John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

1176 Words3 Pages

"Of Mice and Men" is a play written by John Steinbeck that focuses on life during the mid 1930's. This play has many recurring themes, and one of these themes is that of loneliness. This loneliness is because of the intolerance of society on those who are different. The underlying, yet stunningly obvious, theme of loneliness can be found in many characters with many examples. This loneliness due to isolation and intolerance is found in the characters of Candy, because he is old and useless; Crooks, because he is black and crippled; and Curley's wife, because she is a beautiful woman and the only girl on and all guy ranch.
The first character which has the theme of loneliness wrapped around him is Candy. Candy is an old man who is missing his right hand. According to his description in the play, Candy is "A stoop-shouldered old man, dressing in blue jeans and a denim coat...his right hand is gone at the wrist" (p. 4). His handicap happened on the farm "[Candy] lost [his] hand right here on the ranch. That's why they didn't can [him]." (p. 14). Candy owns a dog. The other men on the ranch cannot stand the sight or smell of Candy's dog. When Candy is confronted by Carlson "Gosh that dog stinks. Get him outa here, Candy….You got to get him outa here." (p. 11) he has no way to defend himself. In the end of this confrontation, Candy ends up being forced to let his dog be killed by Carlson "I'll put the old devil outa his misery right now and get it over with. There ain't nothing' left for him" (p. 12) Candy lets Carlson kill his dog because he feels pressured into it. There is nobody that will come to his aid and tell Carlson to not kill the old mutt. Another example that Candy is isolated from the other men is apparent because we are always given the impression that Candy is left behind. When the men go into town to the cathouse, Candy is left behind, along with Curley's Wife and Crooks. Another example of Candy's isolation is when the men are on the hunt for Lennie, Candy is left behind in the bunkhouse. Candy is an isolated and lonely old man in John Steinbeck's play "Of Mice and Men" because he has nothing to great to contribute to the rest of the ranch.
Another character that emphasizes the theme of loneliness is Curley's Wife. She is marri...

... middle of paper ...

...igger. Crooks is a character in the play that stands out because he is black where everyone else is white, crippled while everyone else is healthy, and good at horseshoes where nobody else is.
Other characters that suffer from loneliness are Curley and Slim as well as Lennie. When looking at "Of Mice and Men" it is awfully hard to not recognize the theme of loneliness. There is symbolism in this play. Lennie is portrayed as slow, or mentally retarded. Candy is portrayed as old and a cripple who is unnecessary. Crooks is seen as a black man with a broken back which to me symbolizes the burden that society has laid through racism on the black people of North America. Curley's Wife is the other character that is isolated because she is different. She is a woman in a man's world with nobody to understand or even comprehend what that is like. John Steinbeck portrays an allegory to the real world in his play. The theme of loneliness and discrimination is a strong one that is topped off by George killing Lennie. In the end, George is left alone with nobody to become a 'bindle stiff' who moves from ranch to ranch and spends his pay in a cathouse just like every other farm hand.

of mice and men...theme of lonliness in the book
558 Words | 2 Pages
Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is a book that can be analyzed and broken down into a vast majority of themes. One of the predominant themes found in this book is loneliness. Many characters in this book are affected by loneliness and they all demonstrate it in one way or another throughout the book. Examples of these characters are Curley’s Wife, Crooks, and Candy.
Read More
Trapped Characters in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men
583 Words | 2 Pages
Crooks is a character who is mistreated in many ways because he is black. Crooks is the stable buck of the barn. It’s not certain whether Crooks is his name, or his nickname, but we know he got kicked in the back by a horse and had a crooked back ever since. Nevertheless he gets yelled at by the boss every time something’s wrong. " ‘The boss gives him hell when he’s mad. But the stable buck don’t give a damn
Read More
Why are characters lonely in Of Mice and Men?
703 Words | 2 Pages
In conclusion, all of these characters from “Of Mice and Men” are lonely in their own ways. Candy is old and he lost his only friend, his dog. Crooks is segregated from the society because he is black and not allowed to be with the whites. Also last but not least, Curley’s wife is lonely because she is a woman and she was born with that. In our society, right now, women have a lot of rights, from getting jobs to voting.
Read More
Of Mice and Men, 3 Characters with Loneliness
406 Words | 1 Pages
Steinbeck expresses the theme of loneliness in the character of Candy. Candy is lonely because his is missing half an arm. Candy?s disability separates him from society, an example of Curley being set aside is when everybody else goes to town he is left in the barn with Crooks, Lennie, and Curley?s wife. Candy?s only friendship was with his old, smelly dog. Candy?s dog was a symbol of himself (old, and useless). When Carlson kills Candy?s dog he kills Candy on the inside as well.
Read More
Theme of Loneliness in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men
691 Words | 2 Pages
The effects of loneliness on people are displayed in the novel Of Mice and Men through the character of Curley's Wife. As stated, when people feel lonely their actions and way of life are affected. In the plot they show that if it wasn't for Curley's Wife's loneliness she may not have died the way she did. Because she is so lonely she goes to the other men in the bunkhouse for company. When all of the men refuse to spend time with her because of the reaction Curley has on this, she goes to the one person on the ranch that she knows will talk to her, the mentally retarded man, Lennie. While talking to him she asks him to feel her hair, which he does and this leads to her death by breaking her neck. If it wasn't for Curley's Wife's loneliness, she would have never gone to Lennie for company and she wouldn't have died on that day in that way. Because this happens in the novel and there are so many other lonely characters in the novel, such as Curley, Candy, Crooks and George in the end, the theme of the novel Of Mice and Men is loneliness and the need for companions.
Read More
The Loneliness Of mice and Men
401 Words | 1 Pages
In the touching and gripping tale of John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, he explains many themes throughout the books. One of the major themes is loneliness, which is shown throughout many different characters, for example, Curley’s wife, the stable buck (Crooks), and Lennie.
Read More
John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men
1096 Words | 3 Pages
This is a novella written by John Steinbeck in 1937, about two men that lived during the depression. They were migrant workers, who wanted to buy a farm. ()
Read More
John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men
678 Words | 2 Pages
Man needs companionship and has difficulty maintaining it because no humans think the exact same or have the exact same beliefs. To maintain a companion you must have things in common, you must be able to disagree with a sort of respectful understanding, and finally you must care legitimately about that person. These three requirements to preserve a companionship are at times arduous to keep true. Some people do not have the time, concern, or the ability to sustain a veritable friendship with a companion or companions.
Read More
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
1081 Words | 3 Pages
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Hopes and Dreams Help People to Survive, Even if they can Never. Become Real How is this true for George and Lennie/ the characters in ‘Of Mice and the.. Men’. An important theme in ‘Of Mice and Men’ is that of hope and dreams. The main dream is that of George and Lennie to own a smallholding and work self-sufficiently.
Read More
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
4582 Words | 10 Pages
By then there was no more land to be claimed and America had built up
Read More
How Does Steinbeck Present The Theme Of Loneliness In Of Mice And Men
686 Words | 2 Pages
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
Read More
Justifying Evil for Good is Cruel
902 Words | 2 Pages
Murphy expresses how justifying bad deeds for good is cruel by first stirring the reader’s emotions on the topic of bullying with pathos. In “White Lies,” Murphy shares a childhood memory that takes the readers into a pitiful classroom setting with Arpi, a Lebanese girl, and the arrival of Connie, the new girl. Murphy describes how Arpi was teased about how she spoke and her name “a Lebanese girl who pronounced ask as ax...had a name that sounded too close to Alpo, a brand of dog food...” (382). For Connie, being albino made her different and alone from everyone else around her “Connie was albino, exceptionally white even by the ultra-Caucasian standards... Connie by comparison, was alone in her difference” (382). Murphy tries to get the readers to relate and pity the girls, who were bullied for being different. The author also stirs the readers to dislike the bullies and their fifth grade teacher. Murphy shares a few of the hurtful comments Connie faced such as “Casper, chalk face, Q-Tip... What’d ya do take a bath in bleach? Who’s your boyfriend-Frosty the Snowman?” (382). Reading the cruel words can immediately help one to remember a personal memory of a hurtful comment said to them and conclude a negative opinion of the bullies. The same goes for the fifth grade teac...
Read More
Of Mice And Men - The Importance Of George
1823 Words | 4 Pages
Even from the very start of John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, the uniqueness of George, as a character, is already noticeable. He is described as “small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp strong features” and has an obvious dominance over the relationship between Lennie and himself. This lets the reader know from a very early stage in the book that George is different, and probably the essential character. George’s character seems to be used by Steinbeck to reflect the major themes of the novel: loneliness, prejudice, the importance of companionship, the danger of devoted companionships, and the harshness of Californian ranch life.
Read More
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
1139 Words | 3 Pages
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck George and Lennie are examples of'migrant' or 'itinerant' farm. workers who fuelled and made possible the intensive farming economy. These men would travel great distances, however they could, often by foot, or by the empty boxcars that were later used to carry the grain. they helped to farm. They would receive $2.50 - $3.00 a day, plus. board, which meant food and a room.
Read More
The Importance of Lennie and George’s Friendship in Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck
658 Words | 2 Pages
The famed nurses study from Harvard found “Not having a close friend is as detrimental to your health as smoking.” Lennie and George’s friendship is necessary to keep the better for each other. Throughout the story, Lennie and George need each other and look out for one another no matter what. Lennie and George’s friendship and journey throughout the story symbolizes the struggles to achieve the American dream. Steinbeck, in the story Of Mice and Men, combines characterization and symbolism to prove friends do whats best for eachother.
Read More

Open Document

Wait a second!

John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

of mice and men...theme of lonliness in the book

Trapped Characters in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

Why are characters lonely in Of Mice and Men?

Of Mice and Men, 3 Characters with Loneliness

Theme of Loneliness in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

The Loneliness Of mice and Men