Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Though the characters of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men come from diverse backgrounds, and are complexly different, they all share one common trait: all are lonely. What's more, this deeply rooted loneliness results in the same outcome for almost all of this book's characters. The character’s isolation expands into hopelessness, and bit by bit, they turn to the easy way out. They take it out on others. By the mistreatment of those weaker than themselves, the characters built themselves a false sense of superiority and power. That taste of power becomes the only thing they can cling to, and the only thing others see in them, as the hardships of the Great Depression takes its toll. As they mold themselves into something they feel is superior, who doesn’t need relief from their loneliness, their other opportunities slip away. The people they were slip away. Thus, the cycle of human nature ensues. It is a …show more content…
Candy, for example. He is an old, beaten down man, missing a hand, with a rather unpleasant job of “swamping out” buildings. He comes across as slightly wimpy. However, we later realize that this character trait is, once again, is just a side effect of loneliness. He also faces time period discrimination, if not as strongly as the first two examples. He deals with the challenges of being a migrant worker. Mostly, though, he is old, and he is alone. no one is around to care for him, and he knows he will be eventually fired. Even his dog, his only constant friend, eventually is killed. Indeed, his unwillingness to give up the dog, even when he knows it’s suffering, shows just how lonely he really is. “I’ve got no where to go, and I won’t get no more jobs.” (Steinbeck page 66) Once again, our theme: Life is hard on candy. As a migrant worker, old, and crippled, he is alone and without hope. Hence, his eager jumps to scorn Curely and his wife, whenever others are at