Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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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 they meet new people who become their “ranch friends.” These friends consist of Candy, Curley, Curley’s wife, Carlson, and Slim. In conclusion, these characters will all contribute to the actions of George and Lennie throughout the novel. Through Steinbeck’s use of setting, characterization, and symbolism in Of Mice and Men, he reveals that the lack of companionship causes one to fall short on their dreams. Through his use of imagery and the description of setting, Steinbeck reveals that a lack of companionship causes one to neglect their dreams. In the novel, Crook is in his room by himself. He often feels neglected and isolated because of his skin color. Also, he is very rude and …show more content…

In the beginning of Chapter 3, Carlson has just killed Candy’s dog. Candy is reminiscing about the relationship between him and his dog. Candy has had his dog since he was a pup, so it is very hard for him to handle his death. The author states “ Candy did not answer. The silence fell on the room again. It came out of the night and invaded the room”( Steinbeck, 48) . Loneliness affects Steinbeck’s characters negatively, because Candy is really sad his dog was killed, and it unmotivates him to continue with his dreams. In conclusion, Steinbeck uses the relationship between Candy and his dog to symbolize the lack of friendship when achieving

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