Loneliness in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

553 Words2 Pages

The novel "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck explores the theme of loneliness. This is reflected in the speeches of the characters. George and Lennie are the main characters of this novel. However, they are not lonely because they have each other "Because you got me an' I got you", declares Lennie. They are always ready to help and to protect each other. Steinbeck contrasts this companionship with the loneliness of the other characters. Curley´s wife is one of them. We meet Curley´s wife in the second chapter. She is the wife of the boss' son, a cruel dishonest man who won a boxing trophy. In the first scene she appeared like a flash without anyone expecting her. She was a beautiful woman as Steinbeck described, "Roughed lips and wide-space eyes and heavily made up. Her hair hung in the little rolled clusters" (Chapter 2, pg 32). Curley´s wife was an attractive but also a superficial woman. She hid herself and filled her loneliness between the layers of make-up. This wall that cover her didn't let us see her real person, the person who needed to talk with someone, the person who needed to feel loved, the lonely person. We don't see Curley´s wife again until chapter four. She was looking for someone to talk with on a Saturday night. Everyone was out except for Lennie, Candy and Crooks. So she went to talk with them. However, she preferred to talk with someone else: - "Sat'iday night. Ever'body out doin' som'ping. Ever'body! An' what I am doing? Standin' here talkin' to a bunch of bindle stiffs -- a nigger an' a dum-dum and a lousy ol' sheep -- an' likin' it because they ain't nobody else." (Chapter 4, pg. 78) How lonely was Curley's wife that night, to go to the stable and want to talk with them? She felt so lonely that it didn't matter with whom she was talking. She only wanted to feel the presence of someone next to her. She wanted to feel she was alive. The next chapter also explores Curley's wife loneliness.

Open Document