Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Whether you are being left out or ignored, or the person who receives all the attention, everyone gets lonely sometimes. Everyone feels left out at times. Sometimes it’s being left out by choice or just being forgotten by others. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, every character relates to the theme of loneliness in their own way. George’s desire for family, Lennie’s mental disability, and Candy’s physical disability leads to the loneliness of these characters.
In the beginning of the novel George states “I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my trail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl” (Steinbeck 7). This quotation describes how if George did not have to take care of Lennie his whole life he

could have a family. With Lennie by his side everyday it makes it hard to find a girl who will deal with Lennie like George has. George gets sick of moving from ranch to ranch because Lennie does something ruthless. He just wants his own place. George utters “If I was bright, I’d have my own little place, an’ I’d be bringin’ in my own crops, ‘stead of doin’ all the work and not getting what comes up outta the ground” (Steinbeck 39). His rant is describing how much he wants his own ranch so he can be in control of everything and be his own boss. That quotation describes him as lonely because he works hard every single day trying to reach his dream by suffering through dreadful work and extensive travel. Lastly, George declares “Guys like us that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. They come to a ranch an' work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they're poundin' their tail on some other ranch. They ain't got nothing to look ahead to" (Steinbeck 13-14). George is stating that guys who work on the ranch will stay on the ranch. They will blow their money on girls and drinks and then move on to another ranch looking for new work. This reveals loneliness because they have nothing to look forward to because they have no loved ones. They do not belong anywhere. These men are not wanted.
Lennie Smalls is not small.

He is a big man who is referred to as “strong as a bull”. Although he is big and strong there is one thing that prevents him from living a normal life. Lennie has a mental disability that keeps him acting and thinking like a child. For example Crooks states “Sometimes he [George] talks, and you don’t know what the hell he’s talkin’ about. Ain’t that so? (Steinbeck 70). This quotation expresses Lennie’s loneliness because he doesn’t comprehend adult talk and feels left out. When the guys went in to town Lennie was not invited. He pretends to know what’s going on and tries to fit in with the other guys. Another quotation to describe Lennie’s loneliness is when he says “George. . . I ain’t got mine. I musta lost it”. George then says “You never had none, you crazy bastard. I got both of ‘em here. Think I’d let you carry your own work card?” (Steinbeck 5). This states that Lennie feels lonely because his disability forbids him to remember things. He is never trusted with anything which is why George was carrying both of their work card because he knew Lennie would lose it. Lennie will never become an independent

man.
Candy is the oldest man on the farm.

Even with a whole life time of toil behind him he is lonely with only an old dog as a friend. Candy’s loneliness gets worse when Carlson says to Candy “He stinks to beat hell. Tell you what. I’ll shoot him for you. Then it won’t be you that does it” (Steinbeck 45). Candy lost his best friend that night. It was his ancient dog that he has had since it was a pup. He loved that dog more than anyone on the ranch. He did not make very strong connections with the other men on the ranch because the other workers come and go. Candy also suffers from a physical disability, “He pointed with his right arm, and out of the sleeve came a round stick-like wrist, but no hand” (Steinbeck 18). This quotation shows how Candy is lonely because he is losing his ability to work on the ranch. With only one hand, and his age becoming a factor, he cannot do as much work as the other men. Once he cannot handle the work anymore he will be kicked off the ranch because he will not be needed. He has no family so he won’t be able to go anywhere. Candy is alone. Candy says “You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn’t no good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me.” (Steinbeck 60). Both Candy and Lennie are disabled and this keepsthem separate from the

others.
In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, the characters are lonely in many ways. George’s yearning for a family, Lennie’s childish actions, and Candy’s physical disability allow these men to relate to the lonely theme. The class president, the most popular kid in school, or the kid who made the last winning shot in a game; you are lonely even when you feel like you are at your highest point. You embrace the feeling of being a hero one minute, but then the next you find yourself worrying about little things and isolating yourself from everyone. Loneliness gets the worst of us. Only strong people find a way to overcome it.