Loneliness is described as the feeling we have when our need for social contact and relationships isn't met; whereas, true friendship may be defined as mutual unconditional love. Published in 1937, John Steinbeck's most important and influential novel, Of Mice and Men, takes place during the Great Depression in the United States. Where many people struggle to find work and make ends meet. The harsh realities of the characters and their circumstances, along with their flaws and limitations, make them feel isolated and alone. Through Steinbeck’s use of Crooks, Curlys wife, and George and Lennie, he shows friendship and loneliness as both relatable and serious experiences. As the only black man on the ranch, Crooks is not allowed into the bunkhouse with the others and …show more content…
Henceforth, the fact that she did not like Curley and the type of man he was. While speaking to Lennie, she confessed “Well I ain't told this to nobody before.I don't like Curley” (Steinbeck 87). She says that when Curley does speak to her, he talks only about fighting. In addition to this, her dissatisfaction with her marriage manifests flirtatiousness with the other men on the ranch. The main characters in this novel, George and Lennie, also display a strong example of loneliness in the real world. George and Lennie show just how much of an impact loneliness can have. They are migrant workers who travel from place to place with nowhere to truly call home. Because they feel as though they do not belong anywhere, they experience loneliness in their lives. “Guys like us got no family.but not us, because I got you and you got me” (Steinbeck 104). Although they traveled around a lot, they still traveled together whereas most of the other ranch workers traveled alone. This sort of harmony can bring jealousy from the other characters in the novel. “You got George,” he
Of Mice and Men I have read many books during my lifetime, one of which was John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. At first I couldn't really understand the relationship between Lennie and George the mear fact that George seemed to be rough with Lennie sometimes seeming a bit abrasive towards him. However, reading onward I learned that there was reason behind his abrasiveness. The story takes place during the depression, a time in which families where struggling to get by with the little they had. Men
The book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck was a really good book. One of the themes Steinbeck tried to write about was loneliness. He did a really good job at showing how all of the men and women felt during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression through his characters Crooks, Candy, and George. In John Steinbeck’s book Of Mice and Men, Crooks, Candy, and George help bring Steinbeck’s theme of isolation and loneliness to life. One of the many characters that exhibits loneliness in this book is
In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men it is interesting how many of Steinbeck’s characters suffer from the same exact thing. Many novels will have a theme or a recurring subject that is placed upon a few of the characters. John Steinbeck however chooses to allow the recurring subject of loneliness to effect multiple characters deeply to give it a strong presence in the novel. Several characters from the novel Of Mice and Men deal with loneliness. There are many characters in Steinbeck’s
Loneliness in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men Mother Theresa once said, "Loneliness is a man's worst poverty." Without friends and companions, people begin to suffer from loneliness and solitude (Dusenbury 38). Loneliness is an inevitable fact of life and cannot be avoided, as shown prevalent through each of the characters in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. Each and every character in this novel exhibits loneliness. Lennie was isolated for being mentally handicapped, Candy was isolated
One theme in “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck is loneliness. This is displayed through many different characters in the book. “Of Mice and Men” was written in 1937 during the great depression, a time of hardship and loneliness. Similar to George and Lennie, two migrant workers in the novel, there were many people forced by circumstances to migrate in search of work. Despite having each other, without home or family loneliness is hard to escape. Other characters exhibit loneliness through their situations
Being in the state of depression, lacking friendship, and not being able to follow your dreams can contribute to being lonely. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, two men named George and Lennie are in search of jobs. The two men leave Weed and head to a town called Salinas Valley. There the men will work on a ranch to try to save up money, so one day, they can own their own ranch. Lennie has a mental disorder, so George looks after him most of the time on the ranch. At the ranch
Every human needs a friendship in their lives. Friendships help to prevent loneliness, and without them, people don’t live their best lives. Having no friendships forces people to keep their feelings inside. Many characters in Of Mice and Men, such as Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife, don’t have friendships in this novel. In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, characters such as Crooks, Candy, and Curley's wife show that lack of friendship can make a lonely person because they can't share their feelings
Loneliness is a terrible thing that affects many people, some more than others. The desire to have a companion is something that everyone will inevitably feel due to human nature. People are born into their family and will instantly have an attachment to their mother. As they grow older, people will continue to attempt to form attachments to others. Loneliness is especially prominent in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice And Men. Set during the Great Depression, Of Mice and Men tells the story of two men,
of loneliness in John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men. In the light of the American economical collapse, there were a significant number of itinerant workers, who lived in a nomadic lifestyle, migrating in search of jobs. This continuous migration deterred them from building substantial relationships. Due to the lack of companionship and depression of the era, it appears that the characters are bound to loneliness. Most of the characters in John Steinbeck’s novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ are
feeling. Nobody around you understands what you are going through and you feel as if nothing will ever change. In John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men, two men in the 1930’s travel to a California town called Soledad to work on a ranch. On this ranch many of the people are lonely. Loneliness is a reoccurring theme portrayed by the characters throughout the story. One form of loneliness is being physically separated from others and having nobody to talk to. Crooks, a stable buck on the ranch in
people strive to have? John steinbeck explores this grim motif about loneliness in his award winning novella “Of Mice and Men” which is about ranch hands set in the great depression who survive each day in the blistering hot california landscape which may have the answer to this difficult question, John steinbeck uses clever symbolism in his characters to illustrate his ideas about the motif through the people known as crooks, candy and curley's wife Loneliness in Steinbeck's book is seen in almost
Of Mice and Men is a 1937 published novella by John Steinbeck. It reveals the story of two migrant workers, Lennie, a mentally unstable character, and George, who make their way to a ranch in California, where the novel is set, to find employment during the great economic depression. Steinbeck reveals the theme of loneliness throughout the novel in three characters in particular, Curley’s wife, Candy and Crooks, who all happen to take on the role as misfits in the novel. Using the theme of loneliness
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,
difference who the guy is… I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick (Steinbeck 72-73). The theme of loneliness is revealed here in John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men. In the 1930’s during the Great Depression, loneliness was a very common feeling. Because stock markets crashed and crops died, desperate for work many men traveled as migrant workers, looking for work. One of Steinbeck’s characters, Candy, is an old man that started as a migrant worker, yet has been on the same ranch longer
gets lonely sometimes. Everyone feels left out at times. Sometimes it’s being left out by choice or just being forgotten by others. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, every character relates to the theme of loneliness in their own way. George’s desire for family, Lennie’s mental disability, and Candy’s physical disability leads to the loneliness of these characters. In the beginning of the novel George states “I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my trail. I could