Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Words: 784
Pages: 4
Open Document
Of Mice and Men Summative Essay
Mother Teresa once said, “Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.” Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a story that focuses on individuals who battle against loneliness and isolation from society. The use of loneliness is an important theme in the book because it influences how the characters behave throughout the novel. Crooks is pushed into isolation by the white men on the ranch because he is black. On the other hand, Curley’s wife is isolated from society because of her gender. The characters, Curley’s wife and Crooks play a major role to the understanding of the theme of loneliness throughout the text.
The isolation experienced by Curley’s wife differs from loneliness …show more content…
Steinbeck uses the character, Crooks, to demonstrate the theme of isolation by using racism. Crooks has his “own bunk in a separate nigger room…he scattered personal possessions around the floor; for being alone he could leave things about,” (Steinbeck 20). Because he is black, Crooks’ freedom is restricted around the ranch and he is not allowed to socialize with the other men. For that reason, the way racism is used by the other ranchers to discriminate Crooks shows how Steinbeck used this method to define the theme of loneliness. Because of his race, Crooks is unable to make friends on the ranch. Crooks seems jealous of George and Lennie’s friendship and explained to Lennie how alone he has been with no friends because he is black. Crooks said, “S’pose you couldn’t go in the bunk house and play rummy ‘cause you was black. How’d you like that? S’pose you had to sit out here an’ read books. Sure you could play horseshoes till it got dark, but then you got to read books. Books ain’t no good. A guy needs somebody - to be near him’ (Steinbeck 71). This piece of evidence shows the loneliness Crooks suffers from and how much he desperately wants a friendship because he is tired of being separated from everyone else. Although Crooks clarifies the theme of loneliness, Curley’s wife may be the loneliest character in the
Show More

Related Documents: Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Teresa declared, "The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved" (Mother Teresa Quotes). Albert Schweitzer stated, "We are all so much together, but we are all dying of loneliness" (Albert Schweitzer Quotes). Loneliness has been addressed by many famous people. Steinbeck's novel agrees loneliness can exist in the presence of other people and is the worst form of poverty. Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, describes loneliness through the problems it causes, the elements…

Words 1005 - Pages 5

Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, first published in 1937, is a novel set in the context of the 1929 Great Depression in America. The Nobel Prize-winning author tells a story about George Milton and Lennie Small, two drifters in search of work, while skilfully tackling the themes of loneliness and the importance of dreams. Steinbeck explores themes including loneliness and the importance of dreams by utilising setting, characterisation and the writing style of dialogue. The central theme of loneliness…

Words 774 - Pages 4

Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Of Mice and Men Essay To be lonely doesn't always mean you are alone, isolation in the ranch is expressed in different manners. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, a collection of dissimilar characters gather and express their loneliness in different methods. The characters Candy, Crooks and Curley’s wife all exemplify loneliness and isolation. With the characters, John Steinbeck is showing us the sense of alienation appears when least expected. Candy is an old swamper with one arm, Candy and…

Words 786 - Pages 4

Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

was not made to be alone. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, he writes a tale of how loneliness affects human behavior. The novel is about two men, George and Lennie, and the people they meet working as ranch hands. Loneliness and fear of isolation is a common theme throughout the book, but it is most heavily represented by the behaviors of Crooks and Curley’s wife. Crooks is a prideful, handicapped, black worker on the ranch. Steinbeck represents him as loneliness because he is segregated from…

Words 399 - Pages 2

Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

In John Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice and Men,” he shows how companionship and loneliness through his characters. Characters such as Lennie, George, Crooks, and Curley’s Wife show these themes throughout the novel.George and Lennie show companionship and how easy it is to lose it, while Crooks and Curley’s Wife show loneliness in its worst forms. The characters George and Lennie are the most prevalent example in the novel of companionship. They became companions when Lennie’s Aunt Clara died and since…

Words 907 - Pages 4

Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Loneliness, isolation and exclusion impacted people in the 1930’s. John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men follows George Milton and Lennie Small on a ranch owned by Curley’s father. Curley is married to a tart referred to as Curley’s wife. Although she breaks her husband’s rules, she is supposed to be isolated in the house. An older gentleman named Candy, losses his hand in an accident and sweeps the bunkhouse, at the ranch where George and Lennie works, alongside his old dog. Another character, Crooks…

Words 1487 - Pages 6

Essay On John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men: Loneliness

Humans experience feelings of inadequacy and loneliness at some point in their lives. The characters of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men experience isolation due to discrimination. The characters come from all paths of life, yet they still feel isolated and alone. People form bonds and friendships to combat the loneliness. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck creates an atmosphere to show how each character lives in solitude. It is evident that all the men on the ranch are lonely; they are nomads who…

Words 887 - Pages 4

Loneliness And Alienation In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Loneliness and Alienation in “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men explores many recurring ideas and themes, one of the most prominent of which is alienation. Steinbeck’s characters live in a world plagued by loneliness and isolation. In the story of two migrant workers struggling to get by during the Great Depression, isolation has become the norm. Distrust is the quality of the modern world that causes people choose to live in isolation from each other. (“Of Mice and Men,” 246) racism…

Words 1017 - Pages 5

Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

creator of the novella, Of Mice & Men, uses the setting and characterisation as a tool to convey the main themes of loneliness, and the hope of the American Dream. In the novella, the overall characterisation of each individual, and the despairing setting of 1937 California during the Great Depression, supports the theme of loneliness and promotes the desire for the American Dream. The use of characterisation within the novella ultimately supports the main theme of loneliness. The introduction of Crooks…

Words 989 - Pages 4

Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

The biggest disease known to mankind is loneliness. It knocks like the knock of death on everyone’s doors in due time causing our hearts to plummet into the depths of our stomachs like that of the feeling of throwing a heavy rock off a high mountain watching it fall , fall , and fall to the bottom untill it plunges into the muddy water. The Characters in Of Mice and Men show that loneliness is a problem that must be overcome in order to live a happy , Fulfilled life… But before we continue our talk…

Words 170 - Pages 1