Some things are eternal, loneliness being one of the many threats that will always be around; it can affect some more than others, and it doesn’t discriminate against who it affects. However, as humans, we can combat it by sticking around with other humans. Like some antidotes, some people are immune to the cure, such as the farmers in Of Mice and Men, who are constantly around each other, but are so distant that when they try to connect they fail and manage to get further away. The novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a realistic-fiction story set in the Great Depression in which 2 men arrive at a farm from a previous farm with a mysterious past. Of Mice and Men shows how personal experiences can divide people and infect others with …show more content…
In chapter 3, Carlson and Slim want to put down Candy's dog, which Candy doesn’t want, “‘I'm so used to him,’ he said softly. ‘I had him from a pup.’ ‘Well, you ain't bein' kind to him keepin' him alive,’ said Carlson. Look, Slim's bitch got a litter right now. I bet Slim would give you one of these pups to raise up, wouldn't you, Slim?’”(Steinbeck) This shows that even after Candy shares that his dog is meaningful to him, Carlson still wants to get rid of it. In the story, Curly likes to assert his dominance over the other farmers because he has an ego issue, which is a contributing factor when Curly’s wife tries to connect with other characters on the farm, “‘I get lonely,’ she said. ‘You can talk to people, but I can't talk to anybody but Curley. Else, he gets mad. How would you like not to talk to anybody?’”(Steinbeck). This shows that from Curly's isolation, he isolates his wife in the process. From not caring about other people's sentiments to their feelings to having people constantly afraid to talk to you are both examples of how standards set by the people on the farm push loneliness onto