Crooks brings into perspective the lonely experienced of all the characters in "Of Mice and Men" by saying on pg77 "Books ain't no good. A guy needs someone - to be near him. A
Another character is Curley's wife who is very lonely. Steinbeck shows lonliness by showing her only women on the ranch. She is lonely because at that time author is writing ,women were used to stay at home and not allowed to go out. She always flirts with the male workers of the ranch to seek attention.She always try to talk to somebody but no one is ready to talk to her. For evidence she said to Lennie,"I never get to talk to nobody.
Of Mice and Men is filled with characters such as this, which are unable to find a way out of their lonely lives. The loneliness in this story builds and builds and never is allowed to escape. By never allowing its escape, Steinbeck effectively forms a solid backing for the characters and events in his novel. Lennie's loneliness chiefly stems from the fact that he is both mentally undeveloped and very big and strong. His retardation sometimes causes others at the ranch to shun him; even to the point of thinking he is "cuckoo."
Crooks is intelligent, reads books and like any human, requires friendship. He is denied these due to the fact that he is black and not through any fault of his own. When Lennie visits him in the room, Crooks' reactions reveal the fact that he is lonely. As a black man with a bad back, he is forced to live on the border of ranch life. He is not even allowed to enter the others (white men) bunkhouse, or join them in a game of cards.
These people all face troubles in their everyday lives, and are treated unfairly. Elderly people are viewed as worthless and this is not fair. Candy was the elderly person in the novel who feared for his future. This was because he was aging and showing signs of weakness, and he wasn’t sure if the boss was going to let him keep his job for much longer. Candy did however have compensation for losing his arm, which he had kept saved encase he needed it.
Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you. I tell ya,’ he cried, ‘I tell ya a guy get’s too lonely an’ he gets sick” (69). Crooks’ illustrates that his lack of companionship manifests itself physically and emotionally. The only alleviation of these symptoms for Crooks occurs when he offers to work on Candy, George, and Lennie’s farm (Steinbeck 76). Similarly, Curley’s wife seeks out other people as a way to cope with her loneliness.
In the novel apart from George, no one else really cares for Lennie. He shows us how the characters feel and act towards Lennie as a character. Lennie, along with Curley’s wife, candy and crooks are considered to be the weaker characters in the novel and when they meet in chapter four in the stable house all the other weak characters reject lennie for his child like nature and his simplemindedness. Lennie tries to do his role in helping him and George fulfill their American dream but no matter how hard he tries, he only causes disasters. It also relates to that time in America, when everyone wants to have their “American Dream” but it’s actually really
1 Explore how Steinbeck develops the theme of loneliness in Of mice and Men. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck expresses the theme of loneliness through key characters throughout the novel. Steinbeck leaves the message that loneliness is an everpresent problem for people in that time frame and ultimately, people of the present day. In the novel, some of the key characters this message is shown through is Candy, Curleys wife, Lennie and Crooks. Candy is lonely because of his old age although it is somewhat helped by the fact he has a dog but as we know, he is left high and dry after the residents of the bunkhouse choose to eradicate it for it was in pain and also smelling.
English Essay - Of Mice and Men In this essay i will write about how Steinbeck uses the recurring theme of loneliness throughout the novel 'Of Mice and Men ' . I shall write about the different characters in the novel and how they have this one trait in common , Candy , Crooks ,Curley's wife and George are all effected by loneliness and is shown as a destructive force . I will also write about how the setting represents loneliness by the language that Steinbeck uses to create effect . In the novel we find out that Crooks is very lonely and isolated because he is different than other people. He is ignored by everyone on the ranch because he is black , this makes his character bitter and mean"Books ain't no good .
The narrator states the mother’s resentment of Connie’s beauty because “her looks were gone and that was why she was always after Connie.”[451]. Connie doesn’t make the situation between the two any better by instigating her mother with curt answers and rude responses. “Her parents and her sister were going to a barbecue at an aunt’s house and Connie said ‘no’, she wasn’t interested, rolling her eyes to let her mother know exactly what she thought.”[453]. the only time Connie fully admits that she truly did love her mother was when she was crying in the phone for her. Connie’s father is a quiet bystander when it came to his wife and daughter heated arguments.