Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife Isolation Essay

“Let me tell you this: if you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you, it’s not because they enjoy solitude. It’s because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them.”-Jodi Picoult Loneliness is imposed upon individuals leaving them to feel imprisoned within themselves. In the course of the Great Depression, men travelled great lengths to find labor work in order to provide a sustainable lifestyle for their families. However, the migrant workers remained in seclusion during their journey. Since most men and women were segregated, their morals morphed into hopelessness and resentfulness. Therefore, a companionship was essential to withstand the overbearing pressure of isolation. In the classic tale,

As the lone woman on the ranch, Curley’s wife is desperate for attention and seeks Lennie to be her companion. Since he refuses to be associated with her, she becomes defensive of herself and how women are unaccepted in society during this time period. Lennie feels guilt considering he falsely accused of her being “jailbait”. Curley’s wife acknowledges of how she is perceived by the men and states, “I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely…You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody.”(##) This excerpt acknowledges that Curley’s wife has become impatient with the ranchmen’s aspects of her. She blames Curley for abusing his power and indirectly influencing the men to seclude his wife from the male dominant community. However, Curley boasts about his wife’s attractiveness while applying that she is a tramp leading the men to believe she is eager for sex. Although, Curley’s wife is falsely accused of being a tart, she only desire’s someone to support her. Therefore, Curley’s wife continues to address the unjust of segregation driven by Lennie’s attempt to avoid her. John Steinbeck states through Curley’s wife, “Aint I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am, anyways? Seems like they ain’t none of them cares how I gotta live… I coulda made something of myself.”(##) This quotation is implying that Curley’s wife

As Candy expresses his sorrow for the loss of his dog, he begins to question the value of his existence. He indicates his life is a pain and death would bring peace and comfort. Candy expresses his life utilizing the death of his dog, “They say he wasn’t no good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here I wish’t somebody’d shoot me…”(##) This passage conveys how Candy’s life is miserable and without his friend, he does not have a reason to live. Candy indirectly mentions his life without a companion is unendurable instilling fear throughout his life and depicts him as vulnerable. Meanwhile, as Candy mourns for his dog, he overhears Lennie and George talking about their American Dream eventually leading him to offer his life’s savings and help to bring hope and happiness into his future. Candy states,”S’pose I went in with you guys. Tha’s three hundred an’ fifty bucks I’d put in. I ain’t much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some…”(##)This citation displays desperation of Candy and how much he would risk to gain happiness in his life. However, the quotation indirectly shows how Candy is trying to prove himself by offering his money to strangers to have a support system. Candy is desperate for a support and will take extreme measures to attain happiness and