Role Of Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

The first way the idea of loneliness is portrayed in the story is Crooks. Crooks is the black guy that can’t go in their bunkhouses. He stays in his room by himself because they don’t like him because he is black. When Lennie went to his room he said “you got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody 's got any right in here but me”. Lennie just went in there because he saw a light. Crooks got offended because why would he let them in his room if he isn’t allowed to be on their bunkhouses. When the men are playing cards in Crooks room he isn’t allowed to play. Crooks told Lennie “cause I’m black. They play cards in here, but I can’t play because I’m black”. They are prejudice against Crooks and the is actually a really nice guy. Lennie and Candy are the only ones who went to talk to him and they made him happy because the never gets to talk to anyone.

Discrimination and loneliness always been a problem even in the olden days. John Steinbeck is the author of the novel Of Mice and Men. The main characters of this novel are George and Lennie. This is a novel about two men who travel together in a time when most men would travel alone. There are multiple way to prove that there has always been fascism, segregation, discrimination and loneliness even in the olden days.

In the novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, there are two men George Milton and Lennie Small who share the same dream of owning their own ranch someday. This novel was written during the Great Depression where many people would go out and find work. Represented by the characters George and Lennie the two men show the hardship of finding work. George and Lennie were two lucky men who had the companionship many others did not. Other men like Carlson, Crooks, Candy, and Slim would go out on their own and would often be very lonely as they didn’t have any family with them. While many men in this age live on their own, they need to find a person or object to take hold of for companionship.

Steinbeck shows the effects of isolation through different characters' interactions with Crooks. One thing we see in the book is that some people bring loneliness on themselves. The author tells us, "He kept his distance and demanded that other people keep theirs" (Steinbeck, 67.) This passage suggests that Crooks wanted other people on the ranch to stay away from him. Another concept we learn is that loneliness causes sickness in some people. Crooks remarks to Lennie, "I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick" (Steinbeck, 73.) This example shows that Crooks is under the illusion that loneliness had made him either physically or mentally debilitated. The last piece of information we learn from Crooks is that there is no replacement for people. Crooks says to Lennie, "Books

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.

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.

"Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck is a novel which has the theme of loneliness. The idea of loneliness is shown throughout the novel. Steinbeck also shows characters being lonely by using sexism racism and ageism to show lonliness in this novel.

In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, he illustrates loneliness and isolation within his character’s actions and feelings. In the novel, there were several characters who went through the loneliness of ranch life in the United States; a handless old man named Candy, a black crippled man named Crooks, and Curley’s wife. Candy faces loneliness and isolation after losing his dog, Crooks was forced to live away from the other workers because he was black, and Curley’s wife was the only female on the ranch, receiving no attention from anyone. Loneliness and isolation are expressed numerous times throughout the novel, especially through the emotions of Candy and his old dog.

Some have felt like they're in their own bubble and can't seem to get out, or are in a dark, narrow space and have no savior. Each person in humanity are like one in a million stars in the night sky, and some of these stars can create constellations, and others cannot. This here is something called loneliness, and everyone has experienced this feeling at some point in their lives. In this current society, people are judged by what colour they are, or what disabilities they have, and even how many possessions they own. Society today, more and more people are being placed into that dark, narrow room of loneliness. Which means that more and more people can relate to some of the characters in the novel Of Mice and Men because the feeling of being alone in life is a life not worth living for.