Lonliness in "Of Mice and Men"
Lonliness in "Of Mice and Men"
The novel Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, tells the story of two friends, Lennie and George, who are forced to leave their homes because Lennie was accused of raping a girl from another town. The two of them go off to find work and end up working on a farm where some people suffer from some form of loneliness. Many of the characters are driven towards the curiosity of George and Lennie’s friendship because they do not have that kind of support in their life. The characters on the farm, Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife confide in Lennie and George’s relationship and expose their forms of loneliness to them because of a weakness keeping them from having companionship like Lennie and George.
Without friends, people would suffer from loneliness and solitude. Loneliness leads to low self-esteem and deprivation. The old swapper, Candy, has isolated himself on account of two factors. Candy lost his hand after getting it caught in a piece of machinery, and, as a result, he is forced to just sweep and clean the ranch. Also Candy’s age adds even more of a feeling of uselessness. He looks at himself as an old worthless man wasting away his last few years. He is often invited to go out with the other guys, but he always refuses due to his low self-esteem. He confides in George and Lennie and offers his life savings to them to help finance their dream of having their own farm.
Crooks is a black man that is lonely on account of racism. He is rejected from every group of people and can’t socially interact with others. He spends most of his days and nights either reading or working in the barn with the horses. The book takes place in the early 20th century and many treat Crooks unfairly because he is black and, eventually, since he can’t vent his frustration, he lashes out at others who treat him badly. He can’t take part in daily events or activities with white people or basically be around them.
“Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink, well I tell you, you all stink to me,”(pg.75).
He is really fascinated with George and Lennie’s friendship and is striving to get sympathy from them by making them...