Boxes of Loneliness In today’s world, people shop online almost daily. These items purchased online are then shipped out to the consumer often via some form of box. People eagerly await the arrival of their products. The excitement that opening a box brings is sometimes overwhelming. In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, three characters are similar to these shipping boxes in that they are “boxes of loneliness” just waiting to find their final destination and open up revealing all of their mysteries.
The first character to open up about his loneliness is Crooks. Crooks is an African American man who works on the ranch. His back is disfigured in a “crooked” manner earning him the nickname of “Crooks” around the ranch. Crooks lives …show more content…
While he has his own space, he is not altogether opposed to briefly sharing his time and space with others, if only they were willing to come spend the time with him. Crooks finally meets someone that he allows into his room when he meets Lennie. Lennie is not like the other men. He is not intelligent enough to understand why Crooks is separated from the others. Crooks takes advantage of Lennie’s simple-mindedness for his own release of emotions. Crooks figures out that Lennie is so focused on his rabbits that he will not remember anything Crooks says to him. Crooks begins opening up about his …show more content…
Straight from George and Lennie’s arrival at the ranch, Curley’s wife shows up around the workers to flaunt and flirt. “‘Oh!.’ She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward. ‘You’re the new fellas that just come, ain’t ya?’” (31). While it is still unclear as to why she would act in such a way being that she is married, it is clear that Curley’s wife is trouble brewing. Her loneliness is partially foreshadowed in her actions from the beginning. She would not act in such a flirtatious manner if she were receiving the attention she desires from her husband. Closer to the end of the novella, Curley’s wife actually states her loneliness directly to Lennie. She explains to him why she acts the way she does. “‘Well I ain’t told nobody this before. Maybe I ought’n to. I don’t like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella.’ And because she had confided in him, she moved closer to Lennie and sat beside him. ‘Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes - all them nice clothes like they wear’” (89). Her confession to Lennie blatantly states why she is lonely. She does not want to live how she does, with who she does, where she does. She wanted to go to Hollywood. Fate chose a different path for her however and it has lead to her being terribly unhappy and lonely. Ironically, shortly after confiding in Lennie, he ends her depression. Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife,
The first character to open up about his loneliness is Crooks. Crooks is an African American man who works on the ranch. His back is disfigured in a “crooked” manner earning him the nickname of “Crooks” around the ranch. Crooks lives …show more content…
While he has his own space, he is not altogether opposed to briefly sharing his time and space with others, if only they were willing to come spend the time with him. Crooks finally meets someone that he allows into his room when he meets Lennie. Lennie is not like the other men. He is not intelligent enough to understand why Crooks is separated from the others. Crooks takes advantage of Lennie’s simple-mindedness for his own release of emotions. Crooks figures out that Lennie is so focused on his rabbits that he will not remember anything Crooks says to him. Crooks begins opening up about his …show more content…
Straight from George and Lennie’s arrival at the ranch, Curley’s wife shows up around the workers to flaunt and flirt. “‘Oh!.’ She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward. ‘You’re the new fellas that just come, ain’t ya?’” (31). While it is still unclear as to why she would act in such a way being that she is married, it is clear that Curley’s wife is trouble brewing. Her loneliness is partially foreshadowed in her actions from the beginning. She would not act in such a flirtatious manner if she were receiving the attention she desires from her husband. Closer to the end of the novella, Curley’s wife actually states her loneliness directly to Lennie. She explains to him why she acts the way she does. “‘Well I ain’t told nobody this before. Maybe I ought’n to. I don’t like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella.’ And because she had confided in him, she moved closer to Lennie and sat beside him. ‘Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes - all them nice clothes like they wear’” (89). Her confession to Lennie blatantly states why she is lonely. She does not want to live how she does, with who she does, where she does. She wanted to go to Hollywood. Fate chose a different path for her however and it has lead to her being terribly unhappy and lonely. Ironically, shortly after confiding in Lennie, he ends her depression. Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife,