Crooks Loneliness

The Emotions Further Down

“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place” (Steinbeck 13). The “guys” on these ranches are mostly migrant workers during the Great Depression looking for a job in the late 1930’s. Candy and Crooks are two of the men in Steinbeck’s OMAM while Curley’s wife is married to the boss’s son. All three of these three characters suffer from discrimination and endure isolation. Thus, through each of these characters, the theme of loneliness is conveyed to readers.

In chapter three, an older migrant worker called Candy explains to George how he lost his hand on the ranch and was compensated with a “swampin” job and 250 dollars. Because of Candy’s

older age, readers can infer that he has outlived many of his friends and family member; consequently, Candy feels all alone and longs to find a “family” before he dies. Knowing that Candy doesn’t have any remaining family helps the audience understand why he struggled so much with Carlson’s proposal to end his dog’s suffering: “I had him so long. Had him since he was a pup...You wouldn’t think it to look at him now, but he was the best damn sheep dog I ever seen” (44). And moments later after Slim supported Carlson’s decision to shoot the pup, Candy added, “Maybe it’d hurt him,,,I don’t mind takin’ care of him” (45). In this scene, Candy loses his best friend-his only friend- and this tragedy forced him to not only recognize just how much he relied on his dog for companionship, but also just how much his dog kept him going each day. At the same time, Candy is reminded that he’s growing older and not much of a use on the ranch anymore. In fact, after overhearing the plans of George and Lennie’s dream farm, Candy confides in George that he “...ain’t much good with on’y one hand” (59) and “he won’t have no place to go…” (61). Pleading to be included in their dream, Candy continued his attempts to convince George: “I’d make a will an’ leave my share to you guys in case I kick off ‘cause I ain’t got no relatives nor nothing” (59). Understanding just how important security is to his own future, Candy hopes he can tempt George with his life’s savings and seal the deal when he mentions he has no living relative to either help him or benefit from his death. Scared and embarrassed, Candy never comes straight out and admits how ageism has affected him. But he does express his feelings of fear and his desire to feel like he belongs when he comments to George, “They’ll can me purty soon. Just as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunkhouses…” (60). Without any family or friends, without a job or any money, Candy latches on to the idea of owning land together: “An’ it’d be our own, an’ nobody could can us” (58). Unfortunately, since Candy is much older than the other ranch workers, he often feels left out and lonely amongst a group of young, healthy men. Despite his insecurities, Candy still wants to contribute something to society to help provide him with a sense of purpose and to help make him feel like someone still needs him.

In chapter four, a woman Steinbeck refers to only by the title of “Curley’s wife” expresses her feelings of loneliness that she can't seem to get herself out of. As the only woman on a ranch full of men, Curley’s wife is socially isolated practically all the time. The way she's treated, being avoided and told others don't want to be involved with her, makes her lonely because she has no one. Not even her husband Curley is there for her. Furthermore, Curley’s wife is treated as a possession. Just the title she's given makes her a possession, she's never called by her own name instead it's always “Curley’s wife” because in this time era women's rights were not recognized, wives were still seen as a possession of the husband’s. Looking for someone to talk to she goes to the barn and finds Crooks and Lennie. “-Sat’iday night. Ever’body out doin’ som’pin’. Ever’body! An’ what am I doin’? Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs-a nigger an’ a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep-an’ likin’ it because they ain't nobody else” (Steinbeck 78). This statement being made by Curley’s wife further shows that she isn't allowed to make her own decisions. Unlike the men, she isn't allowed to go out like the men are after the day is done. Rather, she has to stay on the ranch causing her to feel lonely, even more desperate for communication, and inhuman since she doesn't make her own decisions. Additionally, since Curley’s wife was married and moved to this ranch at a young age, she never got the chance to live out her dreams of being an actress and “making something of herself”. “Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes-all them nice clothes like they wear” (89). This dialogue shows that Curley’s wife chooses to “dress up” on a daily basis to feel like she's closer to her dreams. Although the men see it differently and assume she's being flirtatious or possibly promiscuous those are not her true intentions. The whole reason she got married and ran away with Curley was to get away from her mother and make her own decisions. But what she really did was go from a “bad” situation to a worst situation.

Likewise, her reputation is built off how the men talk about her which affects the way she is treated by the workers on the ranch. “She regarded them amusedly. “Funny thing”, she said. “If I catch one man, and he's alone, I get along fine with him. But just let two of the guys get together an’ you won't talk. Jus’ nothing but mad… you're all scared of each other, that's what. Ever’one of you’s scared the rest is goin’ to get something on you” (77). This further illustrates supposedly why the men treat Curley’s wife the way they do, because of the fear of the other men seeing them being nice to her and it being interpreted from a bad perspective, it could jeopardize their jobs if Curley found out. Although Curley’s wife just wants company, this fear forces everyone away from her leaving her isolated. Regardless of how Curley’s wife is portrayed by the men around the ranch, her intentions are not really to stir up trouble for anyone. But, because of her gender and the way she’s made into a possession, she is lonely among all the workers who avoid her and give her a negative reputation. She says herself many times how she's lonely longs for association.

Finally Crooks, the only African American on the farm, forced away into the barn, is often separated from the rest of the men.

While he has a crooked spine that causes his to bend to the left, he is an intelligent man, and has farm experience from the farm he grew up on. However, to the other men, he's very visible because of his color causing him to be excluded from the rest of the group most of the time. Like when the workers do activities for pass time, Crooks is never involved: “They play cards in there but I can't play because I'm black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, all of you stink to me” (68). Although, Crook’s color is making him highly visible, he's made invisible by always being separated from everyone else and what they're doing. This in turn, has made Crooks bitter in a way saying “He kept his distance and demanded that other people keep theirs” (67). Him turning bitter and distant is an effect of being made to feel unimportant and unwanted. Crooks doesn't have anyone, not a family, friends, or a place that he belongs among the other men. So, he looks for something that does belong to him and makes sure no one can take that away from him: “You got no right to come in my room. Nobody got any right in here but me” (68). This further shows how he felt hurt from being isolated from the bunkhouse, so the only way he can get equal is restricting everyone to stay out of his room, the only place he can feel he belongs. Overall, Crooks is so visible from his dark complexion that it makes him invisible, through the discrimination of the times he's made as invisible as he is visible. In turn making him bitterly further isolate himself from others to prevent being hurt even

further.

In Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”, the message of loneliness is conveyed through the characters. Sexism, ageism, racism, abuse of power over others, are all demonstrations of ways people, Candy, Curley's wife, and Crooks have been separated from others. While all three have different trials, the outcome of loneliness says the same. The experiences of Candy, Curley’s wife, and Crooks are all examples of how unpredictable life really is. All of these characters had a plan for the life they wanted and believed they would make, but none went as planned because life has unexpected turns that no one can see coming. In Robert Burns poem it said, “The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men Gang aft agley, An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, For promis’d joy!” What Robert Burns is basically saying is no matter how well a plan is put together and thought out. Life is never predictable and will always change and if people get their hearts set on the idea of this joy they promised themselves, then all that will come from this is pain. What people fail to recognize is life doesn't promise joy, it's people's minds and hopes that do.