Loneliness in Of Mice and Men In Of Mice and Men, one specific, recurring word is loneliness. Almost all of the characters in the book experience loneliness, some more than others. Loneliness plays quite a large role within the lives of the characters and is displayed through conversations between them. The most common depiction of loneliness within the minds of people is that it is physical, mainly pertaining to the surroundings of one’s body. This image is demonstrated in Of Mice and Men through various characters. When George and Slim are talking by themselves in the bunkhouse about Lennie and George traveling together, George says, “‘You get used to goin’ around with a guy an’ you can’t get rid of him’” (41). George has become accustomed …show more content…
to being around Lennie all the time, and by leaving Lennie, George may not have any other friend to keep him company. Without Lennie, George would feel lonely, even if their friendship consisted of sitting in silence sometimes. Crooks, on the other hand, has experienced loneliness for the majority of his life. He was not allowed to play with any of the white kids as a child because his father did not like them, and “‘There wasn’t another colored family for miles around’” (70). He told Lennie that “‘A guy needs somebody- to be near him’” (72). Crooks was lonely growing up because he had no friends, and his loneliness did not fade while he was working in Soledad. Another character who feels lonely in this way is Curley’s wife. Whenever Curley’s wife makes an entrance, she is always asking if anyone has seen Curley around. She tells Lennie that she “can’t talk to nobody but Curley” while trying to get Lennie to talk to her (87). Curley’s wife gets lonely because, when she is not talking to her husband, she is stuck at home by herself without any other people around to keep her company. Another idea of “loneliness” in Of Mice and Men is the feeling of isolation which gives the word an emotional connotation.
This type of internal loneliness goes hand-in-hand with the phrase “no one understands,” and plays a large role in Lennie’s life. When Lennie accidentally kills the puppy, he covers it in hay and hopes that George will not see what he has done, so that George does not get upset with Lennie. It was only moments later that Lennie made the same mistake with Curley’s wife and says, “‘I shouldn’t of did that. George’ll be mad’” (92). Lennie is motivated to feel like he has done wrong because of what George says and not because he understands the situation which results in him feeling lonely because he does not have a way to connect with George in morality. Also, when George tells Slim about the situation with Lennie in Weed, he says that Lennie was accused of rape for touching a girl’s dress, and people sent out a “party. . .to lynch Lennie” (42). Those people in Weed misunderstood Lennie and his motives, and Lennie had to get away from the town. Lennie knows that he is very different from everyone else because people do not understand him, and if people fail to feel the way he does, Lennie has no one to connect with; therefore, he feels all alone. Lennie’s lack of understanding of the things around him, and others’ lack of understanding of him, forces him to make up things in his mind, like a child who has an imaginary friend. In the last chapter, Lennie is
hiding around the Salinas River when his dead Aunt Clara starts talking to him in “Lennie’s voice” (101). His aunt is not actually with him because he makes her up in his mind, but Lennie thought of her because he was not close to anyone else. Lennie needed someone to connect with, so he created a person from his own memories to talk to and connect with. The main cause of loneliness in these characters’ lives is not having other people to talk to. Whether they are talking about how they feel and understanding each other’s emotions or just rambling on about nothing of any significance at all, people like to be around other people. Without having others who are willing to listen, or, better yet, comfort them, people start to feel lonely.
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.
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 novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and the poem "Eleanor Rigby" by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, many of the characters are experiencing loneliness. When people feel lonely their way of lifestyle are different then that of someone's who's not lonely or them if they were not lonely. Also because they are lonely their actions are different. They portray this in both the novel and the poem.
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.
Factors that can fuel loneliness are abundant: depression, trauma, social rejection, loss, low self-esteem, etc. The aspect of human connection and interaction is a psychological requirement for all people, even to those who push others away. These elements of isolation are presented through three methods in a 1938 novel of friendship. John Steinbeck uses indirect characterization, discrimination, and conflict to demonstrate the effects of loneliness and need for companionship in his novel Of Mice and Men.
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.
Personally I believe that this statement is true in every aspect. Loneliness is a big part of the book "Of mice and men." The book shows loneliness in every ones life in the book.
Yet what most fail to see is that Of Mice and Men portrays both aspects of human life through the mutual friendship of two uncommon men, George and Lennie, the dream they both share, and the sudden calamity that befalls them. Relationships are an important part of life. Humans need relationships because we are dependent on each other to survive. Babies need their mothers to feed and nurse them, and friends need each other to support, comfort, sympathize, and understand them. The friendship between George and Lennie outlined the core of Of Mice and Men, and although it’s sometimes idealized and exaggerated throughout the novel, there is no question of its sincerity.
George's often dismaying desire is to accompany Lennie. Georges loneliness is very peculiar as unlike the other characters who face seclusion, George is united with a friend. However, Lennie is a phenomenally immature adult and as a result feels isolated. This affects him as he ends up either instructing or telling of Lennie when they talk which ultimately means George cannot have adult conversation, something which he deeply desires. An example of Lennie immaturity is shown when George enquires why he has a dead mouse.
Famous German physician Albert Schweitzer said, “We are all so much together, but we are all dying of loneliness.” In the novel Of Mice and Men, written during the Great Depression, loneliness is a very important theme. I am going to write about how loneliness has impacted the lives of George, Crooks and Curley's wife, in this essay.
Sometimes in the story Mice And Men lennie will feel lonely because he think dont nobody treat him with no respect and like an outsider. All he wanted was friends but dont nobodt likes him becasuse he’s different from everynody else and they thinks he’s weird. lennie is a clueless person people dont really know anything about him or where he come from.
Throughout the novel, George longs for solitude - a life without Lennie. When Lennie irritates him, he throws a
When reading this novel, the first characters that are introduced is George and Lennie. Now, even though they have their friendship, the reader can infer that George is lonely. He is always having to take care of Lennie and his mistakes. This leaves no time for himself. George hasn’t had the opportunity to find that special person in his life to make him happy.
Even though they aren’t in the novel much it’s kind of showing if you get too overall lonely then you just disappear. George and Lennie are the main dose of how being close to someone can change your view on things. This whole book talks about being lonely but with George and Lennie it’s different.
In society, a difference exists between being alone and being lonely. Being alone can be viewed as a necessity for some people, when they need to take a step back from reality. However, loneliness can be dangerous because it can lead to negative thoughts and actions. For example, people who endure loneliness may feel unwanted and could be driven to go through with dangerous actions. This argument about the toxic nature of loneliness presents itself in Of Mice and Men.