Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Loneliness “But I also think all of the great stories in literature deal with loneliness, sometimes it’s by way of heartbreak, sometimes it’s by way of injustice, sometimes it’s by way of fate” (Tom Hanks). In Of Mice and Men, many characters frequently are open in discussing their feelings of loneliness. They isolate themselves, which the author, Steinbeck can portray a great message or picture to the reader. Each character develops some feeling of loneliness throughout the novella, but some characters are unified in their own way. Lennie, George, and Slim give off a lonely demeanor in Of Mice and Men, they all discuss their own feeling of loneliness and emptiness while living on the ranch. Steinbeck uses each character as a message delivery to grasp the whole meaning of the book, Of Mice and Men. …show more content…
“I was only foolin’, George. I don’t want no ketchup. I wouldn’t eat no ketchup if it was right here beside me.” “If it was here, you could have some,” says George. “But I wouldn’t eat none, George.” “I’d leave it all for you.” “You could cover your beans with it and I wouldn’t touch none of it” (Lennie). In Of Mice and Men, Lennie always puts George before himself, as does George puts Lennie before himself. To emphasize the feeling of loneliness in this quote, it shows kindness, empathy, friendship. They are so afraid of being alone and feeling alone, that they both will do whatever it takes to erase the feeling. Lennie unified this theme and is a perfect example of what loneliness feels