Of Mice And Men Loneliness Analysis

In the dictionary, loneliness is defined as causing a depressing feeling of being alone. The word depress is assigned the definition; to deject, dispirit, weaken, or make dull. The idea that loneliness can do all of these things to a person is a topic that is frequently discussed in the novel Of Mice and Men. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, two men named George and Lennie are traveling around working to try and save enough money to one day buy their own ranch, but Lennie always seems to get the two of them into trouble and it is always George that is responsible for getting them out. In the end, Lennie gets himself into such a mess that George takes pity on Lennie and shoots him. A major theme in the novel discusses the idea that loneliness is a dangerous thing because of the negative effects it has on

One example of this is when Candy’s dog, his best friend, is shot. We see Candy’s reaction on page 49, he turns away from all of the people around him. He shuts down and isolates himself from the world. Later in the book we see George’s similar reaction when he knows Lennie is going to die, “I’ll work my month an’ I’ll take my fifty bucks an’ I’ll spend all night in some lousy cat house. Or I’ll set in some poolroom till ever’body goes home. An’ then I’ll come back an’ work another month an’ I’ll have fifty bucks more” (Steinbeck 95). This evidence shows the theme through foreshadowing by showing George’s negative reaction to loneliness. Before he knew Lennie was going to die, George had a dream of himself and Lennie working to earn enough money to buy their own land. Now that George knows Lennie is going to die and he will be alone, he has lost hope of living a good life. When they are lonely the characters lose hope for the future and waste their lives. They numb themselves to all emotion, to the point where they cannot even feel