into trouble when he 's alone, but George always saves him, George knows Lennie doesn 't do anything, “out of meanness” as he says. Undoubtedly the reader assimilates that Lennie kills a young lady, said to have done so accidentally. Furthermore without any control George was forced to kill Lennie. However he first tells Lennie about their dream, about tending rabbits, living off the land from the crops, and shoots him. Friendship and Loneliness is shown here where George is Lennie’s best friend, and everyone else stays away leaving Lennie alone. Other times in the novel the reader witnesses many other characters face this same factor of isolation. Some examples are,
People Affected by Loneliness Loneliness can make anyone affected by it very depressing and sad to see. It is seen in Of Mice and Men in many characters that are prominent in the story. The main ones are Crooks (the black stable hand), Candy (the old worker with his old dog), and Curley’s wife (who is ignored so that they do not get into trouble). Each of these characters have had lasting events that led them here.
The theme of loneliness is developed in chapter four in Of Mice and Men by explaining the situations that the characters are in with great detail. Unquestionably, loneliness is shown in the chapter when the author shows how Crooks lives his life. When Lennie first enters Crooks’ room, it seems like Crooks doesn’t want Lennie to be there. Crooks says, “You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here but me.” (Steinbeck 68). Crooks snapping back and being all defensive towards Lennie shows how lonely he actually is. Crooks, who is African American, is very separated from the rest of the ranch workers because of his skin color. Because of his skin color, he is alway by himself, which may cause him to be defensive,
This causes the greatness of loneliness in Crooks. The other workers on the ranch take place in some fun activities but Crooks is near invited to come play. Crooks has no one but envy that derives from the relationship around him. Crooks is the loneliest person in the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck because he is black and crippled in a very racist
All four of these characters experience loneliness because of the prejudices of other characters. Crooks helps develop the theme throughout the novel because of his differences. His differences include racial differences and intellectual differences. Crooks is the only black man on the ranch which tends to keep everybody away from him. They don’t want to talk to him because of his racial difference.
Overall, Crooks’ isolation is mainly caused by his race. Crooks has a very tough exterior. However, his feelings were expressed after he had enough of Lennie’s worries about George. Crooks complains about his hard life and how he has no one to be with: “S’pose you had to sit out here an’ read books” (72). Since Crooks has to sit in his room and read books, he is indirectly supporting the fact that he is isolated from others.