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Isolation In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Sukarno, the first president and statesman of Indonesia said, “the worst cruelty that can be inflicted on someone is isolation.” Throughout history, isolation of people or a group of people has been commonplace. Whether it be physical or social isolation, isolation is caused by some kind of discrimination or prejudice that is held by the most powerful group of people or person in a society. Isolation is self-sustaining, meaning that when isolation is present in a society, it will create more isolation in that same society, coming in different forms and varying levels of intensity from the ones that are somewhat isolated to those that are extremely isolated. One of the most prime examples in which this idea is explored is in the novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. Prejudice and discrimination will breed isolation in society. If someone is already isolated in some sort of way, it is easier for those who have more power to suppress them and isolate them even farther. Candy is the only elderly and disabled person that is working on the farm who is a white male, putting him in the unique position of having more power than some but not as much as others in the farm’s social order. Because of …show more content…

In Of Mice and Men, there are many different examples of the varying degrees of isolation which indicate the varying degrees of prejudice that is felt by the social elite toward the isolated groups. The book shows how different people will react and be treated when they are discriminated against a small amount such as in the case of Candy, a large amount such as in the case of Curley's Wife, and the most such as in the case of Crooks. In accordance with what Sukarno said, no matter the degree of isolation, it is still the worst way to treat other human beings and the only reason it takes place is due to discrimination which is an inherently evil

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Seclusion haunts the characters in Of Mice and Men. Crooks yearns for a companion. Although Candy is surrounded by relationships, he aches from isolation. Curley’s wife desires amity instead of loneliness. Numerous characters in Of Mice and Men-- Crooks, Candy, and Curley’s wife-- are isolated.

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The book of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck tells the story of an unusual couple travelling together as laborers working hand to mouth. Lennie being the “child” of the two, relies on George through the whole journey. They defy the odds of workers being in isolation. George and Lennie must work through obstacles of friendship, obligation and isolation in their journey to obtain their dream plan of owning their own land. Steinbeck suggests that though many workers believe relationships to be unnatural, the workers in fact have a desire to have a companion.

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Some of the characters in the book have been described as more isolated and lonely than the other character, with the ones in particular ; Crooks, Candy and Curley’s Wife. Crooks is lonely because he is black and has a crooked back which is physically isolating him, Candy is lonely because he is old and only has one hand, Curley’s Wife is lonely because she is the only woman on the ranch. All the people living on the ranch are lonely to some extent. This is proven when Steinbeck describes the bunkhouse where all the workers sleep. " Over each bunk there was nailed an apple box with the opening forward so that it made two shelves for personal belongings of the occupant of the bunk."

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However, when we look at the character Crooks he was isolated and didn’t have anyone at the ranch due to the color of his skin. He got this name because he has a crooked spine. Crooks slept in the barn with other animals, but he was able to keep his room very neat and organized in there. He kept medicine for himself and for the horses. He also has many books to read.

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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.

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Many people believe the story Of Mice and Men is story about friendship but in reality is actually about loneness. There are three characters that show loneness throughout the novel they were Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife. In the beginning of the novel Candy had an old dog since it was a puppy. Carlson wanted to shoot this dog because it was old and stinks.

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Isolation and loneliness thrives within all of humanity, especially when you are segregated, have a controlling husband, and are very old. These characters are often found being alone and having no one else, hence the Isolation and loneliness theme of the story. This is portrayed very well when Steinbeck brings these characters to life with his vivid descriptions of Crooks, Candy, and Curley’s wife. As it had said in the book______________ it was clear from the beginning that Crooks was an outcast to the others.

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555 Words | 3 Pages

John Steinbeck was an old school soul who enjoyed personally talking face to face, how does he feel about all these new advances in technology? Steinbeck has been seen to write about how he wishes that he could be like the news reporters who just go up and talk to people. What he never realized is that he already had that personality and can fester up a conversation with anyone. Modern conveniences have extremely decreased face to face interactions in the modern age though it was bad during Steinbeck’s time, it is worse now. Steinbeck saw that convenience was for better but social isolations were a change for the worse.

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How would it feel to have no friends or family, and to feel like you had no hope for the future? Although this seems unreal, these feelings were reality for people in CAlifornia, and the rest of America, during the 1930s. John Steinbeck, the author of Of Mice and Men, conveys a different story of different communities and how they experienced loneliness during the Great Depression. Characters such as Crooks, Curley’s wife, and George are used to prove that loneliness is an inevitable part of existing as a human being, according to Steinbeck who saw that, especially in the 1930s, when entire groups were isolated from each other. Steinbeck’s clearest example of human loneliness and frustration appears to be Crooks because of racial segregation.

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Of Mice and Men Essay (SACRED-Start) At a ranch in California a lonely woman, a rejected man, and an immature adult are all waiting for recognition of their personality from others. (Novel Info.) Since Curley’s wife is a woman she is seen with disrespect, Crooks is isolated from everyone else because of his race, and Lennie’s disability make him have a hard time acting like a normal adult.

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According to both of the quotes, it reveals that Lennie is lonely through not only his emotion to make friends but also his way of thinking about petting animal in his head. It will probably foreshadows that Lennie will someday end his loneliness through his ideas of making friend, and love animal. Crooks is a black character in this novel, where everybody isolate him by the way he look. I think that Crooks will end his loneliness through both of these quotes tell about how he is being isolate by the people on the ranch, but he is still have opportunity, and courage to talk to people to let them understand him which his loneliness will be end in the future.

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276 Words | 2 Pages

Which leaves her lonely. Candy and Crook are also lonely. Crook is isolated because of his skin color. He is the only black male around. Candy is isolated without his dog around when the dog passed away.

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796 Words | 4 Pages

The Loneliness of Curley’s Wife In the book “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck displays several themes and truly captures the characters dreams, life goals, and loneliness. Steinbeck introduces an interesting character whom he never gives a name and uses her to show that she 's not an authoritative figure but most of all an isolated character. She is flirtatious and doesn 't like or respect his husband as he doesn 't respect her.

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642 Words | 3 Pages

Some have felt like they're in their own bubble and can't seem to get out, or are in a dark, narrow space and have no savior. Each person in humanity are like one in a million stars in the night sky, and some of these stars can create constellations, and others cannot. This here is something called loneliness, and everyone has experienced this feeling at some point in their lives. In this current society, people are judged by what colour they are, or what disabilities they have, and even how many possessions they own. Society today, more and more people are being placed into that dark, narrow room of loneliness.

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885 Words | 4 Pages

The discrimination of people can affect a person's well-being. In Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, two men are searching for jobs, during the Great Depression. The catalyst for the story is discrimination. When the main characters are searching for work, Lennie, one of the men, gets into an accident, which forces Lennie and his friend George to leave work and the town. Throughout the story, Steinbeck creates vivid scenes which depict the quotidian lives of two very typical men and the consequences of ordinary actions.

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