Loneliness In Of Mice And Men Essay

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John Steinbeck made many deliberate choices in the writing of his 1937 novel, Of Mice and Men. One of those decisions was to portray the feeling of loneliness and alienation throughout his novel in each of his characters. Steinbeck chose this emotion to grab the reader’s attention and make them feel something for his characters – and it worked. Each character has their story or reason as to why they are lonely, but each one just as emotional as the next. John Steinbeck was deliberate in portraying solitude and seclusion in his characters such as Candy, Crooks, and George. In the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to an old swamper named Candy. He’s the first person to meet George and Lennie, our two main characters, and he shows them …show more content…
George, knowing that the other men will go after him and send him to jail, torture him, kill him, or even worse, finds Lennie before the other men get to him to try and give him a compassionate death. George and Lennie were companions for a long time and they traveled everywhere together. George took care of Lennie and Lennie looked up to George, even idolized him. George, knowing that Lennie would never know what was going on, tells the story of their dream home together as he prepares to shoot Lennie. George finally musters up the courage to shoot him, and is offered to get a drink with Slim, a compassionate friend. Curley and Carlson look after them as the walk away and Carlson says, “Now what… ya suppose is eatin’ them two guys?” (107) The other men thinking that Lennie’s death wasn’t significant shows how lonely and isolated the life of a ranch hand was. Steinbeck, knowing that these characters would appeal to readers’ emotions, gave each one their own story and their own struggles. He intentionally shows isolation and loneliness in his characters, and in his story to show what life was like back then, and even now – lonely. Readers appeal to this story because they can connect to the characters and what they’re feeling. Everyone has their own struggles and stories of being alone, and that’s what Steinbeck was consciously playing