The Power of Loneliness The Great Depression was an era of hardship for many, and kept several people from accomplishing even the most basic goals and dreams. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck tells a story of two friends, George Milton and Lennie Small, and their search for a better life in rural California. George, a smart but small and wiry laborer, and Lennie, a giant man who is mentally challenged, take jobs bucking barley on a large ranch outside of Salinas and try to save money to get a place of their own. On the ranch, they encounter many who have dreams of their own, but Steinbeck manipulates his characters, particularly Lennie, to demonstrate that not everyone gets what they want, even if they work hard for it. In the novella
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Crooks describes his loneliness to Lennie in chapter 4. He says, “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody”(Steinbeck 72). This quote shows how alone Crooks feels, he has no one to talk to. This can also cause him to think he is being watched by something. Another example on why Crooks hates being lonely is because: “Maybe if he sees somethin', he don't know whether it's right or not. He can't turn to some other guy and ast him if he sees it too.” (Steinbeck ). This shows that Crooks is so aone that if he thinks he sees something, there is no one there to tell him otherwise. It also shows how he could become paranoid that something is watching him just because of a noise that he thought he heard. Crooks is a great example of what could happen to someone who s isolated from the outside world for too …show more content…
His dog is so old that it can not eat solid food, it is losing its eyesight and is very smelly to the other men. However, the dog is basicly Candy’s best friend. But during chapter 3, the decision is made to kill Candy’s dog to put him out of his misery. The way Candy feels about this is, “A shot sounded in the distance. The men looked quickly at the old man. Every head turned toward him. For a moment he continued to stare at the ceiling. Then he rolled slowly over and faced the wall and lay silent.” (Steinbeck --). Tis shows that Candy was in very deep thought about his dog. But what Candy was really thinking about was his old age and what will happen to him. Proof of this is “You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn't no good to himself nor nobody else. 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. I'll have thirty dollars more comin', time you guys is ready to quit.” (Steinbeck --). This shows how Candy feels about his dog and himself. It shows that Candy knows that he might not have that much time left, and that he might get fired soon because he is useless. Candy is an example of the loneliness you can feel when losing someone close to you. In the novella Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, the author shows the power of loneliness by using isolation,, discrimination, and
Crooks describes his loneliness to Lennie in chapter 4. He says, “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody”(Steinbeck 72). This quote shows how alone Crooks feels, he has no one to talk to. This can also cause him to think he is being watched by something. Another example on why Crooks hates being lonely is because: “Maybe if he sees somethin', he don't know whether it's right or not. He can't turn to some other guy and ast him if he sees it too.” (Steinbeck ). This shows that Crooks is so aone that if he thinks he sees something, there is no one there to tell him otherwise. It also shows how he could become paranoid that something is watching him just because of a noise that he thought he heard. Crooks is a great example of what could happen to someone who s isolated from the outside world for too …show more content…
His dog is so old that it can not eat solid food, it is losing its eyesight and is very smelly to the other men. However, the dog is basicly Candy’s best friend. But during chapter 3, the decision is made to kill Candy’s dog to put him out of his misery. The way Candy feels about this is, “A shot sounded in the distance. The men looked quickly at the old man. Every head turned toward him. For a moment he continued to stare at the ceiling. Then he rolled slowly over and faced the wall and lay silent.” (Steinbeck --). Tis shows that Candy was in very deep thought about his dog. But what Candy was really thinking about was his old age and what will happen to him. Proof of this is “You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn't no good to himself nor nobody else. 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. I'll have thirty dollars more comin', time you guys is ready to quit.” (Steinbeck --). This shows how Candy feels about his dog and himself. It shows that Candy knows that he might not have that much time left, and that he might get fired soon because he is useless. Candy is an example of the loneliness you can feel when losing someone close to you. In the novella Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, the author shows the power of loneliness by using isolation,, discrimination, and