Loneliness In Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck

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The Lonely Road of Life “Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richest of self”(May Sarton). John Steinbeck presents “Of Mice and Men”, where Lennie and George are close companions that are trying to get through the difficulties of life in order to obtain their dream of owning the ranch of their dreams. Along the way, they meet many new and unique characters who although are very different, many admit to suffering from loneliness. George sets the tone for these confessions early in the novel when he tells Lennie that the life of a ranch-hand is one of the loneliest of lives. As the story develops, three characters, Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife, put forth Steinbeck’s idea about loneliness. One of the Characters that displays …show more content…

Steinbeck uses Crooks to illustrate loneliness through discrimination, as it is a powerful thing. Crooks is the only black man on the ranch which leaves him to be lonely because he is not like everyone else and is separated from them in his own room in the barn with the animals. This leaves him to become somewhat angry with everyone and doesn’t know how to handle his emotions when someone that is not of the same racial status let alone comes into his room, but also reacts differently from the others. When Lennie is trying to find his pup, he gets led into Crooks’ room and Crooks reacts with anger. He tells Lennie that, “he got no right to come into his room, and that nobody got any right to come in here but himself”. Lennie was surprised by his reaction, as he was only trying to find the pup and saw Crooks’ light on the way. Crooks soon realizes that Lennie isn’t going to leave, and he enjoys the company, so he begins having a conversation with Lennie, and tells him about all the struggles he has as a black man. Crooks, “was born right here in California. My old man had a chicken ranch, 'bout ten acres. The white kids come to play at our place, an' sometimes I went to play with them, and some of them was pretty nice. My ol' man didn't like that. I never knew till long later why he didn't like that. But I know now.’ He hesitated, and when he spoke again his voice was softer. ‘There wasn't another colored family for miles around. And now there ain't a colored man on this ranch an' there's jus' one family in Soledad.’ He laughed. ‘If I say something, why it's just a nigger sayin' it’"(70). As a black man during these times, he was not able to earn the respect of his peers like the other

of mice and men...theme of lonliness in the book
558 Words | 2 Pages
Crooks also feels a great deal of loneliness, as he is an outcast on the ranch. He lives in his own room where hardly anybody ever bothers him. He is never invited to play cards or do anything fun with the other guys. One day a curious Lenny asked, “Why ain’t you wanted?” Crooks replies “Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They think I stink. Well I tell you, you all stink to me” (pg. ). Crooks’ attitude towards this is shown when he saw Lennie playing with his puppy outside of Crooks’ quarters. Crooks states that “if me, as a black man, is not allowed in the white quarters, then white men are not allowed in mine” (pg. ). However this is merely a front as the more open side of Crooks is shown later on in the book.
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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.
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Of Mice and Men, 3 Characters with Loneliness
406 Words | 1 Pages
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.
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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.
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Of Mice And Men: Lonliness
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"Crooks is a black man that experiences isolation because the society in which he resides is racist. As a result, the previous quote was his means of finding a personal connection to Lennie. Like Lennie, Crooks has a "relationship" with loneliness. He knows that when people get lonely, they tend to get sick. Crooks is rejected from every group of people and cannot socially interact with others.
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Effects Of Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
881 Words | 2 Pages
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.
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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.
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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.
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Of Mice and Men
992 Words | 2 Pages
During the era of the Great Depression in the 1930’s, many people lost their jobs and became very lonely. This was around the time when John Steinbeck released his famous book about these “bindle stiffs”. The book was called, Of Mice and Men. Loneliness is one of the major themes of this novel. Several of the characters in the book are alone. In this novel, John Steinbeck shows how being alone affects different characters. Each is affected in a different way. Throughout the novel, the theme of loneliness is mostly expressed in the important characters of Candy, Curley’s wife and Crooks.
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Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
814 Words | 2 Pages
The theme of loneliness, in “Of Mice and Men”, is an important factor in the the development of the plot and many of the characters. Loneliness relates to the characters’ past and future dreams. For example,three characters whose dreams lead to their loneliness are Crooks, Curley's wife, and Candy. They all have dreams that can not be fulfilled based on the amount of loneliness that builds up and prevents them from achieving their dreams. Crooks is the only African American character who lives alone, isolated from others on the ranch. He is isolated because of the racial discrimination towards him. An example of racial discrimination towards Crooks would be, “ They play cards in there but I cant
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Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
975 Words | 2 Pages
In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, loneliness is an evident theme and is often apparent in the characters’ lives. The place where the book takes place is called Soledad. In Spanish Soledad means lonely or lonely place, depending on how it is used. This is important in the story because loneliness affects each character in a different way. In this case, George and Lennie are alone together and share the same feelings of solitude, while Candy is old and alone.
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Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
762 Words | 2 Pages
Loneliness Even though you may be surrounded by people you can still feel alone. In the novel, “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, all the men on the farm were alone, even though they were all together. Even our main characters, George and Lennie, are alone in this story. Although they are together, they still feel alone. When we are introduced to the men on the farm, our first impression of them is that they are lonely.
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Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
748 Words | 2 Pages
Loneliness is described as the feeling we have when our need for social contact and relationships isn't met; whereas, true friendship may be defined as mutual unconditional love. Published in 1937, John Steinbeck's most important and influential novel, Of Mice and Men, takes place during the Great Depression in the United States. Where many people struggle to find work and make ends meet. The harsh realities of the characters and their circumstances, along with their flaws and limitations, make them feel isolated and alone. Through Steinbeck’s use of Crooks, Curlys wife, and George and Lennie, he shows friendship and loneliness as both relatable and serious experiences.
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Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
204 Words | 1 Pages
Pain, though unpleasant, has always been a necessary part of history. It is what brings humanity together in times of peril, and is a reason why when happiness comes, the joy is so much stronger. Pain, however, is not always physical, and can often be attributed to loneliness. Loneliness is often apparent in writing, especially in the early twentieth century when authors were taking interest in realism and incorporating it into their novels. One particular famous novella, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, incorporates this theme of loneliness into his writing. This story is about two men, a mentally disabled giant, Lennie Small, and the smaller and far more intelligent caretaker, George Milton. These two men, in search of work, find it on a
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Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
952 Words | 2 Pages
The novel “Of Mice and Men” written by John Steinbeck starts out seems to be a novel about friendship, although as the story progresses there is a prominent tone of loneliness. Through the novel, we follow the lives of George Milton and Lennie Smalls, two migrant workers searching for a job in California, during the Great Depression. We can examine how someone can be lonely
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Loneliness In Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck

of mice and men...theme of lonliness in the book

Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Of Mice and Men, 3 Characters with Loneliness

Loneliness in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

Of Mice And Men: Lonliness

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