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Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Despite loneliness being a dreadful circumstance, there are several ways to overcome it. In the book “Of mice and men” by John Steinbeck, he portrays several different ways that loneliness affects each character, and shows that everybody needs a mate. Candy is compelled to find a new mate after he lost his only friend, his pup. Crook’s was grateful when he was finally able to interact with another man. Crook’s expresses his feelings of being isolated from the other men in a distressing style. Candy is devastated when the Slim and Carlson say that Candy’s dog needs to be shot. Candy tried to put it off, he said, “Maybe tomorra. Le’s wait till tomorra” (47). Once the decision was made that the dog would be shot, Candy was a wreck. He just laid in his bed and stared at the ceiling, and mourned his best friend's death. Candy took it to the heart when he lost his dog, and didn't know what he would do without his friend. Candy began to get lonely without his pup after it was suddenly shot …show more content…

Crook’s dreads the fact that he isn’t able to socialize with the other men in the main bunkhouse. He expresses how lonely he gets, he says, “A guy needs somebody-to be near him” (72). Crook’s explains to Lennie that being alone for a long period of time is not enjoyable. Crook’s says that it does not matter who the guy is, just as long as there is someone to converse with. He does not enjoy being isolated from the other men, and he gets very lonely spending every day, and every night all by himself. Crook’s was more than pleased when Lennie came to his shack to visit him. At first Crook’s was a little unsure, but then he said “Come on in and set a while” (69). Crook’s was so used to being alone that when Lennie came out to visit him, he didn’t exactly know how to react. He ended up appreciating the company, and enjoyed the presence of another man in his bunk

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(Page 44). But eventually he is given no other choice and Carlson takes his dog away. When Slim offers a new dog to replace Candy’s old one, he responds with nothing, proving his loyality to his life long companion. ‘“Candy, you can have any one of them pups you want’. Candy did not answer.”

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Candy’s dog was shot by Carlson who was told by Candy that he could shoot the dog because he was getting really old. “Got no teeth. He’s all stiff with rheumatism. He ain’t no good to you, Candy. An’ he ain’t no good to himself.

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Crooks explains, “ A guy needs somebody- to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody”. Crooks isn’t allowed to play cards or enter the bunkhouse. ”Why aren’t you wanted”? Lennie asks “Because i'm black, they play cards in there, but I can’t because i'm black.

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When Carlson shot Candy’s dog, Candy began to see himself in his dog. He began to see how alone he is, and started to believe that he was useless. Candy had a very hard time dealing with being lonesome after the passing of his dog. This created an idea in his head that in the near future he would be all on his own, with no job, and nowhere to go. Candy had been working on the ranch for a very long time, and during that time he had lost his hand.

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“A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. I tell you a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick”. said Crooks (Steinbeck 72-73). One thing this quote shows us is that Crooks feel as if he is going mad because of his loneliness. He shows the need for companionship through the characterization of Lennie “If you don’ want me, I can go off in the hills an’ find a cave.”

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He lives alone in the harness room; a little shed that leaned on the side of the barn. He was segregated from all the other men, and he quickly became plagued with loneliness and alienation. Crooks just wanted to be accepted by the other men. In chapter four, Lennie went into Crook’s bunk because the other men went into town. Crooks told Lennie what it is like to be a lone black man and some of his everyday struggles.

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We all may have had the feeling of loneliness and isolation, wanting companionship feeling abandonment. In John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, there are men living on a ranch having their own reasons for loneliness or being isolated. The three characters Crooks, George, and Lennie crusade dealing with own ways of loneliness and isolation. Crooks has no one that likes him because he’s black, Lennie struggles mentally and George struggles with always having to care for him. They all can’t decide whether it is that they want to be alone or not.

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Lonely Characters in Of Mice And Men Imagine a world where people didn’t really care what one said to another, and neither cared enough to ask each other questions. A place where everyone existed in silence, but were together at the same time. As portrayed in the novel, Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck, in which Steinbeck’s idea of loneliness is isolation in silences. The author teaches the reader that friendship is mostly about conversation, and magnifies the effects of isolation through the eyes of Crooks, Curley’s wife and Candy.

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Loneliness and isolation is an ongoing theme throughout the novel Of Mice and Men, experienced by several characters to different degrees. Some characters are more isolated and lonely than others, yet every character in the story goes through this theme during one point in the story. There are various reasons why each character is lonely or isolated. In general, all the ranch workers feel some sort of loneliness because they move alone from ranch to ranch and do not have real connections with others, Curley’s wife experiences this theme because she is the only woman on the ranch and nobody wants to interact with her because Curley is very protective and hostile of her. Thirdly, Candy struggles through being lonely and isolated after Carlson shot his dog and because Candy does not work with the others since he is a swamper.

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A key aspect of any novel or story is the way the characters interact and feel towards everything. In John Steinbeck’s, “Of Mice and Men”, the characters tend to give off the effect of loneliness and the feeling of isolation throughout the novel. The main characters that give off the effect of loneliness and the feeling of isolation are Curley’s wife, Crooks, and George. They’ve been truly alone, if not in mind then in body.

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First, loneliness is the sadness caused by having no friends or company, and friendship is a state of mutual trust and support between people, they are polar opposites, yet a person may acclaim to have both. For example today a person may have a friend, or many, but still will face loneliness in their life in one way or another. This is shown in Of Mice and Men periodically throughout the novel, knowing this the reader is challenged with such themes, the enticing beauty of friendship between George and Lennie, and the gloomy dreaded idea of loneliness shown by Curley’s wife, Candy, Crooks, and again Lennie. Among these characters the reader may also feel a connection between themselves and the characters, even though the world now and during the publication of Of Mice and Men has changed a lot. The world has reformed, and developed exponentially so, however friendship and loneliness is still a facet of everyday

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(Steinbeck 80). Crooks is talking to Lennie about if George were to never comeback and support Lennie. He says this because then he would be like Crooks as he does not have anybody to interact with socially. Another example of Crooks being lonely is in the same conversation with Lennie, “ S 'pose you had to sit out here an ' read books. Sure you could play horseshoes till it got dark, but then you got to read books.

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698 Words | 3 Pages

Crooks is a black man who isn’t allowed to be in the house with all the men. The men won’t allow him to come in because of his color. Crooks is lonely and he doesn’t bother the men. One night Lennie came in and was talking to Crooks and telling them about the farm that they were going to get. For once Crooks thought well maybe I won’t be lonely I could go with them and don’t have worry about none of them.

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764 Words | 4 Pages

Although at first when Lennie barges into Crooks’ room he seems annoyed, he secretly enjoys the company. Crooks says to Lennie after scolding him about coming into his room, “‘Long as you won’t get out and leave me alone, you might as well set down’” (69). With this dialogue from Crooks, readers can infer that he doesn’t get any company, and he invites Lennie to stay. Additionally, both Crooks and Lennie were not invited to go into town with the rest of the workers. He is racially divided and excluded from the rest of the ranchmen’s entertainment, which results in his confinement.

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The motif of loneliness is explored throughout John Steinbeck's novella, Of Mice and Men, not only through the main characters, but the secondary characters as well. Of Mice and Men has many examples of discrimination. Some of the best examples are racism and sexism, which is why two of the characters are shown to be lonely. Crooks, the stable hand, is black, which makes all the others on the ranch want to have nothing to do with him. Similarly, Candy is outed since he is an old cripple.

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