Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

An Israeli writer Yehuda Berg once said; “Unfortunately, it is human nature for us to only learn and grow from a place of emptiness. It's hard to learn when we are winning and on top of the world.” This quote highlights the idea that learning and personal growth often come from moments of isolation. In other words, loneliness can result in becoming isolated from society in both positive or negative ways. Loneliness comes in many forms; emotional, social, and existential. Social loneliness is the negative isolation you receive due to a feature that society does not accept, whether it is age, gender, or race. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, characters face social loneliness through racism and disability. The main characters, George and

Candy, a veteran on the ranch, helps them reach their American dream by giving advice and chipping in money, attempting to convince them to let him join their dream. Among the other workers, Crooks is a black person who often spends his time alone on the ranch as a consequence of his race. Candy and Crooks both suffer from social loneliness through disability and racism.
Due to his disability, Candy is excluded throughout the novel. Following George and Lennie’s talk about their American dream, Candy tells them about his disability and why it makes him useless. Candy explains that when the Boss “can[s] [him] here,” he would “have no place to go” and “[he] can’t get any more jobs” (60). To emphasize, Candy tells George and Lennie that if he was fired from his current job, he would no longer have a purpose. If a young adult were to get fired from work, they could easily find a new job. Candy suffers from physical disabilities, including his hand injury and age, making it difficult for him to find a

Candy’s disability makes him useless and replaceable, socially affecting him by becoming distant from other workers. Due to segregation, Crooks is unable to socialize and can only rely on books to cope. Society has constructed norms and expectations that marginalize certain individuals. You must be fit and rich in order to gain respect or attention from different individuals. For instance, Elon Musk is wealthy and mature; accomplishing many achievements through his youth. The majority of popular technologies are developed by younger individuals. In comparison, the disabled are not viewed as highly, as they are inefficient. This results in the public socially avoiding the disabled, causing social separation from the public. On the other hand, racism is also a large factor in being lonely, prominently during the 1800s to 1900s. Black people were racially segregated in all areas; economically, socially, and physically. It was difficult for them to get high paying jobs, as they were viewed in an insolent manner based on their skin tone. Isolation can have a negative impact on your social life, but it is reversible through relationships and