Humans are innately alone. There comes a time in everyone 's life when they have to deal with the fact that being alone is a part of human nature. But why? Why does it happen? How do people cope with being alone? It is no secret that loneliness is a powerful manipulator of the mind. The idea of loneliness as a manipulator is very apparent in two stories about adventure. Despite bearing some superficial variances in setting, the unifying theme of loneliness between the short story Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, and the film Castaway, directed by Robert Zemeckis, couldn 't be more striking. The theme of loneliness is evident in in both pieces yet they have differing views about being alone. On one hand, there is a main character, Lennie
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Both pieces are identifiable in the way each of their characters cope with being alone. How each of their separate characters find the strength to push forward. In the novel, Lennie murders a young woman by snapping her neck in an act of fright. He flees the area only to be found by his companion, George. George has plans to kill Lennie out of mercy and as he is about to do so, Lennie asks about the fictionary farm they hope to own one day. “”Go on,” said Lennie.”How’s it gonna be? We gonna get a little place.”” (105) Lennie’s constant questioning of the farm shows he finds comfort in hearing that he will be able to “tend the rabbits,” which has been his dream since the beginning of the novel. Just the thought of getting the farm gives Lennie the power to work through hard labor, and his mental handicap. This idea is consistent with Castaway in which the main character, Chuck Noland, scavenges around the island he is surviving on and he discovers a volleyball among the trash that washed up on the sandy beach. Noland paints a face on the volleyball and personifies the ball as a way to preserve his sanity on the desolate island. Just the little objects and the little acts in life are what people need to maintain a level of sanity to manage through even the most difficult of …show more content…
In the novel, we see a lonely woman. This woman is Curley’s wife. She longs for attention and wishes to have more human interaction and it’s this feeling that gets her in some trouble. She is portrayed as a young temptress who dresses provocatively and teasingly only to intrigue the eye of men. “She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward.” (35). All though she never intended to become so intriguing to the other men, her longing for attention turned into a dangerous temptation. This temptation would end up becoming the cause to her downfall. These actions translate into the tendencies mentioned earlier and also relate to similar palpable tendencies found in Castaway. Yes, Noland has found a way to fulfil his longing for company, yet it’s a limited fulfilment in which he becomes increasingly frustrated with as time progresses. The volleyball, named Wilson in the film, is given the features of a human being but he lacks one of the most essential features - the ability to speak. Noland becomes so frustrated that he kicks the volleyball along the beach. He destroys his only friend on the island because he couldn’t deliver what Noland wanted or, for that matter, needed. This makes apparent the rage and the magnification of loneliness that these feelings can bring about.
All in all,
Both pieces are identifiable in the way each of their characters cope with being alone. How each of their separate characters find the strength to push forward. In the novel, Lennie murders a young woman by snapping her neck in an act of fright. He flees the area only to be found by his companion, George. George has plans to kill Lennie out of mercy and as he is about to do so, Lennie asks about the fictionary farm they hope to own one day. “”Go on,” said Lennie.”How’s it gonna be? We gonna get a little place.”” (105) Lennie’s constant questioning of the farm shows he finds comfort in hearing that he will be able to “tend the rabbits,” which has been his dream since the beginning of the novel. Just the thought of getting the farm gives Lennie the power to work through hard labor, and his mental handicap. This idea is consistent with Castaway in which the main character, Chuck Noland, scavenges around the island he is surviving on and he discovers a volleyball among the trash that washed up on the sandy beach. Noland paints a face on the volleyball and personifies the ball as a way to preserve his sanity on the desolate island. Just the little objects and the little acts in life are what people need to maintain a level of sanity to manage through even the most difficult of …show more content…
In the novel, we see a lonely woman. This woman is Curley’s wife. She longs for attention and wishes to have more human interaction and it’s this feeling that gets her in some trouble. She is portrayed as a young temptress who dresses provocatively and teasingly only to intrigue the eye of men. “She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward.” (35). All though she never intended to become so intriguing to the other men, her longing for attention turned into a dangerous temptation. This temptation would end up becoming the cause to her downfall. These actions translate into the tendencies mentioned earlier and also relate to similar palpable tendencies found in Castaway. Yes, Noland has found a way to fulfil his longing for company, yet it’s a limited fulfilment in which he becomes increasingly frustrated with as time progresses. The volleyball, named Wilson in the film, is given the features of a human being but he lacks one of the most essential features - the ability to speak. Noland becomes so frustrated that he kicks the volleyball along the beach. He destroys his only friend on the island because he couldn’t deliver what Noland wanted or, for that matter, needed. This makes apparent the rage and the magnification of loneliness that these feelings can bring about.
All in all,