The world is a place where everyone is fighting against one another for superiority, where people can’t work together because it would deem them less powerful. This brings the weaker to a reality of isolation and regret. When a person is stuck in this state they will learn to give up becoming increasingly more lonely and hopeless. In the book Of Mice and Men, the author John Steinbeck explores the many causes of loneliness. Crooks is enveloped in racial discrimination, Curley's wife is treated as though she is nothing but Curley's possession and George's companion only serves as pet to take care of. These situations are all instigators of isolation on the ranch but for very different reasons.
In Of Mice And Men, Steinbeck shows how racial …show more content…
forced to seduce others as a cry for help. Throughout the entire story Curly’s wife hasn’t been given a name and only goes by Curley's wife. Calling someone by their name can be a gesture of respect and a way of connecting with them. The lack of a name for Curley's wife may suggest her disconnection from the rest of the workers and the lack of respect they have for her. The disconnection from the other ranch workers while mainly the fault of Curly, causes Curly’s wife to be in complete isolation from anyone but him. Since there are no other women on the entire ranch she is seen as nothing but Curly’s possession. Curley's wife does not have a name because she does not have her own identity. She is just Curley's wife. She has no real sense of purpose and does not fit in with the other ranchers. Because of this she leads a lonely existence. When talking with Lennie, she says, “‘ I get lonely, you can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curly. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?’” (pg 87). Curly sees his wife as his possession, and since she is the only woman on the ranch all the men want her. All that Curley's wife has is a dream. “‘Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes--all them nice clothes like they wear. An’ I coulda sat in them big hotels, an’ had pitchers took of me. When they had them previews I coulda went to them, an’ spoke in the radio, and’ it wouldn't …show more content…
George is one of the only characters in the book that has a companion but due to Lennie's intellectual inferiority, it’s less of a friendship and more of a unilateral relationship. George feels responsible for Lennie which forced them into a “friendship”. When he is playing cards with some other ranchers the text reads: “Almost automatically George shuffled the cards and laid out his solitaire hand.” To me, this shows how he is so accustomed to doing everything alone because of Lennie’s mental state. "’Well, we ain't got any,’" George exploded. "’Whatever we ain't got, that's what you want. God a'mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an' work, an' no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the month come I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get whatever I want. Why, I could stay in a cathouse all night. I could eat any place I want, hotel or any place, and order any damn thing I could think of. An' I could do all that every damn month. Get a gallon of whisky, or set in a pool room and play cards or shoot pool.’" Lennie knelt and looked over the fire at the angry George. And Lennie's face was drawn in with terror. "’An' whatta I got,’" George went on furiously. "’I got you! You !’” ( pg. 11) After so many years of being isolated from an intellectual equal George lashes out. But can we, as readers, really blame him?
In Of Mice And Men, Steinbeck shows how racial …show more content…
forced to seduce others as a cry for help. Throughout the entire story Curly’s wife hasn’t been given a name and only goes by Curley's wife. Calling someone by their name can be a gesture of respect and a way of connecting with them. The lack of a name for Curley's wife may suggest her disconnection from the rest of the workers and the lack of respect they have for her. The disconnection from the other ranch workers while mainly the fault of Curly, causes Curly’s wife to be in complete isolation from anyone but him. Since there are no other women on the entire ranch she is seen as nothing but Curly’s possession. Curley's wife does not have a name because she does not have her own identity. She is just Curley's wife. She has no real sense of purpose and does not fit in with the other ranchers. Because of this she leads a lonely existence. When talking with Lennie, she says, “‘ I get lonely, you can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curly. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?’” (pg 87). Curly sees his wife as his possession, and since she is the only woman on the ranch all the men want her. All that Curley's wife has is a dream. “‘Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes--all them nice clothes like they wear. An’ I coulda sat in them big hotels, an’ had pitchers took of me. When they had them previews I coulda went to them, an’ spoke in the radio, and’ it wouldn't …show more content…
George is one of the only characters in the book that has a companion but due to Lennie's intellectual inferiority, it’s less of a friendship and more of a unilateral relationship. George feels responsible for Lennie which forced them into a “friendship”. When he is playing cards with some other ranchers the text reads: “Almost automatically George shuffled the cards and laid out his solitaire hand.” To me, this shows how he is so accustomed to doing everything alone because of Lennie’s mental state. "’Well, we ain't got any,’" George exploded. "’Whatever we ain't got, that's what you want. God a'mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an' work, an' no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the month come I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get whatever I want. Why, I could stay in a cathouse all night. I could eat any place I want, hotel or any place, and order any damn thing I could think of. An' I could do all that every damn month. Get a gallon of whisky, or set in a pool room and play cards or shoot pool.’" Lennie knelt and looked over the fire at the angry George. And Lennie's face was drawn in with terror. "’An' whatta I got,’" George went on furiously. "’I got you! You !’” ( pg. 11) After so many years of being isolated from an intellectual equal George lashes out. But can we, as readers, really blame him?