Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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The Common Enemy Loneliness is a double-edged sword. While feelings of isolation can cause people to go out of their way to reach out to others, it can also make them go to great lengths to escape it. This feeling has the ability to control and overwhelm every other thought process of the mind. In John Steinbeck’s book Of Mice and Men, the main characters George Milton and Lennie Small accompany one another through their travels. They are an unlikely match at first glance, with seemingly nothing in common. George is a small, clever man; while Lennie is large, childish, and mentally handicapped. The pair frequently discuss loneliness, due to their fear of losing one another. George and Lennie can always rely on each other; however, the other …show more content…
She first appears in the story when she meets George and Lennie in the bunkhouse. Lavishly dressed, with a full face of makeup, she attempts to draw people’s attention towards her. Despite it being her first time meeting them, she has a flirtatious demeanor and acts provocatively. She uses her body language to attract the attention of the men, so that they will engage in conversation with her. Even though George shows no interest in talking to her, she continues to speak playfully in a last effort to keep the conversation going. She goes to great lengths to converse with the men on the ranch, while they continue to view her as nothing more than Curley’s possession. After being ignored by George at the bunkhouse, she returns later in the story in a second attempt to escape her solitude. She questions the men if they have seen Curley and strives to start a conversation with them. However, Candy makes it evident that he does not want her there by sourly stating that Curley had not been there. Crooks makes it clear that he has no desire to speak with her either and tells her, “You gotta husban’. You got no call foolin’ aroun’ with other guys, causin’ trouble” (77). Her persistency in talking to them gets her nowhere, and when they neglect to talk to her, she lashes out at them. She has pent-up frustration with …show more content…
Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife, all struggle with loneliness throughout the story from start to finish. Despite them being in the company of one another, they are still a group of lonely people, pining after any source of friendship or comfort. Candy loses his only source of companionship, and fails to achieve his aspiration of finding a place where he belongs. Crooks faces isolation and segregation due to the color of his skin, and fears reaching out to others because of it. Curley’s wife, despite her best efforts, is treated like a possession whilst everyone ignores her. In the end, death was the only way she could escape her isolation. The power of loneliness was too great for any of the characters to battle
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