loneliness in Of Mi and Mence

A detailed Summary of loneliness in Of Mi and Mence

In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men loneliness runs alongside friendship as a major theme. Although ranch life in the 1930s America is lonely for migrant workers and many other people, George and Lennie, two of "the loneliest guys in the world" (13), at least have each other. For African-Americans like Crooks, women like Curley's wife, or the old like Candy, life is far more lonely.

The person who expresses his loneliness most openly and deeply is Crooks the African-American stablehand, a victim of racial prejudice. When Lennie enters his room uninvited, Crooks, out of bitter pride, exercises his only right, that of privacy in his own room. (68) He is so desperately lonely that he cruelly tries to hurt Lennie with tales of George deserting him to try to make him understand what it feels like to be so alone. (71-72) His envy of their friendship shows when he says: "George can tell yo

u screwy things, and it don't matter. It's just the talking. It's just bein' with another guy." (71) Glad to have someone to talk to, he warns of the dangers of too much loneliness and continues with: "A guy needs somebody- to be near him... A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody." (72) The reason Lennie goes to see Crooks, of course, is that George is out of town with the other ranch hands and he wants some company. When Candy joins them too, Crooks can hardly "conceal his pleasure with anger." (75)

Curley's wife would have been doomed to an equally lonely old age. In a rash moment brought on by her disappointment at not being in the movies, she marries Curley and soon regrets it. (88-89) She appears at the door of the bunkhouse and later Crook's room pretending to be looking for Curley when she is actually looking for company. As if they can afford to care when their jobs and physical well-being are at stake,

Some common words found in the essay are:
Crooks African-American, Ever'body An', Steinbeck's Mice, Spanish George, African-Americans Crooks, George Lennie, curley's wife, understand feels,

Approximate Word count = 624
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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