Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The loneliness of mice and men
How does Steinbeck convey the importance of friendship in his novel
The loneliness of mice and men
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The loneliness of mice and men
Of Mice and Men 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. In the novel, Steinbeck leaves out a few names that kept the readers and I wondering what their names were instead of what they were referenced to. For instance, in the novel there was a character called “The Boss” of the ranch. We didn’t ever find out what “The Boss’s” actual name was and it somewhat agitated me on how I illustrated what “The Boss” looked …show more content…
One night, Lenny came to Crooks’ room knowing Crooks has a puppy. Lenny saw his light on and thought it was okay too go inside. Immediately after Lenny entered his room, Crooks wanted him out and right before Lenny left, Crook stopped him and asked him to stay and keep him company. Crooks had a dream throughout the novel and he quotes, "… If you … guys would want a hand to work for nothing—just his keep, why I 'd come an ' lend a hand. I ain 't so crippled I can 't work like a son-of-a-bitch if I want to." (Pg. 38) Crooks dream, it 's a really sad dream: he basically wants to be a slave …show more content…
They both spent all their time together and George was the one that took Lenny under his arm after his Aunt Clara passed away. There were other great companions throughout the novel like Candy and his old dog. Candy and his dog did everything together and were inseparable even though the workers told Candy that his dog was way to old to do anything. Lastly is Crooks, and his companion was himself because he states, "A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you. I tell ya," he cried, "I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick." (Pg.
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.
John Steinbeck, an American novelist, is well-known for his familiar themes of depression and loneliness. He uses these themes throughout a majority of his novels. These themes come from his childhood and growing up during the stock market crash. A reader can see his depiction of his childhood era. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows the prominent themes of loneliness, the need for relationships, and the loss of dreams in the 1930s through the novels’ character.
John Steinbeck’s use of figurative language and local color in Cannery Row, Sweet Thursday and Of Mice and Men show his growth as a writer and highlight the reoccurring theme of loneliness and ostracism. The time gap in between these books show that Steinbeck grows as he experiences more throughout his life. Steinbeck’s novels are always set in California due to his extensive knowledge of the area since he has lived in the area his entire life. In all of his works the characters use parts of speech and actions that are customary to that area.
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.
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.
Crooks suffers from loneliness, because he is black, not because he is an unfriendly person. Crooks, though, may seem mean, but he is just tired of being rejected and disrespected by everybody around him. Crooks has a horrible life. He will never have a companion or anybody that will respect him unless he meets another black person. Crooks says,” I’ll tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick. (Pg. 73)” He doesn’t even have the opportunity to have a companion, and that is sad.
Of Mice and Men is a novella written by John Steinbeck in the 1930’s. It possesses many prominent themes that are evident throughout the whole book. One distinct theme is loneliness. John Steinbeck uses many conventions to convey this theme to the reader including characterization, context, foreshadowing and resolution. Through the use of these conventions, readers developed attitude and opinions, which change with modern society and the reader’s context.
alone just to try make some money. This was a very bad period in the
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.
Steinbeck got the inspiration to write this book in the summer of 1922 through his experience at Spreckels Sugar Company Ranch. He worked there with Filipino and Mexican labor. The landscape of the book was familiar to where he worked. He worked in an oasis type river and renamed the location to a place called Soledad which meant solitude (Hays)...
In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows that Isolation causes loneliness and depression because people that are isolated aren’t able to have fun with friends and share their feelings. John Steinbeck writes, “I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely” (84). This quote is meaningful because Curley’s wife says it right before she dies. She says this to Lennie trying to make a friend and it gets her killed. Steinbeck’s point is that when people aren’t able to communicate with others, it can make people feel alone. When people are alone, it can make them depressed no matter who they are or where they come from. It is often said that people who are alone don’t live as long. This is because communicating with others is healthy to someone's
Loneliness turns a person into something that they never wanted to be. We might even settle less than wanting to have someone who will do ourselves good. Even then there are some who will have nobody there. Dreams can either blind us or if not followed, can change us. Fantasy like that gives hope, to make us feel like there might be something in the future. It allows a goal to be reached. Steinbeck wants the reader to consider the theme of loneliness and dreams because of how they affect us in real life, not just for a good story.
Have you ever been alone, or isolated? Loneliness is like a virus “it's a response to isolation and causes anxiety” (psychologytoday.com). Loneliness is heavily portrayed in “Of Mice And Men” By John Steinbeck. Every person needs a friend, someone to engage in a conversation and explain himself to. Without this you are considered lonely. In Of Mice And Men Loneliness is a strong theme that is portrayed and shows it self through two characters, Crooks and Curley's Wife.
Being lonely is a difficult and painful feeling. Nobody around you understands what you are going through and you feel as if nothing will ever change. In John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men, two men in the 1930’s travel to a California town called Soledad to work on a ranch. On this ranch many of the people are lonely. Loneliness is a reoccurring theme portrayed by the characters throughout the story.
Is there a level of understanding that characters have in the development of this story. The author John Steinbeck was born in February 27, 1902 in the Salinas Valley. He was the only boy of four children. He had a middle class family that lived in a small community. The Salinas Valley would later be the location of many of the short stories and books he published. Both of his parents believed in showing their children culture and often went to San Francisco to see theatre. His family also had a lot of options of books to read at home. Steinbeck went to Stanford University there he majored in English, but he didn’t get a degree. Steinbeck was wedded three times in his life the last time was to a woman named Elaine Scott and that lasted until the death of Steinbeck. He died in 1968. The common emotion felt by most of the characters in Of Mice and Men is loneliness. Being lonely is something none of the men wants to happen and the men being lonely are extremely symbolic. The men don’t want to be by themselves. Neither do they want to be left behind by society. Steinbeck wanted to show how life was during the Great Depression. Steinbeck showed how people remained affected by the misery and what people had to do to make it through the tough times. He showed how people had to make decisions not just for themselves but for the well-being of others.