Loneliness On The Ranch In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Loneliness on the Ranch Loneliness is the state of having no friends or company which often leads to unhappiness. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, characters deal with loneliness throughout the course of the novel. The author’s use of characterization, as seen in characters Candy, Crooks, Curley’s wife, and Lennie shows the theme of loneliness in the novel. The novel uses characterization of Candy to show the reader the theme of loneliness. Candy is characterized as an old ranch worker who is weak and moves slowly. Candy is often left behind on tasks because other workers think that he is useless due to his age. In the beginning of the book, Candy had his dog to cover up for his loneliness but after the death of his dog, Candy realizes …show more content…
Steinbeck introduces Curley’s wife as a possession of Curley as the only girl on the ranch. Being the only female on the ranch, Curley had demanded and made sure that his wife does not talk to anyone on the ranch. As a way of revolting against her loneliness and her husband’s rules, she begins to flirt with other ranchers for attention. In the novel Curley’s wife seeks for attention or someone to talk to because Curley does not give her the love and attention she needs. Curley is rather unkind to his wife by not talking to her or caring about she has to say, leaving Curley’s wife with the need to tell someone. For example, when Curley’s wife is confiding in Lennie about life at home she says, “ I don’like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella.”(Steinbeck 89). This quote shows how Steinbeck uses speech to show that Curley’s wife’s life at home was the reason behind her loneliness and need for attention. Curley’s wife had never had a full conversation with any of the ranch workers let alone telling anyone about how Curley had mistreated her. This shows how long she has kept her emotions to herself due to her loneliness and lack of communication with others on the