‘Of Mice and Men’ †The Theme Of Lonelyness Essay

Many of the characters in Of Mice and hands be al wizard(p). They experience l unrivalled almostness and enterk comfort in many diverse ship merchant shipal. lonesomeness is defined as the unhappiness that is matte up by someone because they do non go any friends or do non obligate anyone to talk to. People deal with aloneness in many ways. Intr all overts form a barrier and prolong people away. They call for to be uncaring from otherwises and take to themselves. They get down neither roots nor friends. Introverts normally keep quiet and draw in on themselves. However, extroverts ar the opposite. They seek attention and react to their environment by being high-pressure or are overwhelmed with emotions.Loneliness is a major theme in Of Mice and Men George and Lennie manage to avert it by their relationship it embitters dulcify and Crooks and it kills Curleys wife. Steinbeck sees solitude as a severalise of the human condition, something we are born with, and s omething we either fight or expire for the rest of our lives.Soledad, Our Lady of Loneliness is non a nurturing environment. It is a place where e actuallybody is isolated because there is a lack of institutionalise and friendship. The big Depression of 1929 led to this because in many states of America there was unemployment, a lack of money and no relief offered to jobless men and women. With get in out work, many people lost their self-respect others continually struggled to find work, very a good deal travelling thousands of miles across America, leaving homes and families behind them.They were known as itinerant workers. In the country things were most worse than they were in the cities invokeers were being driven off their land, there had been a series of droughts which had ruined the crops and change up the soil and farmers could not afford to re-pay the bank loans which helped them to buy their farms in the first place. Men use to move from bedspread to counterpa ne trying to realise for work to earn a living and because of this, it was to a great extent for them to make friends. several(prenominal) who put on that they are lonely seek comfort in many ways such as having a ream or reading books similar Crooks does. Others who are lonely, like Curley do not seek comfort because they are not aware of it. During that time, many of the Ameri tooshies sought comfort by having the American fantasy which was to own a piece of land however big it was and to earn money from it. oneness of the characters who experiences loneliness and seeks comfort by having a fancy is George. He does not experience it as practically as the other characters on the ranch as he has a companion, someone who he can befriend. George looks aft(prenominal) Lennie and acts like a parent figure. An example of this is when Lennie drinks from the surface of the green pool. George is always feel out for him to protect him from danger.Lennie he said sharply. Lennie, for G ods sake dont drink so much.George has to take care of Lennie, scour though he knows that Lennie has a disability, he continues to t severally him to the highest degree what is regenerate and wrong. However, George does suffer loneliness as he is often seen playing solitaire in the bunkhouse alone. George may be lonely because he cannot have intellectual conver sit downions in his relationship with Lennie. Therefore, he often goes to the whorehouse with the other men on the ranch. Although George is more likely to be lonely than Lennie, they share true companionship.They are fit to trust each other and are together as one. They are two performly different characters all the same they are so close. George is like a parent figure who is small and quick and Lennie the complete opposite someone who is large. The men on the ranch see it as a surprise to see the two of them together they cannot understand the relationship that these two share as the have never had it themselves and do not understand that they themselves are lonely.Slim admires George and Lennies relationship because he understands that people do requisite friends. He aint mean, said Slim. I can tell a mean kat a mile off. His wise nature helps him to understand Lennie and the situation George is in. Although at first dulcorate does not understand George and Lennies relationship, he begins to understand it when he loses his weenie. However, Carlson nor Curley do not understand their relationship, as they are not aware that it exists themselves. Those who do realise seek comfort. George and Lennie both share a dream together.Some day- were gonna get the jack together and were gonna have a little houseand a couple of acres an a cow and some pigs-An live off the fatta the lan.The dream gives them something to live for without each other, the dream is worthless. Later in the novel when Lennie is shot George does not trust to continue with the dream because he knows that it cannot happen, as L ennie is not there anymore. George tries to seek his comfort by talking to Slim and telling him how he feels. He is adapted to do this, as Slim understands what he is passing play through. The dream he shares with Lennie as well as helps him to seek comfort this makes him feel closer to Lennie as they are sharing it. George knows that the dream is unattain subject yet he still keeps hold onto it. Im stayin cover here. I dont want to get mixed up in nothing. Lennie and me got to make a stake. This suggests that George needs Lennies hospitality and without him, the dream is nothing whatsoever.Lennie seeks comfort by petting small animals. He has a need for physical contact, usually with small animals. This makes him unable to control this need to display warmth and he is unable to see the consequences even though he were sick the previous night. Being able to learn from the past is one of his dicey failings and it seems to catch up with him wherever he goes. Lennie is not lonely because he has George. Without George, Lennie would not be able to survive because he constantly needs to be taken care of. some other reason wherefore Lennie might not be lonely is that he does not know what loneliness is, therefore he does not realise that people on the ranch are lonely, he just knows that he does not like it on the ranch. Les go, George. Les get outa here. Its mean here. This suggests that Lennie has some sense of danger even though he does not know what it is, therefore he feels uncomfortable, scared, and insecure.Another character that is overly insecure is Crooks he is lonely because the other men on the ranch do not mix with him as he is black, a Negro, and has also injured his suffer. Even though he did have part of the dream when he was younger he has now lost it and misses it. The fact that he did have the dream and has now lost it makes it even more distressing for him because usually if you have not had something you do not miss it. However, if you d o have it and then you lose it, you become intense, insecure, and scared to choke with others because you might be afraid that you may lose your individuality. There is racial prejudice in Soledad, which makes Crooks isolated therefore, he is aware that no one likes him and feels ostracised from the bunkhouse.Crooks is proud and distant because he has learnt to be this way this delinquent to the years of constant abuse therefore, he suffers alone in silence by reading a mauled copy of the California Civil code for 1905. This suggests that he is literate, independent, and knowledgeable as his purpose is to educate himself and is very aware of his rights. As Crooks is lonely, it has a negative effect on his behaviour as he becomes aggressive with anyone who comes into his bunkhouse and he does not like to transmit with others. He is more of a reserved character who gets hot and is emotional. He says You got no right to come in my room because he is not used to visitors as he is i solated from others and has no clue what Georges friendship means to Lennie when he tells Lennie that George is not going to come back.His anger and pride get the better of him on this occasion he uses it as a defence against the harsh treatment he receives from the people on the ranch. Crooks tries to seek comfort from the loneliness he has he does this by talking to Candy and Lennie about the past and his feelings even though he knew that Lennie is not listening to what he is trying to say. This made Crooks relieve the emotions he had drawn into himself. At first, he is aloof but gradually realises that Lennie is not a threat because his manner is open and not prejudice. He reveals about his childhood when he played with white kids and was unaware of prejudice.He happens to realise that the value of communicating is crucial and taunts Lennie with the idea that George might not return for him because he seems to get pleasure in Lennie feeling the loneliness he feels. Crooks happen s to know Its just bein with another(prenominal) roast. Thats all that counts. He causes torture and knows that Lennie is reason about him being lonely because Crooks face lighted with pleasure in his torture and when a guy gets besides lonely, he gets sick. He knows this because he has had the love and affection from his childhood and has experienced the American dream the same dream George and Lennie want to achieve.I remember when I was a little kid on my old mans chicken ranch. Had two brothers.They was always near me, always there.Crooks remembers a keen childhood with the companionship of his brothers. He becomes palsy-walsy with Lennie because he knows that Lennie wants the dream as much as he does and he also knows that never a god-damn one of em ever gets it because it is unattainable.Curleys wife is another lonely character in Of Mice and Men. She presents herself as a tart because of the intense loneliness she experiences. She seems to always want to get attention f rom the other men however this does not happen the way she wants it to because everyone she approaches rejects her. She is treated like a possession by Curley and is not expected to have her own personality.Although the other people on the ranch do notice her, they do not communicate with her for fear of Curleys anger. It is sad that she cannot communicate with the men and that there are no women on the ranch for her to befriend. She is vulnerable and a miserable, immature women who is hopeless for love and companionship. The reason why she is so miserable is that she did not have enough confidence to trust her mother. She was brought up in the cash dispenser of violence and this is what has made her personality, which is an extrovert, who seeks attention from others but truly inside from the nervus she is quite pleasant woman whose personality was not yet discovered by the men on the ranch until she was dead.Curleys wife wears her fingernails red and she has a little bouquet of ostrich feathers in the insteps of her mules. not only this but she also provokes attention by thrusting her body forward in the gateway when George and Lennie are introduced. Her full rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up shows that she is always want attention, and is very flirtatious. The way she moved, so that her body was thrown forward shows she is provocative even with strangers, such as George and Lennie.At first she is portrayed as a tart because she is described as a daughter who had full, rouged lips and her fingernails were red this suggests that she is presented as a tart as red is symbolic for danger and warmness but a the novel develops we begin to understand why she behaves in a flirty way. We are able to see what she is really like inside and if she had more confidence and trust in her then maybe she could have been a different person. She coulda been in the movies, an had nice clothes. all of them nice clothes to wear and she coulda sat in them big hotels, an had pitchers taken of herself. However, her dream could not have been achieved because the man who promised her all this never wrote back. She wants to get the hang her loneliness by being in the movies and wants to have some friends to befriend.Curleys wife is lonely because of her actions. They have led to her being lonely and desperate for affection and comradeship. She has a different image to how the men behold her. She wants recognition by others to show them that she is not a tart and she can be a friendly person. She shows her vulnerability and humanity by considering Lennie by trying to tell him how she feels. Curleys wife tells Lennie her secret because she knows that Lennie forget not say anything and even though he does not understand what she is trying to say, he is able to just listen to what she says.Candy is totally opposite to Curleys wife as she is an extrovert and he is an introvert. Candy is lonely not only because he has lost his dog but his dream has also been shattered. Candy was very proud of his dog and it is a shame that they were parted as together, their companionship was strong. Candy said you wouldnt think it to look at him now, but he was the best damn sheep dog I ever seen because he loved his dog and it was the only thing that stopped him from being lonely he was very compassionate about his dog. When Carlson assumes that Candy can soon get another pet, Candy is being pressurised by him and has to give the dog up. If you love someone so much then you allow let them go because you would want to do the right thing for them rather than being selfish and choosing what is right for you.Candys dream is to be with George and Lennie and own a ranch. He announces to Curleys wife that they are going to have a house of their own. Curleys wife appreciates this and makes him angry but he controls his appease and orders her to leave, telling her that she is not wanted. Candy gains confidence and courage to tell her what peop le think of her. Candys eagerness shows that the dream is actually becoming a reality to him.I aint much good but I could cook, tend the chickens and hoe the garden.He is willing to help around the farm and to buy the ranch because he is desperate for his dream to become a reality and wants companionship. He knows that he is an old man almost useless because of his age and a broken hand yet he is willing to sacrifice everything he has just for his dream to come true. Candy is prospered to have a dog for companionship because he and his dog are the closest thing on a ranch to George and Lennies relationship. His dog was a good sheep dog when he was younger. He stood his broom against the wall. He is lucky because the other characters do not have anything to love or trust. He felt that he should have shot the dog himself. Candy is angry with Curleys wife because he knows that she has destroyed their dream. But after he realises that she was in pain, was sad and looking for companions hip. Now Candy spoke in his greatest fear, tells us that he was terrified that his dream had been shattered.Candy tries to overcome loneliness by shutting everyone out and is go away to grieve in his own world. The silence indicates pain and loneliness. When his dog was shot, Candy rolled slowly over and faced the wall and lay silent because there was tension built up in the atmosphere and Candy was upset because of the loss of his dog. Candy curls up into a foetal position. His spirits are bring up when he is part of the dream but then again it is shattered when Curleys wife dies. He forms a barrier and shields himself from the outside world. He experiences anxiety and does not want to talk to anyone because he is too upset and he finds it difficult to talk to them about his problems.Curley is also lonely but does not realise it. His loneliness has affected his character. He is very aggressive and feels superior to the other men, especially those who are big than him. This sugge sts that he wants to have power over everyone else. His aggression shows his character suggests that he is very short case-hardened an Curleys handy, god-damn handy as he got in the finals for the Golden Gloves. Curley has no trust in anyone not even in his wife as he spends half his time lookin for her.He treats her like a possession and even though he has only married her for a week, he is always looking for her. He is an extrovert who is insecure. He seeks comfort by beating up people. When the men on the ranch gather to attack him, he feels threatened by it and has to prove that he is superior to everyone else. He does this by attacking Lennie and lashing out on him even though Lennie has not done anything to him. He says come on, ya big bastard because he wants Lennie to feel how he feels and wants to beat him up because he is larger than him.Curley does not know that he is lonely he thinks that everyone has a lower status than him so he can boss them around. His dream is to h ave power over everyone else and wants to get respect from them. His dream has already been achieved.In Of Mice and Men Steinbeck shows us that those who have no understanding of relationship are totally unaware of Georges and Slims emotions because they have no friendships themselves. Carlsons final observations are insensitive and show that he is ignorant of his own loneliness. Neither he nor Curley understands the pain George is experiencing. George and Lennie manage to avert loneliness by their relationship. Steinbeck sees loneliness as a part of the human condition, something we are born with, and something we either fight or endure for the rest of our lives.I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an on the ranches with their bindleson their back an that same damn thing on their heads. Hundreds of them. They come,an they quit an go on an every dam one of ems got a little piece of land in his head.An never a god-damn one of em ever gets it.Steinbeck suggests that everyone has a dream even though it is unattainable it keeps their spirits up and makes them look forward to achieving, something that is inspiring and to keep their hopes up.