Loneliness and Dreams in Mice of men Essay

John Steinbeck wrote the novel of Mice and meetforce during the great depression. During this time in that location were few jobs which meant people had to migrate in search of jobs. This meant they were constantly pitiful and could not establish lasting friendships or relationships. Steinbeck portrays the l whizsowork forceess and hardship matte by people living through the 1930s American depression. He shows how the ideateings of the events were what helped them survive through this period. In this essay I depart prove the ambitiousnesss and l atomic number 53liness of the characters in the novel and how Steinbeck reveals each characters seclusion and envisages.George and Lennie both association loneliness. Even though they had each other George needed somebody on his wavelength, with his level of maturity because Lennie is resembling a child and does not opine deal an adult, he is ment eachy retarded.One almost gets the feeling that he doesnt want Lennie for compa nionship at all when he is public lecture to Lennie about(predicate) how he would live without him. God a mighty, if I was besides I could live so easy. Page 11As George carries on jawing of his laid back cargon forgo lifestyle he dreams of he progressively gets angrier. It makes the reader wonder why he even rest with Lennie if he feels so overwhelmed with the responsibility of locutioning out for Lennie. George is a brain he sees how bitter other men on the ranch eat up be rise up through their loneliness George realizes that staying with Lennie stops him from being truly lone(a). He also has protection from Lennie because he knows he is safe when he has a big guy like Lennie as his friend. Looking out for Lennie digs him a purpose, a reason, a role in his life he gets the enjoyment of knowing he is needed.George fell silent. He wanted to conference. Page 41This quote is from when George talks to Slim. He is happy to hold up the chance to talk to someone on his leve l of maturity. As Slim is a entire listener and tries to understand the relationship between George and Lennie.Lennie doesnt really experiences loneliness although he necessarily to pet something, to hold something. He al rooms has George to look afterwardwards(prenominal) him sees George as a father figure. George instructs him on how to be grant and what to do in certain situations.Slowly, like a terrier who doesnt want to constitute a ball to its master, Lennie approached, page 9This quote is military issuen from when George wants to take a dead mouse away from Lennie who doesnt want to give it up. It reveals how George has an authority over Lennie.George and Lennies dream is to one day give some agriculture. They wish to live on this land and be their stimulate boss. George no longer wants to comply with somebody elses rules. He wants to have a purpose in working hard on the land because then he will benefit from his hard work. Whereas when working on a ranch he is wor king hard for somebody elses profits.Lennie is only interested in tending to the rabbits. He just wants to be able to pet some animals. His dream fits in with Georges it doesnt matter if he owns the land or not.Curleys wifes pertain is never mentioned she is always referred to as Curleys wife. Steinbeck never uses her name because the other men see her as belonging to Curley, just other possession of his on the ranchCurleys wife is the only womanhood on the ranch, she married Curley recently and she is still quite young. She is lonely because she has no one to confide in. When she wants to talk to the men she uses the excuse she is looking for Curley. any(prenominal) you boys seen Curley? Pg81This quote is from when Lennie, dulcify and Crooks are in Crooks manner and Curleys wife comes in. In this chapter we know she uses the excuse she is looking for Curley as a way to talk to the men on the ranch. We know this because, after the men tell her he hasnt been there she saysThink I dont know where they all went?Even Curley. I know where they all went. Page 81She uses this excuse every time she wants to talk to the men merely she has shown that she knew exactly where he was this time. She then calls them the weak ones the fortune of bindle stiffs that even after that she wishes to talks to them. This is because she is desperate for some political party anyone to talk to. She is seen to be a tart and jail bait by the other men on the ranch, but she still wants to have them for company.Curleys wife also had dream, she still has, and when she was younger she wanted to be an actress. She says how she could have been famous, rich and happy. I coulda made somethin of myself. She utter darkly, Maybe I will yet. Pg 93The fact that she still trusts to fulfil her dream is rather pathetic. Her dream is very un real she will never break free from her sorrowful marriage. She has this dream because it is a form of escapism, she can pretend that she is not lonely an d that one-day she will not have to live the way she very practically dislikes. I tell you I aint used to livin like this. Pg 93She reveals her dreams to Lennie when hes on his own she finds that the men only talk to her when they are on their own. Even when Lennie is on his own he is reluctant to talk to her because of what George has said about her.Crooks is a Negro in a golf club that considers non-whites as sub-human. He also is partially halting which does not help when he is living in a society that value people by their ability to provide a service. Because of his endure he does not sleep in the same room as the other workers, he lives in the room where he works in and a manure pile under the window.Because of this Crooks spends most of his time on his own leading to a great feeling of loneliness. His only companions are his arrests and as he has seen people come and go he has acquired more possessions than the others have.His loneliness is revealed when he is talking to Lennie. Lennie is talking to Crooks in his room, telling him about the land they will one day own. A guy needs somebody-to be near him. Pg 77Crooks reads books but because of his colour he has no friend not even somebody on his wavelength. He is on his own every night whereas all the other men grapple their room in the bunkhouse.Crooks is so overcome with his loneliness that he cannot hope or dream anymore. He doesnt take any mention of Lennies dream because he has heard it all before.I seen hundreds of men come by on the roadAn 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. Pg 78Although after he hears how this dream could become a reality Crooks is influenced and wants to join in. He later retracts his statement because of the way Curleys wife treats him. Well you economize your place, then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a corner so easy it aint even funny. Pg 85Shes racist and through her body language she sh ows that she has the authority over him. This is why he no longer wanted to join in with the political platform of owning land.Candy is lonely because he has nobody he only had one companion, which was his dog that he had since the dog was a puppy. Candy was very broken in when his dog had to be killed. His loneliness is revealed when Carlson proposes that the dog should be shot. Whynt you shoot him, candy?The old man squirmed uncomfortably. Pg 47The apprehension of Candys only companion being shot fills him with dread. The musical theme is uncomfortable. He tries many times to reason with Carlson and find a way that he can nonplus off the death of his dog.Candy said hopefully, you aint got a gun. Pg 50The only reason he lets his dog die is because he cannot argue with Carlson. Also Slim concord with Carlson and Slim word is the law in this play, the voice of reason.Candy is so desperate for companionship that he keeps a blind dog that is in pain from dying in a way this is an act of selfishness.Candy listens attentively while George and Lennie are talking about their dream. He offers to bribe the land they need to fulfil their dream.Sspose I went in with you guys.Thas three hundred an fifty bucks Id put in Pg 62Candy is very old, because of the great depression there is no job security and because of this he cyphers he will be looted soon.At this point the dream seems more real to them than it has ever been before. ahead it was just a fantasy, some thing to find comfort in, but he could never actually let himself believe it. They all sit still, all bemused by the beauty of the thing, Pg 64I think now their dream is more realistic but not realistic enough because George says if Lennie and he dont spend anything they would have $450 but they are bound to spend something especially when George is interested in waiver to the cat house. Also the asking price is $600 it will take a lot longer for them to raise that amount of money.The great depression in America had its effect on many of the characters money was hard to come by.Loneliness is a major theme in the novel Of Mice and Men because many of the characters suffer from this more than anything else. Loneliness kills Curleys wife, embitters Crooks and candy although Lennie and George put it off through the fact that they have each other for companionship.Guys like us, that work on the ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. Lennie broke in. just not us Because because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and thats why Pg 14Steinbeck doesnt offer any answers to the characters problem of loneliness. Showing the reader a graphic and move portrayal of how loneliness affects people without providing an antidote or giving a happy ending makes the novel really sad.Lennie and Georges dream brought vigor but pain and grief instead of promised joy and happiness, which ties into the tittle of the book which was taken from a poem titled to a mouse by a Sc ottish poet called Robert Burns.This poem was about how a mouse, which had planned for the spend by making a nest, had its nest ruined by a tractor.George and Lennie planned carefully how they were going to achieve their dream of being free and independent but forces beyond their control shattered their dream. Steinbeck never suggests that dreams should not be had, Lennie and Georges dream was so powerful that Candy was wasted in and for a short time so was the cynical Crooks. This dream was what comforted Lennie and helped George survive. The dreams the characters had had to be had they were what was needed to hold on to, to survive and to work for.This period of time made people bitter because they were lonely, the only mortal they had to look out for was themselves, kindness had no place on the ranch. They all cried out for love and care but only Lennie openly explicit his need for it through his constant talk of rabbits. Characters like Crooks had become cynical, he had lost hope and he couldnt dream. At first when Lennie talked of his dream Crooks thought it was another pathetic dream he was beyond imagining how everything could be. Curleys wifes dream was rather pathetic and quite unrealistic but it was a form of escapism for her. So she fantasised about her dream coming true but it was her way of coping when she was in an uncheerful marriage that she had no way out of. It is sad to think that the loneliness that she was trying to get away from killed her in the end.