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.
Have you ever been prejudiced against for some reason? Lennie, in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck has. Lennie is discriminated against while on the ranch and give in to this treatment submissively. Other people on the ranch treat Lennie like a little kid instead of an adult. For example, Lennie tells Curley’s wife the George has told hin to “stay here and not get in no trouble”(68).
Robert Latimer : Morally Wrong Robert Latimer murdered his daughter who was suffering from cerebral palsy. Latimer claims that the time he killed his daughter, he was acting out of mercy . Was Robert acting out of mercy or discrimination ? Robert claims the Tracy’s disabilities had nothing to do with her death, yet Tracy’s disabilities had everything to do with her death. If Tracey did not have cerebral palsy and other disabilities would Tracy have undergone several surgeries and been in pain?
Another scene in the book that was different from the movie was when George and the rest of the guys except for Lennie, Candy, and Crooks go into town. In the book Lennie is in the barn playing with his pup and then walks into Crook’s room in the barn. They start talking about Crook’s childhood and how he’s not used to the kind of racism. Candy comes in and talks to Lennie about the rabbits they will have on their own land. Curley’s Wife comes in and talks about how she never get to talk to anyone and how she’s lonely.
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.
Steinbeck wanted to show that, after the stock market crash of 1929, the American Dream was becoming impossible to achieve or even believe in. The relevance of loneliness to “Of Mice and Men’ is shown through the characters. As Curley’s wife says, “Ever’body needs someone to talk to.” Most of the characters suffer from loneliness at some point. Curley’s wife, Candy and Crooks are lonely as a result of being different to the social norm of the ranch. The need to be accepted drives the characters to extreme behaviour for example when Curley’s wife tells Crooks that she “could get [him] lynched so easy it ain’t even funny.” The loneliness she feels means she cannot interact properly or form relationships with the men on the ranch because she constantly has to defend herself.
Candy's down payment causes George to believe that, perhaps, the dream can be realized. But none of them count on the tragic meeting between Curley's wife and Lennie in the barn. Even then Candy still thinks he can have his safe haven, a place where no one will throw him out when he is too old. The dream is so strong in him that he pleads with George, to no avail, to have their farm despite Lennie's death. Crooks is so named because of a crooked back caused by a kick from a horse.
Loneliness is a principal theme in “Of Mice and Men.” There are lots of clues that suggest loneliness. For instance, the setting in the beginning of the book is a solitary place that is apart from the farm and the rest of the country. Moreover, the name of the nearest town, where George and other men on the ranch visit, is called Soledad, which means ‘loneliness’ in Spanish. All the characters in the novel suffer from deep loneliness. They all want to have a friend who can be like brothers to one another, but they never get to have one.
Crooks is angry at this invasion of privacy, as he is not allowed the option of entering the men's bunkhouse. Lennie asks Crooks if he can stay because everyone else went into town tonight. Lennie hovers around the doorway, talking about his puppy, and Crooks gives in and lets Lennie come into his room. Only Candy has stayed home, and he is sitting in the bunkhouse making calculations about their farm. Lennie starts to talk about the rabbits they're going to get, but Crooks just thinks he's crazy.
Like Candy's dog, Lennie depends on George to take care of him and show him what to do. Candy, like George, is different from the other ranch hands because he has his dog as a constant companion, someone devoted and loyal to him. That at the time the novel is set, most men were alone as they didn’t have the company of another and so they were lonely and drawn into themselves. Candy takes such a shine to George