Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

“I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain’t no good. They don’t have no fun. After a long time they get mean. They get wantin’ to fight all the time” (Steinbeck 41).In the novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, many characters, like Crooks and Curley, live forced lives of loneliness. Crooks is a stable hand who has a crooked back and takes care of all the horses.He lives on his own in the barn because he is the only black man and nobody wants him around. Similarly lonely, Curley's wife is most commonly called “jailbait” and a “tart” for her good looks.She uses her beauty to flirt because she is attention-starved but reveals a mean side when she is criticized.Loneliness can make one crazy and mean, as the characters of Crooks and Curley's wife

Lennie tries to enter Crooks room, but Crooks strictly says, “you go on get outta my room. I ain't wanted in the bunk house, and you ain’t wanted in my room”(Steinbeck 68).Crooks is the only black person on the ranch and he has no one to talk to that is not going to be racist towards him. He can't accept any kindness from Lennie because he is to insecure of what Lennie might do to him. He becomes defensive because he only has his room and he is worried that that might be taken from him.After Crooks realized Lennie did not mean no harm and was not going to leave, he began to reveal a mean side.While torturing Lennie, Crooks states “...S’pose george went into town tonight and you never heard of him again’” (Steinbeck 71). Crooks’ long time loneliness causes him to bottle up anger. He likes to see other people feel lonely so he is not the only miserable one. Lennie looked like the perfect victim for him to releases his anger on and to look superior towards.Loneliness can develop into many problems as Crooks