Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Of Mice and Men According to meriam-webster.com the definition of lonely is “being without company.” This is the recurring theme of John Steinbecks amazing novella “Of Mice and Men.” It all begins with The Great Depression; the result of the Dust Bowl. George, is the feisty yet calm caretaker of his mentally challenged best friend, Lennie. They both left Weed to go to Salinas California with hope for a new beginning. When Lennie comes out with an obsession of soft things that’s when trouble begins. George is very strict and he tells Lennie to go back to the same old spot if anything bad happens. As the story progresses Lennie runs into trouble with by killing the soft pups and his friend Curleys wife. He killed Curleys wife when he snaps her neck after a soft hair incident. With Lennie having a mental disability, he listens to George and goes back to the same old spot just as he said. When George steals a gun and misdirects a search group he goes on his own to find Lennie and give him a clean death. In Steinbecks novella, he develops a critical theme that people are disrespecting each other based on their outward appearance. He is trying to let the reader know that the way we treat other people could make them feel lonely and uncertain about themselves. …show more content…

George never really taught Lennie how to handle anything. This lead to Lennie being unable to handle such a situation. Curley was very upset with Lennie and wanted him gone but George wasn’t so sure about that. Lennie was hoping that George would still let him tend the rabbits when they were living their American dream even though Lennie killed a pup. George told Lennie that wouldn’t happen if he did another bad thing. This was big for him especially with him having an obsession over soft objects. It is very unfortunate that Lennie was unable to contain himself. George was strict on Lennie which probably made him feel along all the

Emotionally and Physically Crippled Characters in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men
819 Words | 2 Pages
Lennie's stupidity and carelessness constantly causes him to unintentionally harm people and animals. When he gets into sticky situations, George is there to help him get out of them. Ever since Lennie's Aunt Clara died, George has felt that he has a sense of duty
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How Does Steinbeck Make Difficult Decisions In Of Mice And Men
600 Words | 2 Pages
That ain’t no good, George.’”(Steinbeck 97). Because Lennie killed Curley’s wife, he committed a felony. George wanted Lennie to be thrown in jail at first. He wanted Lennie to be arrested because he thought it was the best thing for Lennie but then Slim told him it would not be good for Lennie. It would be bad for Lennie because Lennie would not understand his rights because he’s mentally challenged and locking him up in a cage would just hurt Lennie. George then realized he needed to kill Lennie so nobody would mistreat him. George is protecting others from Lennie.”’Lennie-if you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before…’”(Steinbeck 15). George has been with Lennie for many years and he knows how Lennie will never learn and he will keep committing bad stuff. George knew something was going to happen at the ranch because Lennie has always done something wrong. George tried to prevent something from going wrong but he couldn’t. As a result he had to put down Lennie so he would not hurt anyone ever again. George felt the hard choice of killing Lennie was the right decision for George because Curley wanted to get his revenge, Lennie would be mistreated in prison and he was
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Lennie's Dignity In Of Mice And Men
1359 Words | 3 Pages
Although Lennie was unattractive and has the tendency of accidental violence, compassion was still something readers had for him. Steinbeck constantly reminded us that he has a mental disability which automatically makes someone feel pity for him. Additionally he was ignored and made fun of by other characters, “Blubberin’ like a baby! Jesus Christ! A big guy like you”(Steinbeck 10). Him getting in trouble was beyond his control because of his mental disability which is something else that makes a reader feel sympathetic for him. Also, the readers are solicitous towards Lennie because of how much he looks up to George. This is portrayed when Crooks asks Lennie what he would do if George never came back, “Well, s’pose, jus’ s’pose he don’t come back. What’ll you do then?”(Steinbeck 70). Because of his inability to comprehend information, he got extremely defensive and said, “George is careful. He won’t get hurt” (Steinbeck 70). This scene is crafted in such a way that it automatically
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George Milton And Lennie Small Summary
653 Words | 2 Pages
Lennie gets a small pup, but as soon as George finds out he had been hiding it under his coat, he scolds at him and tells him that he should bring it back to its mother because he might kill it like every other pet he had owned. The next day, Lennie is alone in the barn, crying while stroking the dead body of his puppy. He worries that if George finds out, he might not be able to take care of the rabbits he will have in their farm in the future. Curley’s wife enters
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Right And Wrong In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
695 Words | 2 Pages
Lennie had got into trouble towards the end of the book. He killed the boss’s, who he was working for, son’s wife. She did not have a name;, she just went by “Curley’s wife.”. Lennie was playing with her hair because he said he liked soft things. Curley’s wife was a flirt;, she got around. She allowed him to touch her hair. Lennie was very strong and aggressiveaggresive about this, but he did not realize it because he is slow and mentally challenged. “She jerked her hair sideways, and Lennie’s fingers closed on her hair and hung on. Let go, she cried. You let go!” (Steinbeck 91). Lennie kept the tight grip on her hair and shook her to make her be quiet before she gets him in trouble. When he shook her, he snapped her neck, and she died instantly. He knew he had done something wrong and he panicked. “He looked down at her, and she lay still. I don’t want ta hurt you, he said, but George’ll be mad if you yell. When she didn’t answer nor move he bent closely over her. He lifted her arm and let it drop. For a moment he seemed bewildered. And then he whispered in fright, “I done a bad thing. I done another bad thing (Steinbeck 91).” When George found Lennie at his hiding spot where George told him to go if he ever got into any trouble,. hHe shot him in the back of the head to save Lennie less trouble than he already was in. George knows he was wrong for this, but he knew he was right too because he saved Lennie from the trouble he was going to get
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Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
478 Words | 1 Pages
The first lonely character introduced in the book is Lennie, he is a different type of lonely than the rest of the characters. Lennie has somebody to rely on, which is George, where Crooks and Curley’s wife don’t have anyone they can depend on. Even though Lennie has George, he still is lonely due to his stature and past events, keeping him excluded from the other guys. Another thing that separates Lennie from the two other characters is that he is fine about being alone, he just wants to hang out with the pups, while Crooks and Curley’s wife need the human-to-human relationship. In the end, Lennie becomes isolated from the rest of the ranch members because of accidental events that make him look bad.
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George Milton Relationship Between Of Mice And Men
1151 Words | 3 Pages
George is a quick-witted man who is Lennie’s guardian, friend, and protector, to the extreme with George being almost over concerned. Lennie always gets in trouble because he likes to tend and pet soft things, and his mental disability prevents him from stopping himself, even when he injures the “soft things.” He simply does not know his own strength. At the beginning of the book, Lennie got into trouble back in Weed where they were working. Lennie caused a major disruption in the town when he was near a girl and petted her too hard, compelling them to leave and find a new job. George complained, “I can live so much easier without you”, but he never left Lennie because of his responsibility and loyalty to their friendship. George sides with Lennie during the incident, despite him never really seeing what happened. What kind of friend is willing to drop his job and life to run away with someone who will always cause him trouble? George’s commitment to Lennie takes too much away from his own life to have a traditional girlfriend
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Survival Of The Fittest In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
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First of all, Lennie’s inability to know his own strength constantly get him in trouble, and he shows that he doesn’t know his strength when he kills the mice, gets in a fight with Curley, kills the puppy, and kills Curley’s wife. When Lennie kills Curley’s wife George realizes that Lennie is a danger to himself and others, and Lennie will continue to cause trouble. Also, Lennie doesn’t understand why he shouldn’t talk to Curley’s wife. George instantly has a very strong opinion on her, which he shows when he says, “I don’t care what she says and what she does ... I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her.
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Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
519 Words | 2 Pages
The theme of “Of Mice and Men” written by John Steinbeck is that humans suffer from loneliness. Loneliness cannot be avoided in this novel, and it’s displayed evidently in each of the important characters. Each character in this novel exhibits the feeling of solitude in some way. For example, Lennie is cast out of real society for being mentally handicapped, Candy is isolated for being old and disabled, Crooks for his black skin tone, Curley's wife for being a woman, and George for taking on the responsibility to care for Lennie.
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Stereotypes in Of Mice and Men
522 Words | 2 Pages
Lennie was not very smart and couldn't do much by himself. He had to be told what to do or he wouldn't do anything at all. He fits all the profiles for a retarded person. He doesn't have any self-control. When he starts to panic he gets out of control and even kills Curly's wife because she starts to scream. Lennie loves animals and can't stop talking about them. He always says that when they get their own place that he wants lots of rabbits, his favorite animal. To him George is like his father figure, since Lennie never really had any parents. He is easily amused and panics quickly.
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Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
950 Words | 2 Pages
So many people are lonely in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, because; unfortunately, that is a part of the society we live and it was a part of the society in Steinbeck’s book. So many people shut themselves out and become so self-absorbed they don’t even notice those around them. For example, Candy is a lonely old man who has been working on that ranch, and many others most of his life. Now he doesn’t have anything to call his own, he has the clothes on his back and his dog, but that is about it.
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Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
519 Words | 2 Pages
However, the true meaning behind being lonely does not apply in any way to whether or not you are accompanied by a physical presence. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck demonstrates relationships between people, how important or unimportant certain factors are in life. In addition, the novel includes an complex way of conveying which characters are the loneliest and why the main characters are different from the rest of them and why it is important, but it does not give it out bluntly. The novel is revolved around George Milton and Lennie Small, two friends who have stuck with each other through thick and thin. When Lennie, a man with some mental deficiency, encounters mishaps, George, his best friend, helps him through his problems.
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Lennie's Passion for Soft Objects in Of Mice and Men
863 Words | 2 Pages
Curley's wife, an accident that seals his own fate and destroys not only his dreams but George's and Candy's as well. In the beginning Lennie used to pet mice that his Aunt Clara used to give him, he would always end up killing them because he didn't know his own strength. Lennie never killed any pet or person purposely; he pets too roughly and kills them accidentally. An example of his rough tendencies is in the first chapter (page7) when Lennie wants to keep a dead mouse and George wouldn't let him Lennie says" Uh-uh. Jus' a dead mouse, George.
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Of Mice And Men - The Importance Of George
1823 Words | 4 Pages
George’s relationship with Lennie has made him selfless; his conversations, with and with out Lennie, are generally revolving around Lennie, although in the case of their dream-ranch George seems to find fulfilment for himself as well. Due to these altruistic tendencies that he shows throughout the novel, a danger is bestowed upon George; he tends to care for Lennie far too much, and too little for himself. In occasional moments, he escapes his sympathy and compassion for Lennie, and realises the burden that he causes. This usually results in George taking his frustration out on Lennie, which can often harm his simple mind, leaving Lennie upset and forced to confess to his own uselessness, and George feeling guilty for what he has caused. We can learn very little about George through his actual conversations, which made it necessary for Steinbeck to focus the novel on him in particular, and let the reader gain an closer insight on him through his actions. Generally, he seems to be caring, intelligent and sensible, but is greatly worn by the constant attention Lennie requires. This illustrates a major theme in Of Mice and Men, the dangers that arise when one becomes involved in a dedicated relationship.
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Discrimination in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men
824 Words | 2 Pages
... to share a farm with George and be allowed to tend the rabbits, and he does not seem to understand why people stand against him. Lennie?s failure to recognize his own strength unfortunately leads him to harm many living things, eventually Curly?s wife, which leads to his death by the hand of George, who only did what he thought was best.
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Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Emotionally and Physically Crippled Characters in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

How Does Steinbeck Make Difficult Decisions In Of Mice And Men

Lennie's Dignity In Of Mice And Men

George Milton And Lennie Small Summary

Right And Wrong In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men