Loneliness in Of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

Loneliness in Of Mice and Men Essay These are just a few of the times in which Candy has shown thoughtfulness. The last character John Steinbeck has developed, Curleys wife, shows loneliness for three reasons. For one, she states, I get lonely. You can talk to people, but I cant talk to nobody but Curley on page 87, which shows that she has loneliness because she doesnt have anyone to talk to but Curley. Specifically, people wont talk to her because they know that Curley will get jealous and want to start a fight. In another reason, she says, Im looking for Curley on page 31, which shows that she, made up an excuse to find adult conversation. Candy does not seem to have a dream until he meets George and Lennie. He is swept up in the plausible reality of this dream, a dream he would probably be too scared to initiate by himself. Candy is not happy with his life on the ranch, but he doesnt think that there is anything else that he can do. He has one arm and is quite an old man, he used to have a dog that was also very old and someone else shot it for him. He was very miserable after the death of his dog and he said, I ought to have shot that dog myself, George. I shouldnt ought to have let no stranger shoot my dog. His dog was the only precious possession he had at the ranch and it was taken away from him. He overheard George and Lennie talking about their dream and later approached them and told them his generous offer. He had more than half of the deposit money and George was very grateful of that and let him in on their once unattainable dream Steinbeck was of German and Irish ancestry. Curleys wife tries to get the men to feel sorry for her but also has a powerful and mulipative side to her by threatening Crooks. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it isnt even funny. Curleys wife is abusing her power by using it to threaten Crooks and make him understand what kind of position he is in. She says this by threatening to get Crooks lynched, the hate of black people during this time is unimaginable. The men in the barn would rather listen to a white woman over a black man. He helps them get closer to actually owning the ranch because he has a lot of money saved away in his bank and offers it towards the ranch. Crooks is also crippled in his back and because of this he works as a stable buck. Like Candy he also has nothing to look forward to. When Lennie tells Crooks about his and Georges dream of owning a ranch, he is very cynical; Every damn one of ems got a little piece of land in his head. An never a god damn one of em ever gets it. Crooks mentions how George and Lennies dream will be unattainable but after hearing what Lennie has to say, he wants in but.. But after a while he believes that they might actually get their ranch and decides he also wants in. His hopes are soon crushed by Curleys wife taunts and changes his mind George and Lennies dream to buy a plot of land is a powerful symbol of the American Dream, Steinbeck uses Candy as a narrator. At the start he gives commentary of the characters to introduce them, he says how curleys wife is a tart, curley hatred for big guys and what the boss said in the morning and what he is like. Candy seems to know about Curleys wife and her giving the eye to Slim and Carlson. I seen her give Slim the eye, An I seen her give Carlson the eye. If he was white he would have such a nicer life on the ranch, knowing this he is depressed therefore like many people the great depression. Crooks is a nice person but being black the reader finds it hard to see that he has feelings and also his arched back makes him look twice as bad of an outsider. Steinbeck has written this novel in the hope that people would understand what happened back in his child years. He also wanted to convey his feelings of the violence and anger in the 1930s he had experienced. In the novel the violence mentioned is where curly exhibits himself in the bunk house because he does not like big people. There was a ranking system in America that was similar to an unwritten law. This ranking was used on the ranches and unfortunately put Crooks at the bottom. In America black people were oppressed and were not allowed to prosper. On the ranch Crooks had his own bunk and kept himself to himself. However, any sympathy that we might have felt for Curleys wife is reduced because of the cruelty she shows when talking to the men and by the way she treats Crooks. She is contemptuous of Candy, Crooks and Lennie, referring to them as a nigger an a dum-dum and a lousy ol sheep and she laughs at their dream of having a ranch of their own, dismissing it as Balony. Far worse though is the way she removes all Crooks pride and dignity when he dares stand up to her and saying how she can get him lynched. would say that loneliness is one of the main themes throughout the novel and I also think that Crooks is defiantly the loneliest. He is a Negro stable buck and the only reason he does not get beaten up is because the ranch the hands are not aloud to use their feet to fight because Crooks has a bad back. I aint wanted I cant play because I am black Those quotes show that Crooks is feeling lonely Says George in a way that says I know I cant force you but I dont want you here. This is of course because of what Curly did. She is taken aback by this, she is used to being ignored but not told to leave by anyone other than her husband. I just want some one to talk to. She says. you got a husband, go talk to him George replies. yeah I got a husband. She says almost in a disappointed way. She then asks how Curly got his hand broken. To which George lies and says he got his hand caught in a machine. But this doesnt fool her so seeking an answer she asks Lennie who she knows wont have the mental capacity to make up a lie. how did you get those scratches on your face? she asks. Lennie looks to George and then looks away saying, he got it caught in a machine. He answers. is that so? She says with a look that is trying to work out how Lennie thinks. Almost as if she is concerned for him. She then quietly leaves. In this scene we begin to see that she isnt stupid she can work things out. Also that she doesnt like Curly and being married to him. The possibility that all she wants is some one to talk to is again present. it differs the way Curleys wife is perceived in the film and book, we dont see how clever she is and how she uses her knowledge, power and position to be malicious. In the book, there is a quite surreal scene towards the end, when Lennie is by himself in the brush. He gets agitated with himself over what he has done and all of a sudden, a short, plump lady appears, his Aunt Clara. She starts speaking to him in Lennies voice. Then after she is finished disappears. Then, a giant rabbit scuttles out of Lennies head and starts shouting at him. Unfortunately, this is never visually seen as it is left out of the film. It would have been a funny scene and with it being right near the end, would have spoilt the mood; therefore, it was left out. Another scene left out so not to detract the mood, was when Lennie has his dead puppy in his arms after he has killed Curleys wife, and he has the idea of throwing the pup away so it wouldnt look so bad. The last two scenes would have caused undue laughter in the middle of two important and emotion parts of the film, which would have lessened the viewers emotions. Along with missing out scenes, a fair number of scenes were added. For example, in the film there is a scene when Lennie enters the bunkhouse with the bib of his dungarees puffed up and him cradling it. As Lennie had tried to sneak his pup into the bunkhouse before, Lennies suspicious behaviour hints to George that he is trying to do it again. After George scalds Lennie for his attempt to sneak the pup in again, Lennie lies on the bed and slaps the bib of his dungarees, flattening it, and finishing the joke. An amusing practical joke obviously thought up purely by Lennie showing he does have an intelligent and a funny side. John Steinbecks Of Mice And Men expresses George and Lennies relationship brilliantly just like a marriage, not in a sexual manner but in a mutual loving relationship. This occurs throughout the novel.(then examples) Curley has a very poor attitude in that he believes beating up people that are bigger than himself would make him a hero, however if the bigger person beat him up people would call the bigger person a bully and be sympathetic towards Curley. This backfires horrendously one day when seeing that Lennie has a childs mind he tries to pick a fight on him only to find that Lennys reaction left him with a badly broken hand. Due to this event, Curley then bares a grudge on Lenny throughout the play and the death of Curleys wife fits in nicely as it gives Curley an excuse to go after Lenny. Steinbeck does this cleverly so that there is already bad blood between Lennie and Curley before the death of Curleys wife. More than anything, Curley has his wife as a trophy wife. At no point in the book does he show any sort of love or affection toward her. Steinbeck does this so when his wife is found dead he isnt bothered about mourning hes focused on getting Lennie. eorge had told him not to speak, so he didnt answer. Curley really got angry. George answered for him and he answered, An you wont let the big guy talk, is that it? He wants to be big and tall. He picks fights with anybody that is larger, in a way superior to him. He only has respect for Slim; we know this because he listened to Slim. I think you got your han caught in a machine. He knows what really happened. He didnt want to get laughed at either, so he listened and obeyed Slims instruction. But you jus tell an try to get this guy canned and well tell ever body, an then will you get the laugh. Curley agreed to this statement, otherwise he will be laughed at for starting the fight and then losing it. Even though Curleys hand was totally ruined, and Lennie got a couple of bruises and cuts nobody got in any more trouble. When his wife was killed he was really mad. Not mad for losing a loved one. He was mad at Lennie for killing her, and instead of staying with his wife, he hurried off to find Lennie and to kill him. We notice that although Curley was very protective over his wife, he didnt show any interest in her, and showed no signs of love. Nobody liked Curley, not even his wife. Curleys wife was an outcast, because she is the only female on the ranch and wore a lot of red.