How Does Steinbeck Present The Theme Of Loneliness In Of Mice And Men

Born 1902 in California, John Steinbeck grew up in a hard time for America. The Great Depression hit in 1929, leaving thousands of American people jobless, homeless, and poor. Along with this, the Dust Bowl occurred in 1931, which also killed and starved thousands. During this time period, many people did not have a home, and moved from farm to farm in order to feed themselves. John Steinbeck was one of the hundreds of thousands of migrant farm workers during this time. All of Steinbeck’s books are based off of American history, and migrant farm workers in the eyes of the people. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses the characters Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife to contribute to the overall theme of loneliness.
First, Candy is a character that contributes to the overall theme of loneliness. Candy is a crippled old man, whom his only family is his dog. When contemplating whether to shoot the old dog to put it out of its misery, Candy explains, “Maybe tomorra. Le’s wait till tomorra.” (Steinbeck 47). Candy wants to put off shooting his one and only possession because he knows that his dog is a part of him and

that once he dies he will have nothing left of himself. Steinbeck explains, “A shot sounded in a distance…Every head turned toward him… For a moment he continued to stare at the ceiling. Then he rolled slowly over and faced the wall and lay silent.” (Steinbeck 49). The shooting of his dog was the finalization of his one and only cherished item leaving him for good. Candy realizes that everything he has in his life, his one prized possession, is now gone. Due to the death of his dog, Candy is now lonely.
Secondly, Crooks is a character that contributes to the overall theme of loneliness. Crooks is an older, black man who is excluded from many things because of his race. After the men go into town Lennie finds himself wandering into the man’s cabin. After allowing Lennie to enter, Crooks begins talking to him. Crooks explains, “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guys is, long’s he’s with you.” (Steinbeck 72). Crooks believes that having somebody, anybody, to talk to is better than having nobody. Crooks also explains, “I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick.” (Steinbeck 73). Being isolated from people makes a person sick in the mind. It’s hard to function if you do not have anyone to communicate with. Being isolated from the others due to his race leaves Crooks as a contributor to the overall theme of loneliness.
Finally, Curley’s wife contributes to the overall theme of loneliness.

After stumbling across Lennie in the barn one day while the other men were playing horse shoes, she explains to him, “Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.” (Steinbeck 86). Especially being a woman during this time period, Curley’s wife is left to talking to no one but her husband. Because she is young, and beautiful, people perceive her something she is not (a slut), which keeps people from interacting with her. She explains, “…I can’t talk to nobody but Curley…” (Steinbeck 87). She is forced to talk only to none other than her husband in whom she does not like. It is considered wrong to talk with other men, even if it has nothing to do with a wanted relationship. Being a wrongly perceived woman leaves Curley’s wife feeling

lonely.
In conclusion, the characters Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife all contribute to the overall theme of loneliness. The one thing that gave Candy the motivation to live was his dog, in which they shot, leaving him alone. Being black, left Crooks isolated from the other men in which the loneliness is now making him sick. Curley’s wife is forced to solely talk to her disliked husband, which leaves her lonely. John Steinbeck represents loneliness in Of Mice and Men through the characters of Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife.