Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Loneliness and desperation can cause you to do crazy things, including killing your best friend in order to save him. John Steinbeck, author Of Mice and Men, creates a world where loneliness comes in many forms. George and Lennie are the main characters who take us on a journey of what true friendship is. Their experiences on the ranch gives us glimpses into different types of loneliness. George, Lennie, Crooks, and Curley's wife were completely different characters in the novel, however, they shared one common thread. Loneliness. Although they share this common thread, their stories end very differently. George and Lennie are the main characters in this book. They start the journey together and they end it together. George became Lenny's

George gives up the freedoms of a normal life when he chooses this path with Lennie. You might argue that George is not alone because he has Lennie, but Lennie's mental handicaps created an environment where it felt as if George was talking to a child all day. In the beginning of the book when the two are heading to the ranch George says "If I was alone I could live so easy. I could get a job and work and have no trouble. No mess at all."(Steinbeck, 11) This indicates that George is lonely. He is tired of taking care of Lennie even though he loves Lenny as a friend. It gives a glimpse into his mind of what he would see a normal life as. Lennie is lonely because nobody can truly understand him. He has severe mental disabilities which cause him to think like a child and act impulsively. Because of this people are afraid of who he is. They are afraid of what they do not know. George is Lennie's only true friend. Even with his mental

Curley's wife. She is of such little insignificance in her husband's eyes and in the ranch hands eyes that they do not even bother saying her name. This woman was promised big dreams and then was left isolated on a ranch full of men. When she is given the chance to interact with the ranch hands, she is constantly telling them that she had opportunities to fulfill her dreams of being an actress. She chose to marry Curley instead and he shuts her out on a daily basis. She is stuck with a man who shows no affection or attention to her for the rest of her life. During one confrontation with the ranch hands she says "I tell ya I could've went to with shows. Not just one, neither. And the guy told me he could put me in pictures."(Steinbeck, 88) She is still holding on to that faded dream and is frantic for the men to believe she was destined for so much more. Curley's wife was so desperate for attention that she even made the fatal mistake of flirting with Lenny. A man who did not understand what her intentions were. This fateful mistake cost her her life and set in motion Lennie’s death. Curley's wife lived out the end of her life in loneliness and died when she tried to attempt to break free from that