Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

According to Guy Winch Ph.D., people who endure loneliness have a much higher risk of cardiovascular disease because they are always under unyielding stress. In the book Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, George and Lennie, the two main characters travel and work together. Lennie is not bright and needs guidance from George, but they are best friends and they both need each other. They work on a farm in Soledad when they meet Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife, who all suffer from loneliness. Within a month, George and Lennie make friends with Candy and share a dream of owning their own land. They created a plan on how to get the land, but as soon as they got close, Lennie makes a mistake. He kills Curley’s wife, which results in George killing Lennie but not before putting him in a good place. Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife all suffer from loneliness and face different consequences because they are different from the others on the farm.

Carlson and some other men in the bunkhouse want to shoot Candy’s dog. Carlson says, “That stink hangs around even after he’s gone. Got no teeth. He’s all stiff with rheumatism. He ain’t good to you, Candy. An’ he ain’t good to himself. Why’n’t you shoot him, Candy?” (Steinbeck 44). Candy tries to hold on to the one thing that keeps him company, and he does not judge his dog for being disable. Carlson complains his dog is old, smells, and has no teeth, which appears to be a similar description of Candy. Steinbeck uses a metaphor where Candy’s dog represents Candy himself, old and