Essay on Of Mice and Men

Submitted By LAN3000
Words: 1446
Pages: 6
Open Document
Aaron Hoenig
11/7/12
4A
Loneliness in Of Mice and Men
One of the most important themes in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is loneliness. Multiple characters in this book are lonely, and all in very different ways. Lennie is a very lonely character. Because of his mental capacity people do not understand him. Curley’s wife is one of the most obvious lonely characters because the only person she can talk to is her husband. Another lonely character is George even though on the outside he does not seem lonely at all.
Lennie Small has always been a lonely person; his only true friend is George. Before George and Lennie started traveling together the only person who cared for Lennie was his Aunt Clara. George was still there, but he would always convince Lennie to do random things like jump into a deep river (44), and he was not that great of a friend. When Lennie’s Aunt Clara died, George was forced to become Lennie’s guardian (44). However, because George was forced into it, he still does not become Lennie’s true friend. Eventually George starts really caring about Lennie and becomes his one true friend. Everybody who gets to know Lennie either hates him, like Curley, because he is so big and mentally slow, or they just feel pity for him, like Slim. The sad part about Lennie is that he does not even realize that nobody truly likes him besides George. Distracted, he is off in his own little world thinking about rabbits while everyone else tries to avoid him. It is sad to watch how helpless Lennie is even though he is the strongest guy around. Lennie is always trying to find comfort in small soft objects. However, because of his inhuman strength he always ends up killing whatever he pets, from mice to puppies and eventually to a human. Lennie is stuck in a hole of loneliness and when he finds something soft and comforting he rises out of that hole a little bit. However, once he ends up killing it he sinks deeper into the hole, and the deeper he goes the harder it is for him to emerge from it.
Curley’s wife is easily the most obvious lonely character. She can only talk to Curley because he is her husband and he seems to be kind of an obsessive husband too. She is always trying to get away form him for a little bit and talk to the other men who work on the farm. When she is first introduced, the reader is given the impression that she is a slut and wants to be with other men besides her husband. Later the reader finds out that she is just a very lonely person. She talks to Lennie about how she thought she could have had a life as an actress, but her mother did not want that and she ended up marrying Curley even though she does not love him (97). She wishes she could go back to the days before she married Curley and how she would be able to do all the things she never got a chance to do. All of the men on the ranch view her as a slut just trying to get attention. However, she really just wants to have a normal conversation with somebody other than her husband. Since the men do not realize this they shun her even more and that just makes her lonelier than ever. John Steinbeck also specifically labels her as a lonely, misunderstood character by simply not giving her a name. Throughout the entire novel she is always referred to as “Curley’s Wife” or simply “She.” Ever since she is born Curley’s wife is always trying to find a place where she belonged and is happy. Every chance that she gets is taken away from her. An example is the time when her mother purposefully keeps a letter from her that would get her into Hollywood (97). When she finally marries Curley she hits rock bottom with no way to get out even though she sometimes dreams of running away to become an actor. Before she can fulfill her dream, however, the one person on the entire farm who has a real conversation with her, if only for a few minutes, kills her (100).
George, who is a fairly easy guy to get along with, is one of the loneliest characters even though
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Of Mice and Men

Symbolism In Of Mice And Men

In the novel, “Of Mice and Men”, there are many objects of symbolism. Throughout the book, there is symbolism through people, animals and objects. These symbols create a deeper meaning, and a better understanding to the themes present in the novel. The mice, rabbits, dogs, Curley’s wife, and even George and Lennie’s dream farm represent symbolism for the duration of the book. The literary critic, A Teachable Good Book: Of Mice and Men, argues that “the characters, too, are simple yet significant…

Words 1015 - Pages 5

Of Mice And Men Essay

Of Mice and Men Literary Analysis Everyone at some point in their life has been or knows someone who has experienced loneliness. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the author Mr. Steinbeck incorporates many different themes. A major theme is how loneliness affects everyone is some type of way wether it is one of our main characters in George, a female in Curley's wife, or some one of a different race in Crooks. This comes to show loneliness affects everyone regardless of age, sex,…

Words 765 - Pages 4

Of Mice and Men and Assessment ‘of Mice Essay

English- Control Assessment ‘Of Mice and Men’ Of Mice and Men is a short novel written by the author John Steinbeck, in which he explores the themes of friendship and loneliness. Following the lives of the 1930s ranch workers, and the hope of achieving the ‘American Dream’ and how events can conspire against the realization of ones dreams. For, Steinbeck’s characters, the dream of land represents independence and honour, George and…

Words 507 - Pages 3

Of Mice and Men Essay

Of Mice and Men Of Mice and Men is a book written by John Steinbeck in 1937. The book Of Mice and Men is about two men named George and Lennie. George is a smart but smaller man, whereas Lennie is very big and strong but has a mental disability. They find work at a ranch but soon find themselves in a dangerous situation when Lennie has accidentally killed the wife of Curley, who is their boss’s son. Curley vows to kill Lennie, but before he is able to do so George chooses to take the life of his…

Words 739 - Pages 3

of mice and men Essay

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search For other uses, see Of Mice and Men (disambiguation). Page semi-protected Of Mice and Men OfMiceAndMen.jpg First edition cover Author John Steinbeck Cover artist Ross MacDonald Country United States Language English Publisher Covici Friede Publication date 1937 Pages 187pp. Of Mice and Men is a novella[1][2] written by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck. Published in 1937…

Words 4351 - Pages 18

Loneliness In 'Of Mice And Men'

famous book in 1937 by the name of “Of Mice And Men” .This book is a story about 2 male adults by the name of George and Lennie, Lennie however is child-like. George is devoted to Lennie because Lennie is immature and behaves like an 3 year old. John Steinbeck explains that George and Lennie move from place to place in search of a new job that would make their dream come true.The following essay will be about: who the loneliest characters in the book “Of Mice and Men”. Curley’s wife is a…

Words 549 - Pages 3

Of Mice and Men Essay

Tammy Truong Period 4 10/11/2011 Mr. Sabbagh In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, he introduces his audience to a band of characters that all want one thing: “The American Dream.” In this 1950s, the American dream was owning a house, having a dog, two kids, and a loving wife. During the 1930s, the dream was quite different –surviving was the dream. Using characters such as Lennie and George, as futile as it is, is extremely powerful because even though there is no chance that they can fulfill their…

Words 867 - Pages 4

Of Mice and Men Essay

Rehat Sekhon Mrs. Phillips English 9H 12 November 2013 The Friendship of George and Lennie Have you ever wondered what it’s like to loose your best friend? In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, friendship is an important theme. The friendship of George and Lennie is especially displayed. George and Lennie are best friends and are traveling together. They have known each other for a long time. George knew Lennie’s Aunt Clara before…

Words 829 - Pages 4

Of Mice and Men Essay

Warfield Pre-AP English II 21 October 2012 Of Mice and Men Every writer reveals their novel’s characters in different ways. Authors decide to show the characteristics of characters through either indirect or direct characterization. John Steinbeck wrote the famous book Of Mice and Men which is one of American literature’s tragic stories. Steinbeck does a good job in using indirect characterization to describe George Milton in his book Of Mice and Men. I would like touch on the subject of George Milton…

Words 344 - Pages 2

Of Mice And Men Analysis

Of mice and men The story “of mice and men” by John Steinbeck is about the great depression times. Times when people worked eleven hours or more. Back when people hustle work when possible, people lived on a hand to mouth life. When Lennie was kicked out of weed, Lennie and George went a few miles south where there are green hillsides, golden sands in the sunlight, and warm waters. George and Lennie worked in a field bucking barley under the hot sun. This area had plenty of sunshine but…

Words 325 - Pages 2