Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

604 Words2 Pages

Written in the late 1930's, the novel "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck is a perfect representation of the loneliness and depression which surrounded the citizens of the United States in the Great Depression. In a time period where the weak were eliminated, "Of Mice and Men" tells the story of two friends (George and Lennie) and their tragic pursuit for contentment. Throughout their journey, these two friends encounter several people who reflect the grim reality of the era. Although all of these characters have very different backgrounds, all of them hold in common the burning desire for companionship. Unfortunately, this burning desire is a euphoria that no character obtains. Throughout the story, George and Lennie represent the power of human companionship. Without George, Lennie simply would not be able to survive in a world where the weak are constantly destroyed. In the eyes of George, Lennie is his only friend and is the companion that most men in this time period desperately crave. Together, these two men are able to lean on each other regardless …show more content…

Candy is a lonely old handyman who constantly fears of losing his job. Crooks is a bitter, crippled black man who is not even allowed in the same house as the others. Even Curly, the main antagonist, is constantly attempting to make himself seem more powerful than he really is, and is lonely enough to marry a women who does not even like him. Because of the loneliness that these men harbor, there is either a total loss of faith for a better future, such as Crooks, or a desire to cling to whatever hope may come their way, such as Candy. When Lennie comes into Crook's barn, Crooks tells Lennie "Just like heaven. Ever'body wants a little piece of lan'. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land" (Steinbeck

Show More
Related

  • The Blindness on John Stienbeck´s Of Mice and Men

    545 Words  | 2 Pages

    Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a novel about loneliness and the American Dream. This book takes place during the Great Depression. It was very difficult for people to survive during this time period. A lot of people hardly survived let alone had the necessities they needed to keep relationships healthy. Of Mice of Men has a common theme of disappointment. All the characters struggle with their unaccomplished dreams. The migrant workers, stable buck, swamper, and the other men on the ranch had an unsettled disappointment of where they were at in their lives. George and Lennie, two newcomers to the ranch, aren’t like the other guys. They have each other and they are the not loneliest people in the world. Lennie has a dream though he wants to own a farm with plenty of crops and animals one day. The only problem is his blind curiosity of people and things around him. George wasn’t justified for killing Lennie because Lennie was innocent and never got the chance to find out what he did wrong.

    Read More

  • Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    1117 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck depicts the essential loneliness of California ranch life in the 1930s. He illustrates how people are driven to find companionship. There were so many moments of loneliness and sadness throughout the novel, including many deaths. Following the deaths, they were very unexpected making the novel more intense and latch onto it more.

    Read More

  • The Theme of Loneliness in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

    686 Words  | 2 Pages

    The idea of solitude is a strong theme held throughout the entire novel "Of Mice and Men". Without it, many of the key events that occur in the book would not have happened, for example, the death of Curley’s wife, which eventually lead to the unfortunate death of Lennie.

    Read More

  • Loneliness in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

    2203 Words  | 5 Pages

    Mother Theresa once said, "Loneliness is a man's worst poverty." Without friends and companions, people begin to suffer from loneliness and solitude (Dusenbury 38). Loneliness is an inevitable fact of life and cannot be avoided, as shown prevalent through each of the characters in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. Each and every character in this novel exhibits loneliness. Lennie was isolated for being mentally handicapped, Candy was isolated for being old and disabled, Crooks was for being black, Curley's wife for being a woman, and George for having to care for Lennie and being unable to socialize with others because of Lennie's consistency of getting into trouble from town to town.

    Read More

  • Loneliness in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

    1297 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the novel, Of Mice and Men (by John Steinbeck), loneliness is the major underlying theme of the novel. You could almost say that the book has ‘hormonal' up's and down's. Most of the characters are very lonely because they have no family. However, George and Lennie are the contradiction to this. George and Lennie's bond towards each other are so- strong that you can almost see it as you are reading the book. Candy the old crippled man wants to be part of George and Lennie's dream to own a farm and "live off the fatta the land". Curley and his dog are like the metaphor in the book for George and Lennie. Candy has to take care of his dog and George of Lennie. The other two characters in the novel that are apart of the overall theme of loneliness are crooks the crippled stable buck and Curley's wife the flirtatious city girl. Crook's fits in to the loneliness theme because he is black. During this time in history, there was very little racial empathy. So being black means that he is isolated from everyone else at the ranch. Speaking of isolation, curley's wife feels very isolated because her husband, Curley, doesn't trust her at all, however, because Curley is so strict and concerned about her flirting with other guys it almost fuels her desire to cause trouble.

    Read More

  • Friendship in Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men"

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Were born alone we live alone die alone. Only through love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that were not alone” Orson Welles. In this novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck focuses on the loneliness of California ranch life in the 1930’s. One of the most important things in the life is to have a friend, without friends people will suffer from loneliness like in this novel, not everyone in the novel has the same connection and special friendship like George and Lennie’s. Of Mice and Men is the story about lonely men who travel from ranch to ranch not really communicating with other ranch hands. Candy, Crooks and Curley’s wife all were lonely and dealt with their loneliness in different ways.

    Read More

  • Loneliness in Of Mice of Men by John Stienbeck

    926 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.” - Mother Teresa

    Read More

  • The Nature Of Life In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    911 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book “Of Mice and Men” was published in 1937 by John Steinbeck. It is one of Steinbeck 's influential novels. The book talks about lonely lives of two migrant workers, George Milton and Lennie Small. Of Mice and Men shows the impact of the “Great Depression” had on many American 's ability to succeed financially. John Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men in order to express his social conscience about America in the 1930 's. Of Mice and Men is a novel about dreams, friendship, loneliness, and hope. Through the memorable characters of George and Lennie, Steinbeck painted a portrait about friendship that we all can learn from.

    Read More

  • Of Mice and Men

    1567 Words  | 4 Pages

    I have been analysing the novella ‘Of Mice and men’ by John Steinbeck, which was published in 1937. Steinbeck wrote the novel based on his own experiences as a bindle stiff in the 1920’s, around the same time when the great Wall Street crash happened, causing an immense depression in America. Throughout the novel he uses a recurring theme of loneliness in his writing, which may have reflected his own experiences at this time. This is evident in his writing by the way he describes the characters, setting and language in the novel.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    876 Words  | 2 Pages

    “‘A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is… I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick,” (Steinbeck 73). In this statement, Crooks, a character in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, divulges what effect loneliness can have on a human being. In the novel, the two main characters escape to a ranch where they must face the conflict that seems to follow them. Set in the 1930s during the Great Depression, Steinbeck brilliantly portrays the loneliness and suspicion that was common during the time. Much like in everyday life, we can see the way in which loneliness drives people to become isolated, crave companionship, and refuse to express emotion.

    Read More

  • Of Mice And Men Friendship Essay

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    Candy confesses that he is going to get fired soon because he's too old and that the men believe that when you grow old, "You’re no good to himself nor nobody else" (60). Another character that illustrates cruelty is Crooks, an isolated character. Crooks remembers his past, rather than preparing for his future. His longing for freedom and equality is shown when Crooks bitterly tells Lennie, “S'pose you didn't have nobody, a guy needs somebody – to be near him. . .a

    Read More

  • Loneliness

    683 Words  | 2 Pages

    Of Mice and Men is a colorful piece of American literature that depicts the lives of multiple individuals in the Great Depression over the course of a few days. The author, John Steinbeck, approaches several themes and topics throughout the novel and really makes the reader think and ponder over the issues being discussed. One key theme that is always present in Of Mice and Men is the idea of loneliness. In the novel loneliness can be found in the relationships characters have with others, sexism, and racism. Even the town that the novel takes place in is Soledad, which is Spanish for loneliness. Of Mice and Men accurately shows the hardships that loneliness can inflict on people in the Great Depression and even today and is a topic that a myriad of readers can connect with and sympathies for.

    Read More

  • The Themes Of Society In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    Of Mice & Men opens and concludes against a beautiful landscape that epitomises limitless possibilities. The novella, penned by John Steinbeck and published in 1937 transpires during the Great Depression, focusing on George Milton and Lennie Small – two of the countless migrant workers seeking employment in California. Based on Steinbeck’s experiences as a bindlestiff, the text is recognised for its reflective themes relating to society; delving into the experiences of those living during the Depression. The book particularly emphasises social subjugation and the issues of sexism, racism and discrimination for being different.

    Read More

  • Loneliness In John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice And Men'

    150 Words  | 1 Pages

    Mario Diaz. 1/4/17 The Of Mice and Men theme in the story was loneliness To start with Crooks is a lonely character in the novel Of Mice and Men. Crooks is lonely because he can’t hang with the guys because of his skin color and just stays in his room with barn animals.

    Read More

  • Economic Turmoil In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    1179 Words  | 3 Pages

    They meet a fellow worker named Candy, who in fact, does not have any family, goals, or meaning. He wishes for a purpose, and offers money in order to be able to accompany them on their journey and be able to stay, when they are able to have a ranch of their own. However, this resolution is seen as implausible, due to trouble with the wife of the boss’ son. Awk end is set, and Lennie has parted, George is alone and the dream is no more. This novella conveys a message of loneliness.

    Read More

More about Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Open Document