...Losing Your Only Friend: Conformations of Loneliness In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck displays a grim but honest truth about life. Steinbeck’s novel tells of two men: George Milton, a small and quick man; Lennie Small, an enormous man with incredible strength while behaving and thinking as a young child. The two men have been traveling together as laborers and have formed a unique father-and-son like bond. After getting jobs on a ranch in the Salinas Valley , George and Lennie have aspirations to accumulate enough money to fulfill their dreams of “ living off the fatta the lan” but encounter an unfortunate circumstance which prevents them from doing so. Throughout their journey, the main character, George developed from taking Lennie’s presence for granted to truly understanding the pain of loneliness proving friendship is only a temporary distraction from inevitable loneliness. Although subtle, George changed his tone from the beginning of the book to the end, from having been relaxed confining into a friend to being...
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..."Too much self-centered attitude, you see, brings, you see, isolation. Result: loneliness, fear, anger. The extreme self-centered attitude is the source of suffering." (Dalai Lama). John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, prominently characterises loneliness. Steinbeck conveys that selfish intentions cause loneliness as seen through friendship and desire. For example, In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George and Lennie's friendship is rooted in selfish purposes. Steinbeck promotes this concept when George speaks to Lennie, “ Cause I want you to stay with me.”(Steinbeck 13). Indicating to the reader that while George had a “want” for Lennie to be his companion, there was no need for Lennie to stay with George other than...
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...At the time of the Great Depression the U.S created a repatriation program that deported people of mexican descent, 400,000 were repatriated, sometimes against their will. In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men, there are many overarching themes, these themes help the author show the hard times of the Great Depression. One such theme would be the prevalence of loneliness in many of the characters. Another theme would be the discrimination against a number of characters, in the different forms such as sexism and racism. Lastly, many dreams in the novel go unfulfilled leaving many characters with the weight of failure. Throughout the Great Depression human compassion was as rare as a job, this led to widespread loneliness, that, in turn, is apparent...
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...John Steinbeck’s 1937 novel Of Mice and Men is a tale of two migrant workers in the Great Depression, who despite being complete contrasts of one and other, work together to survive the difficult lifestyle. George, the vastly more intelligent of the two, is a warden to Lennie, the colossal working machine who suffers from a mental condition. Steinbeck demonstrates the crippling loneliness the people of the ranch suffer from through his impeccable style. Steinbeck reveals via meticulous dialogue that discrimination is a leading cause of loneliness among the people of the ranch. For example, In Chapter 5, Curly’s wife goes to the barn to talk with Lennie while the other ranch hands play horseshoes, she proclaims, “Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely. (Steinbeck 86)”...
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...Loneliness and Companionship: In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck makes loneliness and companionship an apparent theme within the novel. Nearly all of the characters, including George, Lennie, Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife, experience some kind of loneliness. Not to mention the town in which this story takes place is called Soledad, which literally means solitude. Although they are married to each other, Curley and his wife are supposed to be together but they never spend any time together because they are always searching for one another. Curley’s wife counters her loneliness by being flirtatious with other men on the ranch even though Curley doesn’t allow her to be around any of the other men. Curley himself suffers from loneliness...
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...Through a list of harsh truths, John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men casts humanity in an unfavorable light. These include loneliness, oppression, and imperfection. The grim realities of the hardworking characters are revealed through their actions to rise above challenges and in the end their defeats These truths are all used to build the complex main theme of friendship and the effect it can have on an individual's life. Of Mice and Men exposes the validity,loneliness, of people during the Great Depression. For instance Curly’s wife seeks attention ,positive or negative, from anyone on the ranch because of her isolation being the only woman present. When confronted with her isolation she says,“Wha’s the matter with me?Ain’t I got...
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...Of mice and men is a novel written by John Steinbeck, published on 1937. The novel portrays the theme of loneliness throughout the story. The story of mice and men was begun at South Soledad, which means loneliness. The story evolves in a two man namely George Milton and Lennie Small, who displaced migrant ranch workers. They move from one place to another in searching for a new job opportunities. Before their arrival in Soledad, however, Lennie and George lived and worked in Weed, California, but fled after the authorities there accused Lennie of attempted rape. Physically, Lennie and George differ as much as night and day. George is small in stature but quick-witted and sharp. What George lacks in height Lennie makes up for, but he lacks...
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...Explore the Significance of Curley's Wife in 'Of Mice and Men' How is Curley's Wife presented in 'Of Mice and Men'? The novel is a microcosm, a cross section of society reflecting the prejudice. Blacks had no rights in America; they were seen as ‘nobody’s. Women too had very few rights. The itinerant workers ended to be loners. All these people were forced into loneliness and isolation; they each had a dream in hope of a better life often referred to at the time as ‘The American Dream’. Central to Steinbeck’s novel is Curley’s Wife and her importance in the novel is of how she revolves around the novels main themes and events. Curley’s Wife is excluded for being female, she is often found in search for companionship on the ranch as her newly found marriage does not give her the affection she desires, as she states to Lennie “I don’t like Curley he aint a nice fella.” Because of this she often tries to interact with the other men although she is never allowed as they think a “ranch aint no place for a girl.” Carlson also states of how a “women should be at home where she belongs.” The fact that she is excluded from a place of physical work is indicative of how women were portrayed during the 1930’s. They were not expected to do work, but instead stay at home and raise a family. Curley’ wife feels insecure because of the loneliness she feels and it is made clear she is frustrated with this situation, “none of them care how I gotta live.” Throughout the novel as similar...
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...How does Steinbeck portray the theme of loneliness and isolation? In Steinbeck’s novel ‘of mice and men’ there is much emphasis on loneliness and isolation. The novel ‘of mice and men’ was set and written in 1920’s America during the great depression. The great depression was the time in which professional workers became migrant, and caused many of them to turn to working in farmland harvesting wheat, and others had to go and possibly try and find work on a ranch. Loneliness and isolation can be defined as when a person is on their own and don’t have anyone to talk to or not allowed to do things, for example, in the novel it mentions that the workers are playing solitaire, “George cut the cards again and put out a solitaire lay…” Solitaire is a one-player card game, so this also emphasizes loneliness. In this essay I will explore how Steinbeck creates loneliness and isolation in his novel ‘of mice and men’. Steinbeck uses a lot of past tense, for example, at the end of the novel, Curley’s wife is talking to Lennie and she said that she ‘had’ a dream, and she could have become famous. Curley’s wife is perhaps the loneliest person of all on the ranch. Since she is the only female on the ranch, she is set apart from the others. She doesn’t have a name because she is a female and women have lower statuses than men. As she is the only female on the ranch, Curley’s wife is lonely and sad- something her marriage to Curley only makes worse she reveals throughout the course of the...
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...States was the Great Depression era. Many people had migrating stories that they would tell their children/grandchildren, during that era. John Steinbeck lived during this era and was writing about his daily life during the Great Depression. In the novella, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the themes and characters demonstrate Peter Brodie's quote to be true for the biographical lens, because many characters mirror the life of many during the Great Depression. Characterization is stressed perfectly with Curley relating to the biographical lens. In the novella Curley had to act, look, and sound tough. "'You keep outta this les' you wanna step outside'"(Steinbeck 62). Curley is trying to build a tough reputation. This is because during the Great Depression, employers were looking for the toughest workers. Another reason is that he is the boss's son and can do/say whatever he wants and will not get fired. Curley also treated his wife poorly like many others during the Great Depression. "'Why'n't you tell her to stay the hell home where she belongs?'"(Steinbeck 62). This quote shows that before/during the Great Depression men could treat women like dirt and as if less than a person....
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...Loneliness makes people frustrated and bored.In of mice and men by John Steinbeck,characters deal with their loneliness by searching for companionship with others on the ranch.In the novel george and lennie dream of owning their own land but then loneliness and sacrifices get in the way.The theme “everybody needs friends” is evident in crooks and curley’s wife,ultimately arguing that loneliness can affect people in many different ways Crooks conveys the theme “everybody needs friends” by allowing the men into his room.For example,...
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...The main theme in the novel of mice and men By John Steinbeck is loneliness. In the novel two friends, George and Lennie, travel together to work at a ranch, most men at this time don’t travel together, but Lennie is mentally handicapped and George being a good friend travels and protects him. When they get to the ranch they meet many people who are also lonely. One way the theme of loneliness is shown to the reader is how nobody truly understands why George and Lennie travel together. During the time of the depression people’s style was basically “every man for himself.” So they don’t understand why George would burden himself with someone like Lennie. In a way George and Lennie love each other. They have formed a “family” clinging together in the face of loneliness and alienation. “But not us! An’ why? Because…because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, that’s why.”(Steinbeck14.) Another way the theme of loneliness is shown is by the character of Candy. When he gets older he knows that when they have no more use for him they would probably “can” him and leave him to do whatever he wants. Basically, because he’s old no other place would hire him and he would probably die. At that time they had no “retirement plan” or a place you could go when you get older and can’t take care of yourself or a “nursing home.” There was nothing at all, so after you got fired or “caned” and you were older you were all alone. It’s sad that the bosses didn’t even...
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...From of John Donne’s most popular poems states, “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main…”. One of the many themes in Of Mice and Men that still relates to society today is that at some point everyone has felt isolated or lonely. The theme of loneliness and isolation is most noticeably present in Candy, Crooks, and Curley's wife. For example, sometimes people find themselves feeling lonesome and excluded from a group because of their minority status. Crooks was lonely because, he was always ostracized from the ranchworks because he was African-American. “ A guy needs somebody-to be near him,” he whined. A guy goes nuts if he aint got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the the guy is, long’s he’s with you. I tell ya,” he cried, “I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick,” (Steinbeck 72). Last year the National Review wrote an article about how college students were feeling isolated at school because of their race. One Muslim student, said that they felt marginalized, left out, and disregarded in class and on campus by virtue of their minority status(Torres 2). Today, there are laws against discrimination yet, people are still...
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...The classic novel, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck was made into a movie in 1992. The novel, which takes place in the 1930’s, follows the lives of two men, George Milton and Lennie Small, as they try to attain their dream of owning their own farm and “live off the fatta the lan’”. George is a smart man who always seems to have things figured out. Lennie is massive, a contradiction of his last name, but has the mind of a young child. George looks after him, but it is not easy since Lennie always seems to get himself in some kind of trouble. As they struggle towards their dreams, George and Lennie face obstacles that test their friendship. In the end, with Lennie dead, George finds out that dreams aren’t worth striving for, and eventually, loneliness overcomes everything. The book Of Mice and Men differed from the movie adaptation, with the portrayal of Curley’s wife, and Lennie’s death scene. Along with those differences there are aspects in the movie that show a strong resemblance to those in the book, like how the characters were written, and how they were acted. The movie of Of Mice and Men had many differences while still giving the same messages that the book intended on having. A major difference between the book Of Mice and Men and the movie was Lennie’s death scene. In the book there was a scene in which Lennie was alone, where George told him to go in case he ever got in trouble. At that moment Lennie was hallucinating about his Aunt Clara and rabbits. This...
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...How does the setting of Of Mice and Men influence the book's thematic development? In answering, consider the connection between the novel's setting and the characters' vocations. Also, how does Steinbeck signal the importance of setting in his choice of place names? Though the novel is more famous for its characters than its setting, Of Mice and Men could not have been set elsewhere than in the rural Salinas valley of California. The problems of the novel are intimately tied to the rhythms and frustrations of the itinerant worker's life. Shifting from ranch to ranch, from one menial job to another, the Californian itinerant worker risked a life of meaningless labor - of pure, cynical sustenance. George and Lennie, with their dream of acquiring a farm, represent an attempt to stand against such perpetual loneliness. Even the name of the city near which the novel is set - Soledad, which is Spanish for "solitude" - resonates with this theme of loneliness. The title, Of Mice and Men, is an allusion to a Robert Burns poem. How is this allusion meaningful in the novel? Consider some similarities and differences between Burns and Steinbeck's works. Robert Burns' poem, "To a Mouse," is the source of the famous quotation: "The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men / Gang aft agley" ("often go awry"). And, indeed, Of Mice and Men features two men with a scheme - to escape their lives of menial, temporary employment - that goes awry. Beyond this simple plot similarity,...
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