Curley's Wife Loneliness

“A guy needs somebody- to be near him… don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you… I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick” (Steinbeck 72-73). Loneliness is a powerful theme in Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men. Set in the late 1930s during the Great Depression, many of his characters experience discrimination and isolation. In this novella, George and Lennie are migrant workers, and they arrive in Soledad, California, where they found a job. The only female on the ranch is married to Curley, the boss’s son; consequently, she is isolated and faces prejudice attitudes from the men. Two other characters, Candy, the old swamper on the ranch, has only one hand, and Lennie, who is mentally slow, are also both discriminated

against for their differences. Clearly, through the injustice felt by Candy, Curley’s wife and Lennie in, the theme of loneliness is revealed.
In chapter three in Of Mice and Men, 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 members; 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 not 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 had no living relatives 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 to society to help provide him with a sense of purpose and to help make him feel like someone still needs him.
Curley’s wife, introduced in chapter two as a “tart”, is the only female on the
ranch.

Therefore, she receives some attention from the migrant workers, but, ironically, Curley’s wife also faces isolation for being the only female. Because of this, she tries to attract attention and talk to the men to counteract her loneliness. An example of this, is when she comes to the bunkhouse “trying to find Curley...” (31). When Lennie is first introduced to Curley’s wife, he notices that she is pretty, and stares at her, which satisfies her longing for attention: “Lennie’s eyes moved down over her body, and though she did not seem to be looking at Lennie she bridled a little” (31). Because she knows Lennie is interested in her, while many of the other men tend to ignore her when she flirts, Curley’s wife begins to talk to Lennie more and more as she tries to find companionship. In addition, Curley’s wife is looked down upon by the other men: “ Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up. You wasn’t no good” (95). She is seen as property, and the men working on the ranch frequently refer to her in derogatory ways: “... I never seen no piece of jailbait worse than her… she’s a rattrap” (32). Furthermore, since Curley has authority, the men stay away from Curley’s wife when she is being flirtatious. Even George, the newcomer to the ranch, picks up on the clues and realizes that interacting with Curley’s wife could mean trouble; he tells Lennie, “...you keep away from her…” (32). Later, when Curley’s wife is trying to talk to Lennie, he tells her, “George says I ain’t to

have nothing to do with you-talk to you or nothing” (86). As a result of this, Curley’s wife grew angry: “Wha’s the matter with me?... I don’t know why I can’t talk to you” (87-88) Under these circumstances, Curley’s wife becomes increasingly desperate for companionship, which eventually results in her death.
Lennie and George arrive at the ranch in Soledad, California, in chapter two.

By this time, the audience can infer that Lennie is mentally slow, and because of his childish actions, unwavering loyalty, and level of education, Lennie is seen by the others as “dumb” (40), and people discriminate against him for these reasons. The workers on the ranch don’t understand that someone can be mentally challenged. For this reason, George tells them that Lennie was “kicked in the head by a horse…” (22). This explanation is easier for the men to understand, but they are still wary of Lennie- they aren’t sure what to make of him. For example, when Lennie is playing with a puppy and George tells him to take the puppy back to the barn, Slim, a worker on the ranch, says, “He’s jes’ like a kid, ain’t he” (43). In addition, Slim describes Lennie as “a cuckoo” (39), meaning crazy and dumb. Along with acting childish, Lennie also follows George’s orders with a fierce loyalty. George knows this, and explains to Slim: “If I tol’ him to walk over a cliff, over he’d go” (40). Even though George and Lennie are friends, George uses Lennie’s trust against him- George pranks Lennie for his own enjoyment. Ashamed with his actions, George confesses to Slim, “One day a bunch of guys was standin’ around up on the Sacramento River… I turns to Lennie and says, ‘Jump in.’ An’ he jumps. Couldn’t swim a stroke. He damn near drowned before we could get him” (40). It is a sad realization for George that he used

his own best friend and hurt him. Furthermore, Lennie’s language and actions towards everyone- even those who treat him unjustly- are kind, but slightly uneducated and misguided. In many situations, Lennie is trying to do the right thing, but he makes inexperienced mistakes which eventually cancel out his attempts to be kind. For example, when Curley’s wife is trying to talk to him, Lennie first insists that George “says I can’t tend no rabbits if I talk to you…” (86), but eventually, he breaks down and repeats to Curley’s wife over and over that he wants to tend the rabbits, breaking George’s rule, and convincing Curley’s wife that he is “nuts” (90). For the most part, Lennie is treated well, but in some cases, he is judged, mistreated, and is put down for other’s pleasure, and because of this, he feels alone.
Candy, Curley’s wife, and Lennie are three characters that experience different situations of discrimination and isolation, which expresses the theme of loneliness in the novella Of Mice and Men. The experiences of these three people reveals that even though we may plan and strategize, life is unpredictable. As Robert Burns states, “The best laid schemes o’ Mice and Men/ Go oft awry” (Burns). In the novella, Candy, Curley’s wife, and Lennie all encounter issues that are unplanned and unexpected. This just goes to show that no matter how well we think we have planned for the future, life’s inconsistency will impact our plans and dreams and change our destiny.