Theme Of Loneliness In Of Mice And Men

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Mother Teresa once said, “Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.” Everyone at some point goes through or struggles with loneliness. So, if everyone gets lonely are we really alone? In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, loneliness plays a huge role. Lennie, Crooks, and Candy all face loneliness. At times they are put in situations that they would rather not be in which moves the story along. Since they are lonely they get put through a lot for better or for worse.
George and Lennie, are both main characters of the story. They are migrant workers who have big dreams to someday own a ranch and tend rabbits. Even though George has big dreams for him and Lennie, Lennie ruins them for the most part so
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He is a African American who is left out and discriminated. Crooks does not stay in the bunkhouse with everyone else. Instead, he stays in a shed leaned off to the wall of the barn which is the harness room. Since he is African American, Crooks is controlled by most people and they are rude or racist towards him. Crooks is better by himself so no one is making fun of him or telling him what to do. Being alone he normally gets defensive especially when someone white, such as Lennie visits because, Crooks bunk is his own and he likes to be in control of something for once, where he can set the rules, and call what is his. Crooks said, “You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room” (Steinbeck 68). Also, no one wants to necessarily talk to Crooks because of his race. In chapter four Crooks implies to Lennie how a person can get or feel so lonely doing the same things everyday, being treated differently and he cried, “ I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick” (Steinbeck …show more content…
Candy, is a old swamper who only has one hand. He also later in the book has the same dream as George and Lennie or hopes to fulfill that dream with them and helps them out as well as Crooks. He is very independant and no one picks on him much. Candy has been through a lot and because he is old, he wishes someone could already just shoot, kill him, or die of natural cause. His dog keeps him company for the most part but, not so much anymore. In chapter three Carlson tries to convince Candy to let him shoot his dog as Slim, being top dog also adds his input and persuades Candy by saying “That dog ain’t no good to himself. I wisht somebody’d shoot me if I got old an’ a cripple” (Steinbeck 45). Candy agreed and he could not see his dog in anymore pain. If it was him he would want it that way. Once Lennie dies he feels empty again. He had a dream with George and Lennie but is now shattered by Lennie’s

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