Loneliness In Of Mice And Men Essay

Is it better to love than not be loved at all? It is better to experience love because if you don't then you will be lonely. You may not feel the pain that comes with the price of love, you could also not experience the joy that love provides. The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Introduces the effects of isolation through its characters. Steinbeck depicts the essential loneliness of ranch life in California and their desire for companionship.

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.

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 Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice and Men the main theme is Loneliness and Isolation. Steinbeck really creates an image in your head of the life of the migrated ranch men. He hides the fact the characters are isolated in the language he uses. The town that the ranch is close to is called “Soledad” which means loneliness in spanish. In latin “Solitaire” (the card game the men play) means alone and isolated. Some of the characters in the book have been described as more isolated and lonely than the other character, with the ones in particular ; Crooks, Candy and Curley’s Wife. Crooks is lonely because he is black and has a crooked back which is physically isolating him, Candy is lonely because he is old and only has one hand, Curley’s Wife is lonely because she is the only woman on the ranch. All the people living on the ranch are lonely to some extent. This is proven when Steinbeck describes the bunkhouse where all the workers sleep. "Over each bunk there was nailed an apple box with the opening forward so that it made two shelves for personal belongings of the occupant of the bunk." (p38) The way Steinbeck describes the bunkhouse indicates their lonely lives. Also by only having two shelves for their personal belongings shows their lonely insecure lives. Crooks has a better facility than any of the other ranch workers since he has a desk. Crooks does not appreciate this because he is alone and isolated from the rest, like Curley’s wife and in some way Candy.

In modern day society, everyone has companions and life is pretty easy right? Imagine not having work, food, or money. While waiting in despair for a better life, individuals may pass one another daily, but perhaps do not speak to the neighbors surrounding them. Everyone in this time and day is waiting for life to get better, not only are people lonely but also mean in a way. People do not know what others are going through because they simply do not speak to one another. This is common at the time of the Great Depression people did not have companions which therefore made them lonely. Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck presents the importance of friendship through George and Lennie’s unique companionship

In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie share an unbreakable bond. The bond they share is based off of many obligations; such as guilt, love, and the fear of being alone. Despite their many obligations, they both possess many qualities that help to benefit each other. Their bond is justified throughout the novel by elaborating on their everyday life on the ranch and by conversation that occurs amongst George and Lennie.

In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the era of the Great Depression in the 1930’s is revealed through a simple story of ranch workers who hope to improve their lives. Migrant workers, George and Lennie, have a friendship that is based on trust and protection. The other workers lack the companionship and bond that these two men have. In the novel, the absence and presence of friendship is the motivation for the characters’ actions.

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.

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. Steinbeck’s characterization and setting expresses his belief that it is both social barriers and personal choice that causes the loneliness and isolation of the characters.

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place during the 1930s. In the novel “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck each character has their own set of problems relating to the Depression. It could be there race, gender, disability or loneliness. While reading this book a few things were noticed like the number of characters who were experiencing loneliness. Although none of the characters really know each other they still have one thing in common and that’s their need of companionship. In my essay I’ll be explaining how each one needs a companion. The characters Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Crooks all exemplify loneliness and isolation.

Time and time again, George reminds Lennie that he could do so much better without having to take care of him consistently. George doesn’t have to take care of Lennie but he chooses to and tries to keep Lennie out of trouble. George says, “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place…”(Steinbeck 13). This quote shows that laborers at this time had nobody to depend on. For them it was every man for themselves as they carried their lives on their back. George and Lennie are like family and have to stick together. Lennie says, “ But not us! An’ why? Because...because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.” (Steinbeck 14). This quote shows that even though every other laborer travels and are lonesome, Lennie and George have each other to keep company. Loneliness comes to everyone and once you feel it, you can’t shake

In John Steinbeck‘s novella Of Mice and Men set in the Salinas Valley during the Great Depression, George Milton took responsibility over his friend, Lennie Small, as they hoped to obtain ownership of their own ranch. The theme of isolation was prevalent throughout the story and portrayed by Curley’s Wife, Crooks, and Candy. Steinbeck revealed through these characters that isolation creates a longing for companionship for comfort in times of struggle and solitude.

One major idea that steinbeck describes about George and Lennie is how they are not alone. Although Lennie and George are isolated in some ways, “most guys like [them] are the loneliest guys in the world” but, George and Lennie are different because “[they have] somebody to talk to” (13/14). Lennie and George's friendship is special because not many men like them have a close bond like Lennie and George do. As a person it is normal to want somebody to talk to because “[people] go nuts if [they have] no one” for a companion(80). Lennie and George's friendship is viewed as abnormal during the time period they live in, but steinbeck wants us to see that what they have is special. Although George sees Lennie as a burden, he should be grateful

Is it ever appropriate to make the decision of killing another human being? This is the kind of question the main character ,George Milton, had to ask himself before ending the life of his friend, Lennie Small, in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Some readers may feel that George killing Lennie was acceptable. However, they do not realize that even though George knew that the other men on the ranch planned to torture Lennie, it wasn’t his decision whether or not he should kill him. Therefore, George’s decision to euthanize Lennie is not justified because George was the only one that said he would take care of Lennie, George was selfish and always said that he wanted to be alone, and even though Lennie was not intelligent does not mean that George should have ended his life.