Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Many people have friend, comrades, or peers they admire. What would one do if they were not so lucky to have friends? Alone in world of seven billion people. This situation is similar to one in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a novel about hopes and dreams, but it is also about discrimination and loneliness. George and Lennie are best friends, but George is more like Lennie’s father because of the mental disabilities Lennie has. George takes care of Lennie. Since Lennie has mental disabilities, he messes up every job they get. Through everything, they stick together. Later, they start working at a ranch, which is where they meet people named Candy, Slim, Curley, Curley’s wife, Crooks, and Carlson, who

One example that shows Curley's wife’s desperation and loneliness is seen after George and Lennie first arrive at the ranch, and Candy is filling George in on who everyone is and what they are like. After Candy talks about Curley's wife, she arrives, saying, “I'm lookin’ for Curley” (31). Through Curley’s wife's dialogue, one can infer that Curley's wife is never with Curley. One can infer this because she always says that she's looking for Curley. She is always wandering around. She reveals that she does this, not because she is scandalous, but because she is looking for someone to talk to. This shows that she is lonely because no one ever talks with her or even sits with her, except Curley. Because she is very lonely, she feels as though she must make excuses that she is looking for her husband. These acts are considered to be desperate because she is willing to let people think she is scandalous and unloyal just to get some attention from people. Her loneliness caused her to take those acts of desperation. Another example that portrays the main theme of this novel can be seen when Candy, Crooks, and Lennie are talking in the stable, and they tell Curley’s wife that she should leave and go back to her house. Curley’s wife illustrates how desperate she is because of her loneliness by saying,

One example that illustrates the theme can be seen after Carlson takes Candy’s dog, also his best and only friend, out to kill it, and George and Lennie talk about their dreams and plans with Candy. Candy shows how lonely he is without his dog by saying, “You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn't no good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here, I wisht somebody’d shoot me. But they won't do nothing like that. I won't have no place to go, an’ I can't get no more jobs. I'll have thirty dollars more comin’, time you guys ready to quit” (60). From Candy’s dialogue, one can infer that Candy is very lonely because his dog dies. One can infer this because his dog was his best friend for basically his entire life. He says he wishes somebody would shoot him when he gets fired, probably because he does not think he will have any reason to live. He also says that he will not have anywhere to go after he is fired. This is significant because it shows that he has no hopes for a future now that his dog is dead. He is hopeless now because he is lonely. He says he cannot get any more jobs after this. He does not have any plans for his future, so he asks Lennie and George to explain their dreams to him. After he sees what they plan, one can infer that he wants to dream just like them. He acquired them as friends,