ipl-logo

Loneliness In Society In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

1087 Words5 Pages

The novel I decided to pick for this essay was Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. One of the major themes of this novel is the issue of loneliness and isolation in society. Steinbeck offers the reader an insight into the society of this time which is set in the great depression in the 1930’s and how it leaves many of the characters behind, unwanted and alone. I believe this still to be relevant in modern contemporary living. The characters who portray the theme of loneliness and isolation are; Lennie, because he is mentally challenged and the other characters fear his intimidating physique, but he also has George and their dream of getting their own farm to escape reality. Candy, because he is old and deemed unfit to work, he is willing to sacrifice his life’s savings just so he can be part of the dream house, and this shows the extent of his loneliness. "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." …show more content…

We live in age of social media, we have built expansive social networks online, yet the depths of our networks offline have decreased. It seems that technology has made it easier to stay in contact while keeping distance, more and more people find themselves feeling isolated and never experiencing real contact with others. It has made us more isolated and feeling alone. According to studies, those who report feeling most alone, are the people who use social media the most, young people aged under 35. Social media cannot replace face-to-face interaction, a real human experience in building relationships. As a study by Harvard Business Review found, team performance went up 50% when teams socialized more and limited email for more operational only

Show More
Related
1044 Words | 5 Pages

The book “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck is about two friends that are always working together. One of the three main characters, Lennie, is mentally handicapped, who has a muscular body, strong and tall. His other friend, George, is intelligent but unlike Lennie, he has a small body and he is smart. They move around and work together. Lennie and George try to find new jobs because they have been fired from their previous job that causes them to move to another city.

Read More
731 Words | 3 Pages

The first theme is Companionship George and Lennie are always together no matter what, nobody else on the rach has that special bond that they have with each other. The second theme steinbeck provides is loneliness, for example crooks, candy, and curley's wife were all lonely Candy's dog death had a strong affect on him that was his only friend he had him since he was a pup. Crooks didn't have anybody because his race he was isolated from everybody except George and Lennie they were different and that made crooks happy. Lastly curley's wife wasn't the tart everybody thought that she was someone just wanted to talk to she knew she had a right to have friends

Read More
1316 Words | 6 Pages

As Steinbeck progresses through the book he creates a motif of loneliness is revealed throughout the book from various characters. Overall, the book shows how loneliness is threaded from beginning to the end, especially in the most crucial paragraph. In the beginning of the book on page 45 Candy has a dog that he 's “had from a pup” and he 's “so used to him,” but since the dog is so old, Carlson points out the fact the dog is incapable of doing anything. Ever since Carlson killed Candy’s dog he has been lonely because he 's one of the oldest members isolating him from the rest due to

Read More
708 Words | 3 Pages

Loneliness and Alienation in “Of Mice and Men” In John Steinbeck’s novel, “Of Mice and Men”, many characters were plagued with loneliness and alienation, and most characters were in need of acceptance. The harsh time period of the Great Depression affected three characters in, “Of Mice and Men” greatly. Three characters that are plagued by loneliness and alienation and are in need of acceptance the most include George Milton; the protagonist of the novel, Crooks; the negro stable buck with a crooked back, and Curley’s wife; a young woman who just wants somebody to talk to. In this essay, you will learn why George, Crooks, and Curley’s wife were the loneliest and why other characters were not plagued with loneliness and alienation as much as these three characters. George Milton is the protagonist of the novel.

Read More
271 Words | 2 Pages

Reflection Journal #3 Loneliness is a common issue experienced in the ranch. Curley's wife undergoes loneliness, because she is the only female in the ranch. Crooks seems to be the only colored worker at the ranch, isolating him away from all the other workers. Candy seems to have a companion (his dog) till one day realizes that maybe letting his dog die in peace would be best rather than him suffer any day more. Therefore George and lennie's companionship leaves their coworkers astonished.

Read More
861 Words | 4 Pages

Unique Companionship during the Great Depression In modern day society, everyone has companions and life is pretty easy right? Imagine not having work, food, or money. While waiting in despair for a better life, individuals may pass one another daily, but perhaps do not speak to the neighbors surrounding them. Everyone in this time and day is waiting for life to get better, not only are people lonely but also mean in a way.

Read More
1313 Words | 6 Pages

Men with such need for brotherhood often are desperate for bonds, yet they still persistently victimize others that are parallel in hardship and ordeal. The indisputable topic of Of Mice and of Men revolves around isolation and loneliness. Even the city, Soledad, that the story is developed on reflects the author's motif. In Spanish the word soledad literally means solitude. Each character is lonely at some point in the book, for they cannot escape the discrimination , stereotypes, and adversity of the harsh and unforgiving economic downfall in the 1930’s.

Read More
644 Words | 3 Pages

Have you ever felt alone- feeling there no one was there for you, even when you were in a room full of people? Well, you are not alone, as one of the essential characters in Of Mice and Men struggles with loneliness everyday while on his journey. After reading Of Mice and Men, I think that John Steinbeck is trying to shine a unique light on loneliness. Loneliness isn't just sitting thinking to yourself, you have no friends- it’s never having anyone to talk to, even when in a crowd. As George travels with Lennie, he is such a parent figure, no adult conversations are possible.

Read More
399 Words | 2 Pages

Steinbeck shows the effects of isolation through different characters' interactions with Crooks. One thing we see in the book is that some people bring loneliness on themselves. The author tells us, "He kept his distance and demanded that other people keep theirs" (Steinbeck, 67.) This passage suggests that Crooks wanted other people on the ranch to stay away from him. Another concept we learn is that loneliness causes sickness in some people.

Read More
1323 Words | 6 Pages

Loneliness in the novel, Of Mice and Men is extremely significant and a major theme. Loneliness is portrayed to be the sadness or isolation of how a character feels in the novel. They feel as if they are unwanted, which is why they begin to deal with their loneliness by searching for association with the other ranch workers. Crooks, Candy and Curley's wife are the three main characters that struggle from this particular theme where they all have a different concept of how they deal with being alone. Crooks, initially is known to be the only black man in the entire novel as his African-American background relates to his separation from the others on multiple occasions.

Read More
860 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
1145 Words | 5 Pages

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

Read More
707 Words | 3 Pages

In the great novel Of Mice and Men, By John Steinbeck, one of the main themes is loneliness. There are many quotes about loneliness, but to me loneliness is the greatest fear of any man ,most would rather have death. Loneliness can be the downfall of even the toughest man. His life can really not be any worse. What more is there to take away from him, once he is lonely there is no dignity or pride to abscond from him.

Read More
86 Words | 1 Pages

felt like they were not loved they all had felt the same loneliness inside. George was lonely because the fact that he could not live a normal life with a family of his own ,Curley’s wife was lonely because she never really felt loved, and Crooks was lonely because he lived on his own and was alone all the time. Almost everyone experience loneliness in their life and most people deal with loneliness there own way but loneliness is a common feeling that everyone goes through.

Read More
790 Words | 4 Pages

At the point when Candy hears George and Lennie talking about the dream of owning their own land, Candy gets inspired with the dream that George and Lennie share. George and Lennie allow Candy to share their dream, and Candy encounters hope. Imperatively, Candy builds up a friendship with George and Lennie. Candy confides about his inner feelings regarding his dog to George and begins a companionship. Candy’s actions convey the idea that shared dreams develop hope and friendship.

Read More

More about Loneliness In Society In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Related Topics

Open Document