Summary Essay on the theme of loneliness in Of Mice and Men
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Of Mice and Men
In-depth Essay on the Theme of Loneliness in Of Mice and Men. Highlights the importance of the theme and the characters most used by the author to convey this theme.
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Explore how Steinbeck presents the theme of loneliness in Of Mice and Men
Loneliness is one of the biggest themes in Of Mice and Men and it is explored through just
about every character. It seems everyone in experienced loneliness even if it wasn’t exactly
apparent. Most characters tried to replace the position of a friend with something else that
did not seem to do. These characters are representative of so many people in the 1930s
who suffered from the Great Depression- people lost everything and fell into a deep, dark
loneliness. We learn that loneliness is something that can drive someone mad or even sick
and its detrimental effects are extremely apparent throughout the novel.
Firstly, Crooks is the character that represents loneliness the most. Unfortunately for him,
he experience loneliness by being by black as well. Racism was one of the biggest issues in
the 1930s where segregation was an extremely normal thing that black people
experienced.- “Cause I’m black…I can’t play because I’m black.” Crooks was physically
separated from the other ranch workers and it did not make life any easier for him. Through
Crooks, we learn that loneliness turns people cold and bitter. This apparent in chapter 4
when Lennie comes into his bunkhouse-“Well I tell , you all of you stink to me”, this is
redolent of the fact that Crooks has become cold- he’s been treated so badly his whole life.
This also demonstrates how he assumed Lennie had come to bother him because normally
no one ever comes to see him. He did not know how to react to love- “Lennie’s disarming
smile defeated him”. It’s almost as if Crooks had put his guard up because he was so used to
having to defend himself, but just one touch of kindness from Lennie, pulled it all down. By
the end of this chapter, we realis e that Crooks did not mean to be cruel, he was just
extremely lonely. We learn that “it don’t make no difference who the guy is long as he’s
with ya”- he just wanted someone to talk to. Before, he would spend his time reading books
but “books ain’t no good’. At first, Crooks might come across as callous and mean but really
he’ just longing for some friends- companionship.
Candy is another character who is redolent of the fact that 1930s America was extremely
lonely. 1930s America was also extremely ableist. Candy is old and has lost his right hand, so
he is already liable to discrimination, his only family is his dog- “I ain’t got no relatives or
nothing. However, his only friend is taken away from him. In a society where everything had
to have a use and serve a purpose and when it no longer did this, it was discarded of. Candy’
dog was seen as dead weight and Carlson simply could not understand why else he would
need it anymore. He also did not understand why Candy could not let the dog go because he
was so used to being alone. The fact that Carlson was referred to as a stranger- “I shouldn’t
have let no stranger shoot my dog”, screams of the fact that there was no relationship
whatsoever between the ranch workers. They lived in the same bunkhouse and worked
together yet they were simply strangers to each other. Once Candy’s only friend was taken
away, he was desperate to be part of George and Lennie’s dream to finally escape the cycle
of loneliness- “I ain’t much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and mow the
garden some”. He did not even mind that he would have to work , he just wanted to be with
people.
George’s Loneliness is much less apparent in the novel. Although it seems he has a
companion- Lennie, he is still very much lonely. George has the luxury of having a stable
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