Of Mice And Men Loneliness And Loneliness Essay

Loneliness and Alienation: How it affects one’s thoughts and actions
Mother Teresa, a Saint and advocate for the poor, once said “Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.” When people feel isolated and alone, it tends to affect the in very negative ways. The pressures of everyday life are magnified without a proper support system, leading people to do and think things they may not otherwise believe are right. Some people act out through fits of violence and others become more withdrawn. Some can actually feel alone, even when they’re with other people. In John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, he illustrates how loneliness and alienation can cause people to act and think in unorthodox ways.
People crave human interaction to be happy, and owing to the fact that the workers on the ranch are away from their families and isolated, they act in anomalous ways. This isolation can take a heavy toll on how people act and think. “I seen 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.”(38) Because the workers have been alone for so long they are desperate to make a connection. Many of these men had so much pent up energy, often the only way they knew how to

Most of the story’s primary characters dealt with the depression and hard feelings the sense of isolation can bring. For some, it meant they were prone to violence. For others, it meant searching for attention in the most inappropriate of ways. One of the most profound examples of loneliness came from the story’s protagonist, George. He felt alone, even though he was almost always with Lennie. Although he cared for Lennie very much, their relationship kept him from living the life he felt he should have been living. In conclusion, loneliness and alienation can have negative effects on