To be alone is not simply to be isolated from people. Even when frequently surrounded by those a given person cares about, one can feel empty and without company. This is because loneliness can also be the feeling, or being, without people of like minds or like perspectives. One who feels constantly uneasy for who they truly are or lacks the ability to be acknowledged by others may suffer from being lonely. The novella Of Mice and Men best exemplifies this definition of loneliness through the characters Crooks, Candy, George, and Curley’s Wife. By telling the different impacts and causes of loneliness, felt by the listed characters, author John Steinbeck makes this theme the most evident. Ranch life is the most lonely job in the world. As stated by George, “They got no family. They don’t belong no place… They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to” (13). Those working as ranch hands tend to spend their money as soon as they get their paychecks. Why save money when you have nothing or no one …show more content…
In the novella, it discusses, like Crooks, that Candy was injured and did small work to keep busy. He was in constant fear of being let go from his job because of his debilitating injury. He stated, “They’ll can me purty soo. Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunkhouses they’ll put me on the county” (60). To add to his injury, Candy’s only true companion was his old, mangy dog. Due to the age and smell of his pet, he had to put him out of his misery. The death of his dog, done by another man, gave him less of a purpose to work and more of a reason to be canned. Thus, he turned to George and Lennie to fill the new gap in his life. As his hopes rose when discussing the dream house, the gap in his heart began to fill. But once he realized the reality of his situation once more, he fell back into a state of loneliness and sorrow. Therefore, Candy is an example of how loneliness can be felt when something loved is
In conclusion, all of these characters from “Of Mice and Men” are lonely in their own ways. Candy is old and he lost his only friend, his dog. Crooks is segregated from the society because he is black and not allowed to be with the whites. Also last but not least, Curley’s wife is lonely because she is a woman and she was born with that. In our society, right now, women have a lot of rights, from getting jobs to voting.
In my essay I will discuss the theme of loneliness in the novel “Of Mice And Men.” The essay will consist of information based on the novel towards minor characters such as Curley’s Wife, Candy and Crooks. This essay will state information about Curley’s Wife, Candy and Crooks’ loneliness.
One main theme in Of Mice And Men is loneliness. George and Lennie have have just sat down to eat their dinner, when Lennie asks George to talk about their life in the future. George complies, and also describes their current situation. Steinbeck writes, “ Guys like us, that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world. They don't got no family. They don't belong no place.” (Steinbeck 13). George is speaking of the life of people in the 1930’s. Loneliness is a common trait amongst people, especially migrant workers. They have no family to travel with, and no friends. The only true friends George and Lennie have are each other. Crooks is another
Factors that can fuel loneliness are abundant: depression, trauma, social rejection, loss, low self-esteem, etc. The aspect of human connection and interaction is a psychological requirement for all people, even to those who push others away. These elements of isolation are presented through three methods in a 1938 novel of friendship. John Steinbeck uses indirect characterization, discrimination, and conflict to demonstrate the effects of loneliness and need for companionship in his novel Of Mice and Men.
The dream of owning a farm and "living off the fatta the land" originally started as a story just to keep Lennie quiet but because of Lennie constantly asking George to tell him the story kept the dream alive. One time in the bunkhouse, George was re -telling this story when candy overheard it. Candy fears that because he is getting old and has one crippled hand that any day soon he is going to be asked to leave...
A novel which explores the the theme of loneliness is 'Of Mice and Men' by John Steinbeck. The characters George, Crooks, Candy and Curley's wife are used to show loneliness. In the novel the two main characters, George and Lennie, are starting a new job in California after being ordered out of their last job as a result of Lennie's childish behavior. They work as farm laborers and have always had a dream of they could own their own land. This dream they have is typically an aspiration that many people have but unfortunately never attain. Although, luckily enough they get offered money which by a character called Candy, and this sum of money boosts their chances of capturing their dream. However, the kindled hope they have soon evaporates, with tragic consequences.
The great and famous author john Steinbeck once said, “All great and precious things are lonely.” In the Steinbeck book Of Mice and Men, many of the characters show their loneliness in many different ways. Candy, Curley's wife, and Crooks all show perfect examples of how they are lonely. The characters in of mice and men show that loneliness is a problem that must be overcome in order to live a happy, fulfilled life.. all three of these characters know what is feels like to be lonely.
“‘A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is… I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick,” (Steinbeck 73). In this statement, Crooks, a character in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, divulges what effect loneliness can have on a human being. In the novel, the two main characters escape to a ranch where they must face the conflict that seems to follow them. Set in the 1930s during the Great Depression, Steinbeck brilliantly portrays the loneliness and suspicion that was common during the time. Much like in everyday life, we can see the way in which loneliness drives people to become isolated, crave companionship, and refuse to express emotion.
He has become one of the close friends that George and Lennie have. Candy is also part of the dream farm that both, George and Lennie have. Crooks was almost part of the dream but realized that would never work out because of what Curley’s wife said. “Well, you keep your place then, nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.” (5.81) During Chapter 3, George and Lennie talk about the dream farm, because they forget about Candy. Candy offers George to give him $300 dollars if he lets them live with them on the farm. “...S’pose I went in with you guys. Tha’s three hundred an’ fifty bucks I’d put in...”
In his novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck depicts the essential loneliness of California ranch life in the 1930s. He illustrates how people are driven to find companionship. There were so many moments of loneliness and sadness throughout the novel, including many deaths. Following the deaths, they were very unexpected making the novel more intense and latch onto it more.
Loneliness is the sadness resulting from being forsaken or abandoned. John Steinbeck brought up the theme of loneliness in many characters in Of Mice and Men. Crooks, Curley?s wife, and Candy expressed the theme of loneliness in many different forms throughout the story. Early in the novella George said, life working as ranch hands is about the loneliness of living, for these people finding friendship seems to be impossible. Crooks expressed feelings of loneliness throughout Of Mice and Men.
In the touching and gripping tale of John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, he explains many themes throughout the books. One of the major themes is loneliness, which is shown throughout many different characters, for example, Curley’s wife, the stable buck (Crooks), and Lennie.
The novel “Of Mice and Men” written by John Steinbeck starts out seems to be a novel about friendship, although as the story progresses there is a prominent tone of loneliness. Through the novel, we follow the lives of George Milton and Lennie Smalls, two migrant workers searching for a job in California, during the Great Depression. We can examine how someone can be lonely
"Were born alone we live alone die alone. Only through love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that were not alone” Orson Welles. In this novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck focuses on the loneliness of California ranch life in the 1930’s. One of the most important things in the life is to have a friend, without friends people will suffer from loneliness like in this novel, not everyone in the novel has the same connection and special friendship like George and Lennie’s. Of Mice and Men is the story about lonely men who travel from ranch to ranch not really communicating with other ranch hands. Candy, Crooks and Curley’s wife all were lonely and dealt with their loneliness in different ways.
This is first shown in how Candy reacts to George telling him about his and Lennie’s plan when Candy responds with, “S’pose I went in with you guys. That's three hundred an’ fifty bucks I’d put in”(Steinbeck 59). This shows how immediately after hearing that George and Lennie are saving up to buy their own place, Candy offers to put a great deal of money in if he can join them. This reveals that Candy has been focusing on any opportunity like this to get a place that he can call his own since Candy acts without hesitation by offering to help them. These actions build up to the fact that Candy’s focus is to feel secure in a place with people that he can trust as shown when he says, “Something’ he could live on and there couldn’t nobody throw him off of it”(Steinbeck 76). This reveals that Candy’s dream is to not be able to be kicked out of somewhere for once since he is afraid the he will lose his job and have nowhere to go, and explains why Candy has become so focused on helping George and Lennie achieve their dream in exchange for a place that he can call home. Candy is someone who is used to knowing people who go from job to job without having a real goal, so of course, when he meets George and Lennie who plan to get their own place, he would