Of Mice and Men/Lonliness

Loneliness In the novel Of Mice and Men
Loneliness is an emotion that even the strongest of people cannot avoid. During the 1930s-1940s in America, The Great Depression over ruled. In this time period, everyone is afraid of everyone. John Steinbeck’s novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ it illustrates a clear image of the many people living in loneliness. Loneliness affects everyone at one time or another. Loneliness changes the way a person thinks and behaves. Seclusion can have various effects on a person. The person may become bitter and suffer from denial of the friendships that he needs. Loneliness also can derive from several places within an individual. He will isolate himself away from others because he thinks they will hurt him, which may be true, but not in all cases. This situation is similar to Crooks's and Candy‘s situation in Of Mice and Men. Then there are those that are not sociably compatible. In Of Mice and Men, Curley's wife's actions make her unable to be sociably compatible. Being cruel to others or not being popular in society will make other people not relate with them. Loneliness can change the way a person acts, thinks or behaves in everyday situations. In John Steibeck's Of Mice and Men, loneliness alters Crooks, Candy , and Curley's wife in numerous ways of life.

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When you first meet candy in the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck, you see Candy with his beloved dog. Raising this dog from a pup, Candy felt a very strong bond with his companion, even though the dog could not speak, sometimes words don’t need to be said to show an un-dividing love. Candy was very proud of his dog, boasting things such as But, Carlson insisted on putting the dog out of its misery as he was very old, could not eat solids, could not see and it was obvious that it hurt him to move and eventually Candy gave in. Candy didn’t want to let go of his companion because his dog kept him company and without it he would be lonely, and this was an obvious fear of his, which Candy showed by his reluctance to give his dog to Carlson. The reason for Carlson’s eagerness to get rid of the dog was because he didn’t share the special bond between Candy and his dog. This was not all Candy had to think about, he knew that without his dog, his life would be empty .Knowing that due to his physical disability, it would not be long until Candy’s services would not be needed anymore.

Loneliness has made Crook's a very bitter and isolated individual. He is truly not able to leave this situation because of his race. The other men at the ranch do not relate with Crooks unless he is working because he is black. Other than when they are working, the other men shut Crooks out off all of their activities except horseshoes. Crooks are very isolated and not welcome in leisure activities. He has become bitter and known to lash out at people because of the loneliness that he has. Crooks's emotions are displayed to the reader when he talks to Lennie in his room about having no one to relate to and communicate with. In a way, everyone needs someone to talk to, whether it is a friend, family member, or even a pet. This is a source of comfort and wealth for the person. Crooks does not have any of these sources. Crooks has never been treated well by any of his co-workers because he is black. This has affected Crooks greatly Crooks also does not know how to relate and function normally anymore because of how his loneliness has effected him. Crooks has been lonely for so long that he expects people not to talk to him. When Lennie comes in to his room and does not have any intention of hurting him, he realizes it and he let's his guard down. It may seem that he doesn't desire friendships or affection, but he no longer knows how to deal with his loneliness. It has made him into another person, one that obtains a relentless hostility toward anyone and everyone that gets close to him.
Curley's wife's loneliness has altered her demeanor towards others tremendously, making her overtly insecure and excessively flirtatious. Curley's wife has become virtually another person because of loneliness. The men on the ranch avoid her because of flirtatious personality to keep out of trouble. No one understands her situation and how loneliness affects her. Her insecurity is evident by the way she dresses and make-up. She uses her looks to receive attention. Curley's wife feels she must dress this way for people to acknowledge her and give her attention. Her dressing-up is not nessesary because they live on a farm and this is not the typical farm-clothing. The way she dresses herself up proves her insecurity and her inability to feel good about who she really is. Curley's wife dresses inappropriately along with acting in flirtatious ways. This is another attempt for the attention she believes she does not get. Curley does not give his wife any love or affection, which is what she desires. Acting in flirtatious ways is the only way Curley's wife thinks she can deal with her loneliness.

__________________________ Loneliness has tremendously affected the behavior and thoughts of Candy, Crooks and Curley's Wife. There are distinct changes in each person. Crooks has developed a bitter personality, Curley's Wife has become excessively coy, and Candy . Simple relationships and unconditional care could have prevented each one of these character's situations. Loneliness has affected each person differently, but the source of why they changed is the same.