Examine the Theme of Loneliness in of Mice and Men Notes

Loneliness: The Greatest Form of Poverty
Almost everyone has had a friend or a loved one in their lifetime. However, there are those less fortunate who lack both, making loneliness the biggest hole to fill in their hearts. Without others, they will have to bear their own burdens and survive in the world using their own instincts. Steinbeck’s personal interpretation on social inclusion and social isolation leans more on the pessimistic side, portraying the idea that society and connections with others are the controlling factors of a person’s positive or negative outlook on life. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows good examples of social isolation affecting humanity and exposing how helpless and pathetic people can become without relations. No matter how strong or prosperous people are, Steinbeck shows what becomes of people when loneliness manipulates their attitude towards life.
Discrimination is a form of social isolation that Steinbeck uses to show how people can be secluded from others. Take for example, Crooks, one of the most reclusive character in the novel. Crooks is black, and that sets him apart from all of the other migrant workers who are white. Because of his color, he is not welcome in the bunk house where George, Lennie, Candy, and everyone else resides. On rare occasions however, he is invited in, but only to be ridiculed. When Lennie comes into Crooks’ room one night while everyone else is in town, Crooks confesses everything he feels about being excluded:
“Books ain’t no good. A guy needs somebody---to be near him... A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference. Don’t make a difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you. I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick.” (72-73)
In this passage, Steinbeck shows how someone can become introverted if he is secluded from society. Aside from that, Crooks is also hostile towards others on the ranch because of the lack of respect he gains from his peers. When Lennie first enters Crooks’ room, Crooks tells him to leave immediately. Crooks’ reaction to Lennie taking a step into his room shows that he is affected by the prejudice at the ranch. He later explains to Lennie that if he is not allowed in their bunk house, he will not allow them to come into his room without his acknowledgement either. Crooks’ secluded life leaves him longing for companionship through reading books since no one on the ranch attempts to befriend him. Instead, they make some sort of judgment against him because of his race.
Another character in Steinbeck’s novel that has to put up with isolation is Curley’s wife. On the ranch, the workers considered her as a reckless flirt. All of the men avoid her, thinking that her flirtatious ways will bring trouble to them because she is the wife of the boss’s son. However, as she confides to Lennie about all her bottled up emotions, her motive becomes clearer. She is not trying to be seductive; all she wants is a friend to talk to: “Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely... You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?” (86-87) This excerpt shows that Curley’s wife is cut off from everyone, and even worse, everyone avoids her because of her husband. The quote also tells us that her social life is restricted to only Curley, whom she is married to. Ironically however, she did not marry Curley out of love, but as an excuse to get away from her auntie who opposes her dreams and ambitions. Her remoteness from others causes her regrets. She confesses to Lennie that if she had taken action before she married Curley, she could have been famous and met lots of people, instead of being stuck on a ranch with absolutely no one to talk to. Curley’s wife illustrates the idea of how loneliness not only causes remorse, but also brings up the past, along with many regrets for not taking action in something that could have brought them a brighter tomorrow.
A life surrounded by only brief acquaintances and no true friends, is practically living alone. These people have less knowledge about the world and what is happening around them. Plus, no one is really there to lend a helping hand and be there to help distract them from their woes. Although it may not seem like it, Lennie is a victim of loneliness as well. Even though he has George supporting him all the time, he is actually separated from the other workers. He does not understand things normally like others because of his mental handicap. Because of his mental handicap, he gets into a lot of trouble, such as the incident in Weeds and what happens to Curley’s wife. The only person who he trusts and listens to is George. When Crooks asks him what will happen if George never comes back for