Loneliness 12/19/13 Loneliness is a long tunnel of pain, but there is not always light at the end of the road. When John Steinbeck introduces George Milton and Lennie Small he depicts a portrait of hope for the reader. The book shows us that even though there is not always that light of hope at the end of the road, for these two ranch hands their long struggle will pay off if they finally reach the end of the tunnel, the place they have always striven for, the dream. “Guys like us are the loneliest guys in the world, they got no family, they don’t belong no place”, George tells Lennie. The ranch workers also known as “Guys like us” are invariably single men without friends or family, who have very unstable jobs and are always leaving the ranch to move onto the next ranch.
Crook works on a farm, he is quite intelligent and he can read. He also owns lots of books, and because he has his own room becomes very lonely. The other men won’t enter his room because he is black. Crook has a very distinctive crippled back which is where he gets his nick name Crook from referring to his crooked back and his character is seen as a lonely, crippled, black man. During the story his loneliness becomes obvious and he wants a close friend and is jealous of the relationship between George and Lennie and says to Lennie when George is out “S’pose he (George) gets hurt so he can’t come back”, maybe hoping if this is true he could be Lennie’s close friend.
As a result he often can’t face reality and can’t react properly to situations because he isn’t used to proper human contact- except from George who treats him like a pet, and who lennie obeys. The men are afraid of Lennie because they know that if his great strength were ever to go uncontrolled, it could easily overwhelm any one of them. This constant rejection by others increases the depth of Lennie's loneliness and adds to the theme of loneliness running through the novel. Lennie and curley’s wife react to their lonliness and getting into trouble, this explains why many people do bad things and how it isn’t really their fault. This also suggests why society have to care for minorities or generally lonely people because otherwise bad things may happen.
2.Loneliness is a part of life on the ranch "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 nothin to look ahead to.
The loneliness of Curley’s wife is portrayed in many different ways throughout the book, using both the words of characters and Steinbeck’s narrations. Even at the beginning of the book, a sense of the loneliness is displayed through the setting of Soledad, meaning solitude, and plays a perfect backdrop for the loneliness of the characters. By setting the story in Soledad, Steinbeck demonstrates the terrible loneliness that all of the characters are feeling, including Curley’s wife. The ironic thing about her loneliness is that she is the only character in the book that has a partner or husband, but still comes across as the most solitary one of them all. She shows a lot of anger and sarcasm when she speaks about Curley, “swell guy ain’t
Of Mice and Men gives many examples of isolation, rejection, and loneliness. One strong example of loneliness in “Of Mice and Men” is Crooks. Crooks is a black stable hand with a crooked back from being kicked by a horse. Crooks experiences isolation because in this time period society is racist against blacks. Crooks doesn’t have anyone to open up to, because no one listens to him.
Portrayal of Alienation Many characters in Of Mice and Men were portrayed as isolated from the rest of the people on the ranch. The alienation that the characters experienced in this novel had different effects on the other characters surrounding them. For example, Curley's wife, one of the main characters who suffered isolation was pictured as a flirtatious lady when in reality she was looking for some company. As Crooks states, "A guy needs somebody to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody.
Isolation isn’t the Key to Success Loneliness and feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty (Mother Teresa). This quote states that being unseen makes someone terrible inside. By that person feeling terrible it puts a burden for whatever they do. In the novel “Of Mice and Men” written by John Steinbeck, there were many themes and motifs. The theme that exemplified the most in the novel was the theme of loneliness, which took apart Curley’s wife.
The greatest problem the two face is loneliness. The pair may not have much, but they have each other. Even though they have each other, do they really have each other? Several characters in the novel experience loneliness through isolation as outcasts. Lennie, Crooks, and Curley’s Wife have all been branded as outcasts for the same reason; they are all different.
‘Of Mice and Men’ is a compassionate portrayal of the harsh realities of life for poor, unskilled workers during the depression. Of Mice and Men shows us the harsh realities of life for poor, unskilled workers during the depression. Steinbeck shows us how the people struggle through life because of the loneliness, isolation, lack of permanent friendship, inability to build a secure financial for their future and the prejudice. Loneliness plays a big role in the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ because the husbands would leave their family to find a job and most of the time the husband would not come back. Steinbeck shows us how loneliness can affect people two example is Curley’s wife and Crooks.