Of Mice and Men Theme Analysis Essay In the novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, there are many reoccurring themes presented throughout the novel. One of the most reoccurring themes is: the pain of loneliness. Crooks, Curley’s wife, and Candy are the three most prominent characters that really represent the pain of loneliness. Crooks arguably is the most separated or isolated character on the ranch. This is further supported when Crooks says to Lennie, “‘cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black” (Steinbeck 68). Back in the time of Of Mice and Men, African Americans were still being segregated especially on a ranch full of white men. Having only himself to talk to is probably lonely so when he says
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On the night of, after Carlson shoots his dog, Candy says, “I’d make a will an’ leave my share to you guys in case I kick off, ‘cause I ain’t got not one relatives or nothing” (59). This eludes that after Carlson pressured Candy in letting him put down his dog, Candy had nothing left and that’s the loneliest thing of all. Throughout the book Candy was already getting paid half of what he had when he had two hands so when he says “When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me. But they won’t do nothing like that. I won’t have no place to go, an’ I can’t get no more jobs” (60), he really has given up hope. He tries to turn his loneliness into something better by buying into the farm idea with George and Lennie, but even that didn’t work out. From the novel, Crooks, Curley’s wife, and Candy are the most different, but different in those days usually had a bad connotation. With Crooks being black with a crooked back, Curley’s wife being the only girl, and Candy’s missing limb they were all segregated in their own way. So overall, the novel Of Mice and Men leaves the reader wondering if these characters will ever receive an ending that doesn’t end lonely, the only exception being Curley’s wife. This theme casts a shadow over the entire book that even the readers can feel in the first
On the night of, after Carlson shoots his dog, Candy says, “I’d make a will an’ leave my share to you guys in case I kick off, ‘cause I ain’t got not one relatives or nothing” (59). This eludes that after Carlson pressured Candy in letting him put down his dog, Candy had nothing left and that’s the loneliest thing of all. Throughout the book Candy was already getting paid half of what he had when he had two hands so when he says “When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me. But they won’t do nothing like that. I won’t have no place to go, an’ I can’t get no more jobs” (60), he really has given up hope. He tries to turn his loneliness into something better by buying into the farm idea with George and Lennie, but even that didn’t work out. From the novel, Crooks, Curley’s wife, and Candy are the most different, but different in those days usually had a bad connotation. With Crooks being black with a crooked back, Curley’s wife being the only girl, and Candy’s missing limb they were all segregated in their own way. So overall, the novel Of Mice and Men leaves the reader wondering if these characters will ever receive an ending that doesn’t end lonely, the only exception being Curley’s wife. This theme casts a shadow over the entire book that even the readers can feel in the first