How Does Steinbeck Present The Theme Of Loneliness In Of Mice And Men

The author Dean Koontz once said, “...the most identifying trait of humanity is our ability to be inhumane to one another.” Although there are many hopeful aspects in people, the inhumanity of people is inevitable. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Lennie Small and George Milton discover the hardships and the hope in life as migrant workers during the Depression era. Though their hope for a better life dwindles throughout their journey, Lennie and George’s dream of owning their own farm help to distract them from their harsh reality of despondency. Steinbeck reveals the bitter nature of mankind due to weakness and vulnerability through his use of symbolism, characterization, and imagery.

Albert Schweitzer once said, “We are all so much together, but we are all dying of loneliness.” Undoubtedly, Albert Schweitzer’s quote can be referred to Curley’s wife in the novel Of Mice and Men, and John Steinbeck’s message about loneliness. Without a doubt, Curley’s wife, from Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is a lonely character who fails to find companionship, and depicts Steinbeck’s message about loneliness.

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. Between Candy, Lennie, George, Crooks, and Curley’s wife all their traits of loneliness affect the way they act.

Hungry for attention, Curley’s wife pays the men in the barn a visit, only to be pushed away by their cruel comments and harsh words. Offended and unwanted, Curley’s wife turns the tables against Crooks and insults him by saying: “well, you keep your place then, n*****. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny” (80). Although she does not intend to hurt anyone, the men do not want to take chances retaliating at her resulting at them having to leave the ranch.When Candy found Curley’s wife half-hidden among the straw, lying still, he came to found out his dreams were taken from him. In the midst of things after Curley’s wife had died Candy had stayed behind and scolded at her “You done it, di’n’t you? I s’pose you’re glad. Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up. You wasn’t no good. You ain’t no good now, you lousy tart”(95) Candy then goes on about how he “…could of hoed in the garden and washed dishes for them guys” (96) In this scene, Steinbeck exposes that Curley’s wife actually possessed more power in death rather than in life. In other words, her death revoked the dreams of many characters , including herself. Now candy, Lennie, and George will never have their ideal piece of farm land and Curley’s wife will pursue her dreams of becoming an actress. Unfortunately, Curley’s wife

Mason Cooley once said,”The lonely become either thoughtful or empty.” Feeling alone has always been a big issue, whether it is in reality or in a fictional sense. Of Mice and Men demonstrates through the characters George, Crooks, and Curley’s wife, how a person's very surroundings can lead them to feeling lonely. George is always trying to get Lennie to understand his feelings or the importance of things, but Lennie’s inattentive isn’t helping. Crooks has to deal with discrimination because of his skin color and is all alone due to this. All the guy wants is some company. Last but not least, Curley’s wife is incessantly ignored by the other characters, mainly because Curley would go mad if he found out they were speaking to his wife, but

In John Steinbeck’s novel, “Of Mice and Men”, many characters were plagued with loneliness and alienation, and most characters were in need of acceptance. The harsh time period of the Great Depression affected three characters in, “Of Mice and Men” greatly. Three characters that are plagued by loneliness and alienation and are in need of acceptance the most include George Milton; the protagonist of the novel, Crooks; the negro stable buck with a crooked back, and Curley’s wife; a young woman who just wants somebody to talk to. In this essay, you will learn why George, Crooks, and Curley’s wife were the loneliest and why other characters were not plagued with loneliness and alienation as much as these three characters.

Loneliness is a key aspect that flows throughout the Of Mice and Men plot line. Every character express some sort of loneliness at one time or another in this story. Some character express the fact that they are currently alone and others express that they have been lonely in their past. Others do not clearly state that they have even thought about loneliness, but they do give subtle hints at to it. The two main characters in this story are George and Lennie, they travel together and yet both express their struggles and fears of being alone.

The loneliest person in the story Of Mice and Men by John Stienbeck is Crooks. Since crooks was black all the ranch workers would stay away from him. The men on the ranch were very racist. They don't let him sleep in the bunkhouse or play chards with them because he's a "nigger". Crooks has no friends or family o he reads because he can't really socialize with anyone Crooks suffered because he wasn't allowed to defend himself.

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 need people. Being lonely can make society go insane… especially unexpected people. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, two unlikely paired men named George is an undersized, dark man with “sharp, strong features”; he’s quick to face when it comes to his friend Lennie. Lennie, his companion is his opposite, a sweet, dous size man with a “shapeless” face that has a mind of a child. They share a dream of buying their own piece of land, farming it, and mostly to Lennie, keeping the rabbits... but traumatic events gets in their way to make it tough for them to accomplish it. The author John Steinbeck tries to get the reader to understand that loneliness is dangerous and make society rude and cruel to one another to seek attention. Steinbeck uses foreshadowing and symbolism to express the theme by creating suspense and an emotional connection to the characters and their dreams.

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.

In John Steinbeck´s Of Mice and Men, the ideas of companionship and friendship are addressed greatly. George and Lennie are companions who have traveled alongside each other for a long time. They have to keep moving because Lennie causes trouble, and essentially strains their relationship. Although they have issues, they have a deep connection which benefits each of them. Steinbeck´s Of Mice and Men uses motifs and characterization to show that companionship is beneficial to individuals.

Imagine a world where people didn’t really care what one said to another, and neither cared enough to ask each other questions. A place where everyone existed in silence, but were together at the same time. As portrayed in the novel, Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck, in which Steinbeck’s idea of loneliness is isolation in silences. The author teaches the reader that friendship is mostly about conversation, and magnifies the effects of isolation through the eyes of Crooks, Curley’s wife and Candy.

A key aspect of any novel or story is the way the characters interact and feel towards everything. In John Steinbeck’s, “Of Mice and Men”, the characters tend to give off the effect of loneliness and the feeling of isolation throughout the novel. The main characters that give off the effect of loneliness and the feeling of isolation are Curley’s wife, Crooks, and George. They’ve been truly alone, if not in mind then in body.

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. They all show to have been or become lonely in the story at one point in time.