Of all the hurtful emotions, loneliness is the worst. This is demonstrated through several characters in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. The story takes place during the Great Depression when people were forced to live isolated lives because of the harshness of the times. For example, Crooks is isolated due to racial segregation, which causes him to believe he is going crazy. Curley’s wife is lonely because her gender sets her apart from the men on the ranch. This makes her mean and nasty to others. Additionally, Carlson is a solitary figure who fails to connect with others. His lack of close relationships as a migrant farm worker makes him cold-hearted. By showing that these characters cannot normally function in society, Steinbeck conveys that loneliness causes people to become unhealthy.
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Crooks is a character who is set apart due to racial segregation. One day, Lennie, who is unaware of racial differences, comes in to Crooks’ bunk and Crooks is able to open up about his feelings of loneliness. Crooks explains to Lennie that “a guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody....I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an‘ he gets sick....I seen things out here. I wasn’t drunk. I don’t know if I was asleep. If some guy was with me, he could tell me I was asleep, an‘ then it would be all right” (Steinbeck 72). Because Crooks is forced to be by himself, he doubts his ability to discern between the supernatural and reality. He knows that his inability to check with “some guy” hanging around with him is causing him to go “nuts.” Being with others allows people to have a shared sense of experience. Without that, individuals have a sensitivity to strange happenings. It is easy to become paranoid when alone. By showing Crooks questioning his own mental status, Steinbeck makes it clear that loneliness causes disastrous consequences to
Crooks is a character who is set apart due to racial segregation. One day, Lennie, who is unaware of racial differences, comes in to Crooks’ bunk and Crooks is able to open up about his feelings of loneliness. Crooks explains to Lennie that “a guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody....I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an‘ he gets sick....I seen things out here. I wasn’t drunk. I don’t know if I was asleep. If some guy was with me, he could tell me I was asleep, an‘ then it would be all right” (Steinbeck 72). Because Crooks is forced to be by himself, he doubts his ability to discern between the supernatural and reality. He knows that his inability to check with “some guy” hanging around with him is causing him to go “nuts.” Being with others allows people to have a shared sense of experience. Without that, individuals have a sensitivity to strange happenings. It is easy to become paranoid when alone. By showing Crooks questioning his own mental status, Steinbeck makes it clear that loneliness causes disastrous consequences to