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Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, he shows how lack of companionship leads to loneliness. The book takes place on a farm in California were two unusual friends, George and Lennie, find work. As they spend more and more time at the farm, they come across a variety of many different people, many of whom, are lonely. Throughout the novel, using Curley and Crooks, Steinbeck illustrates the misery and loneliness these characters experience due to lack of companionship and communication. He then compares it to Lennie and George who have found companionship and communication in each other and therefore aren’t as lonely as the others. Curley’s wife experiences much loneliness and isolation because nobody really wants to talk to her. Crooks shows this when he responds to her, “Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in awhile?... I had enough, he said angrily, You ain’t wanted here. (79-81)” Being the only woman on the ranch comes with struggles for Curley’s wife. Her predominant struggle is that she has no one who really wants to talk to her. Because she is a woman, she is isolated, bored and lonely, and her attempts to engage with the other men on the ranch only push them further away. This is prominently shown when …show more content…

As shown when Lennie asks Crooks, “Why ain't’ you wanted? Lennie asked. Cause I’m black. They play cards in there but I can’t play because I’m black. (68)” Crooks is separated physically from the other men and has his own room in the barn. He doesn’t have much contact socially, nor does he often get to work with the other men due to his job of tending horses. Also, because of his race, he is excluded from the other men and isn’t able to go out and play cards or get a drink with the others on the ranch. This causes him to become even more lonely as he is stuck in isolation with nobody to talk to or be there for

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Later on, Curley’s Wife,”put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward. ‘You’re the new fellas that just come, ain’t ya?’’(31). Reading this section of the novella, the reader can infer that Curley’s Wife is flirtatious and seeks attention. Since Curley’s Wife is the only woman on the ranch, she doesn’t get treated the same as the other men. She gets ignored and stay in the house away from everyone:”Think I’m gonna stay in that two by four house and listen how Curley’s gonna lead with his left twict, and then bring in the ol’ right cross?”(78).

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Lastly, even though she is married, Curley's wife is amongst the loneliest of characters. From her isolation in the house, to her desperate attempts for attention, whether it be talking to the men, or getting all done up to grab their attention, her desperate pleas for attention are often disregarded as being an unfaithful wife. She admits to Lennie, “I never get to talk to

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757 Words | 4 Pages

They can play cards there, and I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink” (Steinbeck 68). It’s the 1930’s in the US, so discrimination against black people was prevalent. Crooks are purposely segregated from the other white men. He’s never been invited to social hangouts like playing cards or any outside games because of his skin color.

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Loneliness is contagious. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the ranch that George and Lennie work on for most of the book have many lonely people. Each of the lonely people have their own personal reasons for their loneliness. Throughout the book, we discover lonely person after person who describe why they are so lonely. Loneliness plays a major role in the book revealing itself through Crook’s isolation, Curley’s wife’s despair, and Candy’s feelings.

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880 Words | 4 Pages

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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If she talks to anyone, Curley will get mad at her. Crooks also experience loneliness because of the racism on the ranch. As it states

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Crooks says “cause i'm black. They play cards in there but i cant play because i'm black . They say i stink .” (steinbeck 34).

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Lennie was told not to talk to Curley’s Wife because it would get him in trouble. Curley’s Wife told lennie, “Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely” (Steinbeck 86). Curley’s Wife is only allowed to talk to her husband, so she gets lonely not having anybody else to talk to.

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Someone who gives every guy she sees “the eye” even though she is a married woman. But all of this causes her husband to have to keep an eye out. The others on the ranch avoid talking to her out of fear of Curley. So she has no one on the ranch to talk to unless Curley is there, which he rarely is considering Curley and his wife are constantly looking for each other. It’s not like she has any girls to socialize with either since she is the only woman on the ranch.

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Of Mice and Men: Loneliness of Their Lives There are times in life when people everywhere feel lonely. Everyone has had to experience that in life just like the characters in the book “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck. Being lonely is defined as the state of being alone. Many characters in this novel are described as ether being left/abandoned or loosing everyone and everything they had from the cause of an accident.

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They play cards there, but I can't play because I'm black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, you all stink to me." Another point in which Crooks talks about how he”s doing is when he says “I ain't a southern Negro," he said. I was

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The feeling of loneliness is empty and tragic. It leaves a feeling that is sick to the stomach, waiting to feed on the next victim. In the novel Of mice and men two people seem to stand out as lonely individuals as they set off in search of a new job. George and Lennie the best of friends, who are there for eachother become affected with the new problems they will face. Lennie a big, strong bear like man, who has a mind of a child does not know his own strength,makes problems expand more and more because he does not mean to do the things he does.

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1323 Words | 6 Pages

Well, I tell you, you all of you stink to me" … Crooks stared at Lennie, and he reached behind him and took down the spectacles and adjusted them over his pink ears…Crooks scowled, but Lennie's disarming smile defeated him. " Come on in and set a while, "Crooks said. "'Long as you won't get out and leave me alone…" [page 67 - 69]. This has shown how already feeling like an outsider has made him segregated in the culture as he is painfully aware of his skin color.

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796 Words | 4 Pages

When all the ranchers went to town except for Crooks and Lennie she intervened and said “they left all the weak ones here” (77). This shows that, Curley’s wife feels excluded and because she is different from all ranchers, in terms of sexuality, she has no power and self-respect. On the other hand, a ranch is no place for women to live in. She 's terribly lonely and feels useless as there is nothing for her to do. She wants somebody to talk to and someone to share her stories with and everybody on the ranch refuses to listen or come near her.

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773 Words | 4 Pages

On page 98, Curley's Wife said, "I never get to talk to nobody. I get awfully lonely. " Her quote proves she does get lonely. Referring to ENotes, it states, "Her sexuality isolates her from the other characters. She is bored and lonely, but her attempts to engage the attention of the men on the ranch only serve to push them further away from her."

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