How Does Steinbeck Present Loneliness

In the novel Of Mice and Men, the author, John Steinbeck portrays loneliness on multiple occasions. He shows the reader the effects loneliness can have on someone and how they cope with it. A few characters Steinbeck illustrates as being lonely are Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife. Candy is a character who is older than the rest of the guys on the ranch. He expresses his loneliness through his disability of having only one hand and when he lost his dog. Frist, while working on the farm, Candy got into an accident, which caused him to lose his hand. Working on a farm is a hard job and when you only have one had to use it can be harder. Candy finds him not being able to do as much as the other men can do. He often says, “They’ll can me purty …show more content…
Crooks show his loneliness by being the only black man on the ranch and being separated from the other guys. Frist, because Crooks is the only black man on the ranch, he is at a disadvantage from the rest. Back in the time the novel was written, blacks were not treated as equals, but rather inferior to whites. Crooks express his feelings about being the only black man on the ranch when talking with Lennie, “S’pose you don’t have nobody. S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunkhouse… S’pose you had to sit here and read a book” (72). Another way Crooks shows his loneliness is by having to stay in the barn apart from the rest of the men. All of the other men sleep in the bunkhouse together where they play card game and chat, while Crooks is not allowed into the bunkhouse to play cards. The only game Crooks can play with everyone else is horseshoe toss. In conclusion, Crooks is considerably lonely due to his skin color and being separated from the rest of the men who are working on the …show more content…
She is lonely because the men do not treat her with respect and they try to avoid her at all cost. Also her husband does not care about her. Frist, the men try to avoid her at all cost because they think she is trouble, and creates trouble. When George and Lennie first arrive they are greeted by Candy who lets them into the scoop on everyone working on the farm. Candy describes Curley’s wife as “a tart” (28). Towards the end of the novel when Lennie is in the barn, Curley’s wife walks in trying to talk to someone. Lennie refuses to talk to her and says, “George says I aint have nothing to do with you- talk to you or nothing” (86). Curley’s wife is trying to talk to someone because being the only girl on the farm is very lonely and none of the guys, including her husband want to talk to her. Next, Curley pays no attention to his wife and only goes to her when he wants certain things. Curley’s wife does not even have a name so she is being portrayed as being owned by Curley as if she is his property. Curley’s wife enjoys dressing up and trying to get people attention, since she always wanted to be an actress, but none of the guys care to pay attention. In conclusion, Curley’s wife is lonely because she is not treated with respect from the other men and her husband pays no attention to her.
Being lonely can he a really hard thing to cope with. Having someone to be with is always important when living a healthy