Of Mice and Men Bob has a horrible life. He has no money and his time is consumed with drinking alcohol. He sleeps on the street and is miserable and lonely. This is how he lives because he spent the best part of his life searching for the American Dream. Bob is not the only person who’s life has been ruined by the American Dream. Many Characters in the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck face a similar situation. The book is essentially about the American Dream causing loneliness and is written to prove that loneliness becomes inevitable when following the American Dream. Whether the characters have companionship or not in the beginning of the book, they lose it by the end. The main character, George, begins the book with companionship and hope. He travels with his friend Lennie. He and Lennie frequently talk about the fact that they are not alone saying “I got you to look after me, and you go me to look after you” (Steinbeck 14). Their companionship is ruined when Lennie who is mentally challenged and very strong accidentally kills a woman by breaking her neck. George is forced to kill him because Lennie will be killed by someone else if he doesn’t. Originally their goal was to live the American Dream by getting “a little house and a couple of acres an’ a …show more content…
All the men on the farm think she is a tart because she tries to talk to them. Her American Dream is to be a movie star. She clings to the belief that she would not have been lonely if she had achieved this dream.The only thing that keeps her going is the thought that she might still have a chance at being a star. “I coulda made somethin’ of myself, She said darkly, maybe I will yet” (Steinbeck 88). Her loneliness could be caused by her dreams because she is unwilling to settle down and live where she is. She is left lonely her whole life as she dies early at the hands of
Lennie Small, a mentally impaired man, is first introduced to us traveling with George. George, however, is not related to Lennie. Lennie travels with George because no one else understands him like he does. Lennie says, “Because…because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you…” (Steinbeck 14). Lennie believes if George ever left him that he could live in a cave by himself and not bother anyone again (Steinbeck 12). Lennie realizes he would be alone without George, but he never has known anyone else to depend on but George, and from that, they have a bond, a friendship. This shows Lennie’s need for his relationship with George.
Loneliness is the sadness resulting from being forsaken or abandoned. John Steinbeck brought up the theme of loneliness in many characters in Of Mice and Men. Crooks, Curley?s wife, and Candy expressed the theme of loneliness in many different forms throughout the story. Early in the novella George said, life working as ranch hands is about the loneliness of living, for these people finding friendship seems to be impossible. Crooks expressed feelings of loneliness throughout Of Mice and Men.
In the whole of the novella, Steinbeck uses a great deal of imagery in his writing, Therefore, helping us to understand the settings of the novel in much more detail. Within the first page of the book, Steinbeck uses a great deal of words and phrases that contribute to the recurring theme of loneliness. The name of the town in which he bases the entire novel is ‘Soledad’ which means ‘Lonely’ In Spanish. This is a key part of the novel, as it means the whole book’s surroundings, (no matter where it is), is based around that one meaning of ‘Loneliness’. Further on, in the first page Steinbeck describes to the reader the surroundings of the town, he uses a range of detailed vocabulary to emphasise the towns’ Isolation and Loneliness.
“Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for.” Dag Hammarskiold Loneliness is an emotional response to a lack of companionship. Loneliness is also a lack of connection. In the book of mice and men, all the characters portray loneliness in one way or another.
Have you ever felt alone or isolated? In the story, ¨Of Mice and Men¨ by John Steinbeck each one of these characters are lonely. On ranch full of workers, you can still get lonely. ¨Of Mice and Men” this story demonstrates the feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Friendship is the basic necessity every human needs in their life. Everyday this is proven in the real world, but this statement is also proven in the book, “Of Mice and Men”. Throughout the book we see many characters at crucial points and the ones who are able to bounce back are the ones who have relationships with others. In the book, "Of Mice and Men", we can see loneliness on the ranch is deeply portrayed through the characters Lennie, Crooks, and Curley's wife because of various different reasons.
George’s outlook on life is bitter and he harbors deep suspicion towards other people due to his feelings of loneliness and feelings of alienation. When George and Lennie first arrive at the ranch’s bunkhouse, the boss conducts an impromptu “interview. Candy,the swamper at the ranch, led the boss into the bunkhouse,and waited outside. George display’s his suspicion towards Candy by stating that he doesn’t appreciate people “poking” their “big ears into” their “business(Steinbeck 24). Later Curley,the son of the boss,comes into the bunkhouse a while later after the boss left.
In the book Of Mice and Men, loneliness occurs multiple times throughout which causes many conflicts. There are different reasons that the characters are lonely and by the end of the novel, it shows how it has affected them. It gets into why each character is lonely and their story. Truly understanding what each character has been through is the complicated part. Has loneliness taken over?
Loneliness and isolation cause people to be sad and feel like they have no one. In the book of Mice and Men if a woman or if a person has a different skin colour or if someone has a disability people in the book think that person is weak and the character gets isolated and lonely. In the novel, of Mice and Men, people who are seen as weak are isolated. This will show that if a character thinks that another character is weak that they will be lonely and isolated. People in the novel sees Crooks as a weak character and causes him to be lonely and isolated.
disease? Even though there are different types of loneliness all three of these characters in Of Mice and Men are lonely, but all for different reasons.
John Steinbeck is the author of Of Mice and Men which takes place near the Salinas River in California during the Great Depression. During this time, it was every man for himself and many people were looking for jobs. Drifters would go to ranches and work for a few months then leave. In his novel, Steinbeck uses Candy, Crooks, and Curley's wife to support the overall theme of loneliness. To start, Steinbeck uses Candy, the swamper, to contribute to the theme of loneliness.
Jesus Christ, somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself”(13). Lennie knows that he couldn’t actually live off in a cave by himself, and so does George. George could be more successful without Lennie in his life, but he values the companionship between them, and always depends on Lennie to be there for him. The two rely on each other to always be there for one another. Also, when George and Lennie are talking about the farm dream, Lennie says that they aren’t like most guys because, “I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you…”(14). George and Lennie both know that they are always there for each other, and that is what makes them different. They can always depend on each other to protect and take care of each other. Additionally, when George warns Lennie about Curley, Lennie says, “Don’t let him sock me, George”(29).
In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, loneliness is defined as being sad from being apart from other people. Yet sometimes even when surrounded by numerous people, a person can feel as lonely as ever. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, loneliness is a palpable emotion in almost every character. The ranchers are not apart from other people; they are able to go into town and socialize, as well as amongst themselves. There are a lot of ranchers living in the ranch, yet each character portrays loneliness in a way unique to him or herself, especially characters such as Candy and Crooks.
Just about every character talks about their loneliness, some more that others. All the characters say at one point that they feel lonely and it affects their actions. Curley’s wife always looking for conversation, Crooks being in his own house, and Candy not having happiness and a companion. Their loneliness is a recurring feeling
Loneliness is a power in itself. When you are lonely you realize what is really important to you, and you have time to think about your values. Your loneliness can become your greatest ally because you can grow stronger in yourself, and in turn, defeat a weaker individual. In Of Mice and Men, most characters use their isolation and loneliness to defeat a weaker character in the story.