Of Mice And Men Essay On Loneliness -- essays research papers

In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck looks at thetheme of desolation as it affects many characters on theranch. Crooks, Curleys wife, and Candy are the mostexcluded characters on the ranch, because they all have visions that they will not be able to stretch forth out and they all areat loss when it came to come withship. Crooks is lonelybecause he is the only black man on the ranch. Since thisbook is set during the Depression, Jim gasconade laws are still ineffect, whites and blacks had separate facilities for socializingand living. Crooks comments that he firet lively in thebunkhouse, and cant even play cards in there. "I cant playbecause Im black. They say I stink."(68) This quoteillustrates that Crooks feels the pain of rejection more that helets people see. In fact, Crooks protects himself by acting manage a " high-flown and aloof man."(67) The full extent of Crooksssuffering is made clear in chapter 4 when Crooks lashes outat Lennie. Viewing Lenni e as a type of all the white menwho had hurt him, Crooks strikes out in anger, precept "Yougot no right to come in my room...Nobody got any right inhere barely me."(68) Steinbeck states that "Crookss facelighted with pleasure in his torture."(71) Crookss anger,though, is authentically just a cover for the pain he experiences fromconstant isolation. "A guy goes nuts if he aint got nobody ...A guy gets too lonely and he gets sick."(73) This desire tohave a connection is unornamented later in the scene whenCrooks hears Lennie and Candys plan to buy a subatomic ranch.Wistfully, he suggests, "If you guys want a hand to work fornothing, just his keep, wherefore Id come and lend a hand."(76)No matter how hard Crooks whitethorn try to hide the hurt hefeels, he clearly would like to be included in this venture withthe other men. Crookss dream, however, lasts only for afew minutes. When Curleys wife threatens Crooks with alynching, he quickly remembers the terrible mankind of hissituation . Steinbeck writes "Crooks had reduced himself tonothing. There was no personality, no ego - his instance wastoneless."(81) The character of Crooks reflects the universalneed for human connection as advantageously as the brutalizing effectsof racial prejudice. Like Crooks, Curleys wife is very lonely,but she is lonely for different reasons. Like Crooks Curleyswife suffers from... ...ion. But Candy gets nigh lifeback in him when he hears George and Lennie talking abouttheir dream get. Hearing this gives Candy a reason to live.He would love to stick George and Lennie on there farm andhe even tells them that hell give them money to help financeit "I aintt much good with ony one hand. I lost my hand righthere on this ranch...an they give me twain hunderd an fiftydollars cause I los my hand. An I got fifty more saved upright in the bank, right now...and I got fifty more morecomin... Spose I went in with you guys. Thas three hundre dan fifty bucks Id typeset in."(59) When George agrees to letCandy jump on the wagon and join the farm, you can tellCandy is extremely pleased. But with death of Lennie thedream of the farm dies to. Like the other characters Candysdream was stolen from him. Candys character was lonelybecause he take human contact but his only companionwas his dog which was killed. solitariness touch manycharacters in John Steinbecks novel, Of Mice and Men.Crooks, Curleys wife and Candy were affected the most bythis loneliness because none of them had a real companionand all of them had dreams which were shattered.