Of Mice And Men Loneliness

It isn’t until chapter five that Curley’s wife’s loneliness is actually expressed through her words to Lennie. “I get lonely...You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad.” By saying this, she tells the readers a few things. The first is that she is, indeed, lonely and is looking for company. The second is about Curley’s controlling nature.

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.

Most people at some point in time have felt lonely, as if the world is turning against them. A lot of people feel isolated and lonely due to some sort of barrier, whether it is race, gender, or people group. However, people can also choose to be lonely. In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, isolation and loneliness are displayed throughout the novel. It begins with two men named George and Lennie who have moved to work on a new ranch.

Loneliness is debatably one of the most horrible feelings existent within society. It strikes every living soul at one point or another, as it takes an immensely deep emotional toll. A profound part of what contributes to the feeling of loneliness is isolation. During the great depression in the 1930’s many people suffered from imaginable loss including loneliness and separation from others. Of mice and men is a novel written by John Steinbeck, the novel follows a group of individuals during this time period of depression, and their daily adversities and interactions with others.

“I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone, it’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people that make you feel alone.” - Robin Williams. Three lonely characters in the story Of Mice and Men are Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and Crooks. These three characters all exemplify loneliness. They have all been lonely throughout the story.

In Of Mice and Men three characters make the point of the novella very clear: Lennie, Curley’s wife and Candy. The novella takes place in the 1930’s during the great depression. Lennie Small is most of the time involved in trouble, that’s because people don’t match his physical (huge and

Curley’s wife is portrayed to be a “tart”, someone who is always flirting with other people. When she is first introduced, Steinbeck writes “ The rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off”, which gives the impression that Curley’s wife is ominous and perilous for Lennie and George. The imagery implies that Curley’s wife is the darkness in their lives and that she is the obstacle in the journey of accomplishing the American Dream. During the climax of Steinbeck’s novella, he writes “ The light was growing soft now” represents the slow release of her soul and that darkness slowly filling the barn and their lives. It also indicates the gradual discharge of hope and belief from the minds of Lennie, George and Candy.

Leaving her friends behind, she once again felt depressed due to isolation of her friends and family. The female speaker then states, “My lord commanded me to live with him here;/ I had few loved ones or loyal friends/ in this country , which causes me great grief”(15-17). These lines prove that no matter what the scenario is, the man's wife has to do what pleases him even if it costs her leaving her loved ones at her home country. In the “Wife's Lament”, the feeling of detachment and depression by the female speaker, describes the lack of control over her situation. For instance, the speaker announces “...I walk alone in the light of dawn/ under the oak-tree and through this earth-cave,/ where I must sit the summer-long day;/ there I can weep for all my exiles,/ my many troubles; and so I may never/ escape from the cares of my sorrow mind,...”(35-40).

Chopin acknowledges the fact that women should do a certain thing and if they don’t do that certain thing than they will be punished by being yelled at, as shown in the quote, “He reproached his wife with her inattention, her habitual neglect of the children. If it was not a mother’s place to look after children, whose on earth was it? He himself had his hands full with his brokerage business” (Chopin page 6). Chopin illustrates an example of Edna (the women character in the book) getting scorned at because she was not able to do a “natural” capacity. In “The Story of An Hour” also by Chopin, Chopin conveys the emotion going through this women (main character, the women, that was not named) when she was notified of her husband 's death, but these emotions had to be concealed because it would be deemed unnatural and the women knew she would get punished.

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

Imagine a life like that. Crooks and Curley’s wife are two lonely isolated characters from the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. These characters portray lonesomeness and severe neglect in almost everything they do in the book.This was a life called upon these two characters. These personas either strived to get all the attention they could, or they pushed everyone away just like others did to them. All things encompassing Crooks can be narrowed down to two words: lonely and isolated.