Preview

How Does John Steinbeck Create the Theme of Loliness in of Mice and Men

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
344 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Does John Steinbeck Create the Theme of Loliness in of Mice and Men
The Theme of Loneliness in of Mice and Men

Summary: Loneliness plays an important role in John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men. As Steinbeck illustrates through Curley's wife, Candy, and Crooks, companionship and a sense of belonging are vital to human happiness; all three characters face problems and negative feelings because of their loneliness and isolation.

[pic]
Loneliness is one of the primary themes in Of Mice and Men. Throughout the novel, John Steinbeck shows the enormous effect that loneliness has on the characters. Steinbeck most clearly illustrates this theme through Crooks, Candy, and Curley's wife. Ranch hands are ideal types of people to portray as being lonely, because their constant travel leaves them without someone to talk to or share things with. Steinbeck also shows how important it is for every human being to have a companion. Companionship is necessary in order for someone to live an enjoyable life. Although loneliness affects each one of the characters in Of Mice and Men differently, they all experience negative feelings from their lack of companionship.

In Of Mice and Men, no other character outwardly conveys their loneliness more so than Curley's wife. She.....

Curly's wife is perhaps one of the most significant themes of loneliness in the novel. She flirts with all the guys on the farm and dresses and acts like a **** because her husband does not love her,leaves her alone all day and she's lonely. Weirdly enough,I felt sorry for her because she is trapped feeling lonely in a loveless marriage,and besides no one on the ranch ever really gives her a chance to be change,they just take one look at her and say "She's trouble",or "I think Curly's wife is a tart".
•Crooks is another great theme of lonliness in the novel too. Because Crooks is African-American during the Great Depression,he is left out of the crowd at the ranch,and spends his days all alone in the stable,thus he is called The Stable

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Everyone has their own loneliness side, and this also happens in the little ranch from John Steinbeck’s novel“Of Mice and Man”. In this story Curley's wife is always trying to talk with everyone but her husband Curley. There is another loneliness man in this story, he is Candy. Candy is an old character in that story, he has worked on that ranch for 10 more years with his old dog. Candy and Curley’s wife felt loneliness in this story.…

    • 512 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    John Steinbeck provides a variety of different attitudes towards women in the novel ‘Of Mice and Men.’ I will explore these attitudes in order to represent the portrayal of women in the book; in which there are many different women with different attitudes respectively. Steinbeck uses the portrayal of Curley’s wife, who is the main female protagonist to show how women were treated during the 1930’s ‘Depression era.’ The women I will analyse are Curley’s wife, Aunt Clara, Susy, Clara, The woman in Weed and Curley’s wife’s mother.…

    • 1773 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever felt lonely or isolated before? In the story “Of Mice And Men” by John Steinbeck these characters Candy, Curley's wife and Crooks are all on the look for the American dream during this they all experience loneliness and isolation in their own way.…

    • 604 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck illustrates the loneliness of the characters and the isolation of the characters in the Ranch and how they are driven to try and find friendship and escape loneliness.…

    • 1702 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Imagine living in complete solitude with no one to talk to or interact with. Would you go insane from not being able to share your thoughts, emotions and ideas, or will you be accepting of your situation? In the novella Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, George and Lennie, two men travelling together in order to realize their dream of owning land, meet several workers at a ranch they have just arrived at. Several of the characters they meet, including an old man with a hand injury, an African-American with a crooked back, and a housewife who desperately wishes to become an actress, admit to having a lonely lifestyle as a consequence of living in various circumstances of solitude. Set during the Great Depression, Steinbeck uses the fictional characters, Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife, to show the common emotion and feeling of loneliness people experienced during the trying times.…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel ‘‘ Of Mice and Men’’ loneliness is present troughtout th novel.Many of the characters amit suffering from it. Early in the novel George says, : ``Life working as a hand ranch is on the loneliness of life.As the story develops George,Crooks and Curley’s wife all confess their loneliness.Each of these character searches for a friend to talk to.…

    • 390 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Curley’s wife has an “ache for attention” to the men on the ranch as she is deprived of the basic needs of communication. She therefore throws herself at the men acting as a flirt and a “tart” but the reason she does that is because she is “awfully lonely.” Being stuck on the ranch with no one to talk to leaves her isolated and wanting to pursue her long lost dream of acting. She has a Dream to be “in the pitchers” until her husband Curly came along. The first person Curley’s wife tells about the Dream is Lennie, as she believes he is the only one that listens to her. She told him that she “coulda been in the movies” as she was “a natural.” She would have “nice clothes and…big hotels” but her “ol’ lady wouldn’t let her.” Curley’s wife will have had everything she ever dreams of, but being married to Curley leaves her with no future and her Dream just a fragile aspiration of the past. She dosn’t want to be married to Curley, she “don’t like Curley” as he restricts her from the basic socialisation with other people on the ranch, especially the men. She wants so greatly to become an actress, but as her Dream is crushed and the reminiscence that it didn’t happened proves how significant it is to her. Curley’s wife not being able to pursue her dreams has been the reason for her loneliness and desire for a better life. Therefore, Curley’s wife shows how important her acting Dream is to her,…

    • 1109 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever been lonely? In the novel Of Mice and Men everyone has a predator; loneliness, isolation, and low self-esteem make them vulnerable to predators. All of the characters want a friend, they long for a relationship. One like the relationship George and Lennie have. The book starts off in Soledad, George and Lennie are escaping from weed, they plan to go to a ranch for work. This ranch has all kinds of neat characters, but three that present the most loneliness are: Curley’s Wife, Crooks, and Candy. With their loneliness they become isolated and insecure, and just want a friend. Throughout this novel these characters create tension, because they are lonely and either want someone to talk to or just need attention. In Of Mice and Men Steinbeck presents several memorable characters to develop the theme of loneliness of human existence.…

    • 740 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    This can be seen through the speech of Curley’s wife that reveals her innermost desire to have a companion. For instance, during an outburst between Curley’s wife and the farmers at the ranch, Curley's wife exclaims, “‘Think I don't like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?’” (Steinbeck 77). This instance of indirect characterization demonstrates how a lack of companionship can bring forth agony and frustration in one's life. Curley’s wife’s compelling need to converse with others exposes her complete solitude on the ranch. The men have an inability to see past the gender of Curley’s wife, look down upon her, and constantly shame her for her seemingly flirtatious actions. Because of this, Curley’s wife is filled with despair and is forced to face her issues alone. The suffering that Curley’s wife experiences makes her an emotional wreck, letting the men know of her true feelings. Her words, which are shocking to the men, show that she is more than what meets the eye, and will not let her gender categorize her and set her apart from others. Additionally, Crooks' speech shows how isolation and separation from others can be emotionally draining. For example, while explaining to Lennie why he lived in an isolated shack, Crooks says “‘’Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t because I’m black. They say I…

    • 1457 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Of Mice and Men

    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How are Crooks and Curley’s Wife presented as weakened/marginalised characters in the novella ‘Of Mice and Men’?…

    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A famous catholic sister of god once said “the most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.” Loneliness is shown profoundly throughout the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. In this essay I will be observing the characters Lennie, George, and Curley's Wife, I will be discussing how loneliness impacts them individually.…

    • 307 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Curley's Wifes Loneliness

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Almost everyone is lonely at some point in their life. Whether you want to hang out with friends and no one is available, or you're just sitting in your bedroom by yourself isolated from everyone else with nothing to do. Throughout your life you are going to want to be surrounded by people you enjoy and are loved by. In John Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice and Men" loneliness and the need for companionship is shown in ways such as Crooks with discrimination, Curley's wife, and conflict.…

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Steinbeck uses the theme of loneliness throughout the entirety of the novel. When people feel lonely their way of life is different than that of someone's who isn't lonely or them if they were not lonely. They may act differently than they would if they weren't experiencing loneliness, they may even change their way of life. The effects of loneliness on people are displayed in the novel Of Mice and Men through the characters of Curley's Wife, Candy, and Crooks.…

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Steinbeck Loneliness

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The famous country music singer/songwriter, musician, and actor Waylon Jennings said, “This world that I live in is empty and cold, the loneliness cuts me and tortures my soul.” Loneliness is one of the fundamental themes of the novel, Of Mice and Men in which John Steinbeck wrote in the midst of the Great Depression. In this essay, I am going to show who loneliness impacts the three characters, Crooks, Lennie, and Candy.…

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Loneliness is the feeling of isolation and no hope or dreams in your life-which is what Steinbeck achieves by portraying this theme effectively through key fictional characters in Of Mice and Men. By living in the town of ‘Soledad’ (Spanish for loneliness), the audience gets an overwhelming sense of the depressing environment that the migrant farmers are living through by their repetitive lifestyle and the consequences they face through the Great Depression and the Dustbowl. Yet another aspect of loneliness which is exposed vulnerably through several characters is the idea of the American Dream, for Steinbeck teaches us that even through hard work and prosperity, it is unattainable which is represented by Curley’s wife, Crooks, Candy and George + Lennie. These personas are left in isolation for as George says that ‘Guys like us that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world. They don’t belong no place…’ which is to say that these characters have lost all hope in their lives, which Steinbeck conveys effectively, and the fact that despite this, they still believe there is hope to come for them, which leaves me to sympathise for them more.…

    • 1348 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays