The Theme of Loneliness in Of Mice and Men The theme of loneliness is a dominant theme in john Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men". He shows it in a variety of ways ranging from Crooks not wanting Lennie to leave his room to Curley's loveless marriage, even down to candy and his dog and George and Lennie. Crooks is forced into isolation and loneliness because of the colour of his skin. As Crooks himself says to Lennie "S'pose you couldn't go into the bunkhouse and play rummy `cause you was black... a guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody". This is the reason he is so desperate for Lennie to stay and talk to him, and is so overjoyed after spending years of near complete isolation to find that Lennie will talk to him despite his race. One of the points Steinbeck's makes about loneliness is what people will do to avoid it. A prime example of this is Curley's virtually loveless marriage. Curley's wife marries because she realises that there isn't anyone else in town and that she would be all alone without him. This is ironic however as she dooms herself to an even lonelier life at Curley's jealous hand. The very fact that she doesn't even have her own name suggests that she isn't an individual by herself but a "possession" of Curley's and that there is more ownership between them then companionship. Last but most importantly is Steinbeck's argument that there are times when the need for companionship becomes selfish and starts to harm another being. His two examples of this are Candy and his dog and George and Lennie. Candy loves his dog and would have been alone for many years had it not been for him. This is why Candy keeps him alive can't bear to put him down even though it would be best for his dog. As Carlson says "You ain't bein' kind to him keepin' him alive". George's relationship with Lennie is very similar. In fact Steinbeck's goes so far as to describe Lennie as though he is a dog "Lennie covered his face with huge paws". This is also the reason George shoots Lennie. He realizes that were he to keep Lennie alive it would be more for his sake then for Lennie's. Steinbeck displays the theme of loneliness and what people are willing to do to avoid it in a variety of ways.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a novel about loneliness and the American Dream. This book takes place during the Great Depression. It was very difficult for people to survive during this time period. A lot of people hardly survived let alone had the necessities they needed to keep relationships healthy. Of Mice of Men has a common theme of disappointment. All the characters struggle with their unaccomplished dreams. The migrant workers, stable buck, swamper, and the other men on the ranch had an unsettled disappointment of where they were at in their lives. George and Lennie, two newcomers to the ranch, aren’t like the other guys. They have each other and they are the not loneliest people in the world. Lennie has a dream though he wants to own a farm with plenty of crops and animals one day. The only problem is his blind curiosity of people and things around him. George wasn’t justified for killing Lennie because Lennie was innocent and never got the chance to find out what he did wrong.
John Steinbeck, an American novelist, is well-known for his familiar themes of depression and loneliness. He uses these themes throughout a majority of his novels. These themes come from his childhood and growing up during the stock market crash. A reader can see his depiction of his childhood era. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows the prominent themes of loneliness, the need for relationships, and the loss of dreams in the 1930s through the novels’ character.
“Religion is a set of rituals, rationalized by myth, which mobilizes supernatural powers for the purpose of achieving or preventing transformations of state in man and nature” (107). When the Europeans colonized Haiti, they brought over African slaves with them. These slaves had already established African religious practices, prior to being brought to Haiti. As the French got acquainted with Haiti, they were also forcing Roman Catholic traditions upon the slaves. As a result, there was the birth of the religion Haitian Vodou. These enslaved Africans were not allowed to practice Haitian Vodou openly because it offended those that practiced Catholicism, the French wanted full control over the slaves in every aspect, and anyone outside of
John Steinbeck's Compassion for the Loneliness and Isolation Suffered by Ordinary People in Of Mice and Men
Author of “The Negro Family”, E. Franklin Frazier believed that the centrality of the bible, structure of Black worship, and notion of God that evolved from the invisible institution to the Black Church was confirmation of the power of white influence . These tactics and different developments were merely adaptive methods used by slaves in order to worship freely in a confined space. Frazier’s beliefs were undermined by author Gayraud S. Wilmore’s description of Vodun in his book Black Religion and Black Radicalism. Frazier’s contention that black religion was evidence of white influence assumes a blank and passive slate. While Vodun in West Africa did have organization that was probably “infiltrated by Roman Catholicism” the goal of New World Africans was to adapt and understand their lives (Wilmore 43). Although white influence was forced upon New World Africans, slaves did not accept this influence but rather interpreted it to create a new, place-based Vodun religion. Vodun adapted to New World conditions, functioned as a coping mechanism, and possessed evolutionary qualities.
I have been analysing the novella ‘Of Mice and men’ by John Steinbeck, which was published in 1937. Steinbeck wrote the novel based on his own experiences as a bindle stiff in the 1920’s, around the same time when the great Wall Street crash happened, causing an immense depression in America. Throughout the novel he uses a recurring theme of loneliness in his writing, which may have reflected his own experiences at this time. This is evident in his writing by the way he describes the characters, setting and language in the novel.
The term “voodoo” is not only vague and confusing, but it has a reputation for being frightening. This is partly because voodoo is complex, with the practice and purposes ranging geographically and over time. “Louisiana voodoo” is the appointed name for voodoo practiced in the United States from the 18th century through the early 20th century. While it is no longer a dominant religion, practioners can still be found, but it has more of a mythical legacy that has blended into New Orleans culture today. Important aspects of Louisiana voodoo include rituals, ceremonies, and religious ties. Voodoo was an important part of African American culture in numerous ways, but most importantly voodoo was a significant form of resistance against both racial and gender oppression during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Within the context of slavery, Louisiana voodoo was used as a tool to resist racial oppression, primarily by practicing as a form of religious worship, which in turn provided a platform for black women to hold leadership positions as respected spiritualists, as evidenced by Marie Laveau’s life.
Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is a book that can be analyzed and broken down into a vast majority of themes. One of the predominant themes found in this book is loneliness. Many characters in this book are affected by loneliness and they all demonstrate it in one way or another throughout the book. Examples of these characters are Curley’s Wife, Crooks, and Candy.
Bellah, Robert M. “Civil Religion in America.” Daedalus. Vol. 96, No. 1 (Winter, 1967). 1-21.
The word Voodoo is an intimidating word to many because of the images it brings to the mind of black magic, evil, and death that are associated with it. Voodoo is a religion that is very unique and interesting to examine. The roots of Voodoo are traced back to West Africa, continues on to Haiti and other islands via the slaves and then brought to New Orleans also through slavery. There is a difference in the Voodoo of each of these locations due to peoples' influence on it and according to its need at each location. In West Africa, the people took the view that all things lived and died but when something did die its spirit would linger close to the loved ones to help them in this world. They believed in a spirit world that was ruled by a supreme God just as Catholicism believes in God and Heaven. The Voodoo culture took the view that the supreme God was busy doing the most important work and this resulted in the followers asking sub-deities (loas) to carry their message to God for them. Loas, similar to saints or angels, had unique powers but they also were associated with specific physical traits, favorite ...
Loneliness affects how Curley’s wife acts and the decisions she decides to make. She gets treated as less powerful and objectified, her dreams got crushed and all the actions and choices she makes leads back to her unhappy marriage. All her surroundings lead her to act in a flirtatious manner. How she is portrayed as a woman, Her broken dream that lead to her relationship with Curley and the choices and actions she make that were because of her surroundings are all reasons why she is lonely. John Steinbeck uses Curley’s wife to illustrate a unique type of loneliness. Curley’s wife’s adversities are caused because of her gender, which leads her to act in a flirtatious manner.
This paper will examine aspects of certain religious groups around the world that have shocked us with similar types of behavior. Most of these groups have been categorized into what we refer to as cults. While most of these new religious groups are extremely passive in their methodology, it is my objective to look at those that have gone outside the boundaries of our norms and done such things as mass suicide and acts of terrorism.
Symbolic Actions take the place of symbols, yet are able to take us one step further than symbols do. By adding gesture and movements to these symbols we become more in touch with God and one another. Just like symbols, these symbolic actions are part of our culture and part of our communication. These symbolic actions are known as rituals. Rituals are, "symbolic actions that help us concretely, or physically, express our beliefs, values, and our deepest concerns." (Joseph Stoutzenberger) Rituals hold a deeper meaning than what meats the eye. They help us express those things that other things could not help us express, such as the love between two people. The sacrament of Matrimony helps us show this love between these two people and invites God to join and help their relationship. Not all actions are considered to be a ritual or a symbolic action. Something as simple as walking down the street holds no significant meaning, yet walking down the street in a parade on the fourth of July holds the meaning of patriotism, and pride for our country. We are able to combine practical actions and symbolic actions in our everyday lives. Something as simple as eating a mean is a practical action, but when you say grace with your meal, you are showing that you are doing more than eating, you are thanking God for that he has given you.
Voodoo became widespread as more and more slaves were sold and traded to many different regions of the world. Voodoo reached the Louisiana area around 1804. During that time, a revolution was occurring and displaced many Cuban plantation owners and brought their slaves
One example of Steinbeck portraying loneliness in this novel is the characters and how they feel in the position that they are in. For example, Candy is a victim of loneliness as a result of two factors, one being his disability and the other being his age. But most importantly, he experiences loneliness the most after Carlson shoots his dog. An example to support this evidence would be; “while the farmhands are out bucking the barley, Candy is left behind to sweep and clean the ranch. Also, he lost his hand after getting it caught in a piece of machinery, and because of this, is forced to stay behind. In addition, Candy’s age adds to his feeling of uselessness. He looks down at himself as a worthless old man who has but a few years left to live. Candy has only one companion in this story, his dog. Carlson shoots Candy’s dog because it was old, crippled, useless, an...