‘Of Mice and Men’ †Are all the characters in this novel lonely? Essay

Of Mice and Men is set in California during the mid 1930s. Before 1930 citizenry in California practice sessiond to live together happily as families and used to lead a relatively normal life, how incessantly in 1929 the collapse of the New York stock market meant that one and a one-half million people became unemployed rising to three million by 1930 this was c completelyed the Wall Street clash. This depression made caused families to break up as many people (mainly men) to go elsewhere to incur work and earn a living.Consequently there was a breakdown in American society. Steinbeck worked short as a farm worker himself and most of his early books, including Of Mice and Men, were concerned with social issues of the day. Steinbeck was a realist and in his figments he presents the poor and disadvantaged sympathetically. His work made him unpopular with exploitative employers and landowners whom he held trustworthy for perpetuating the cycle of poverty and deprivation create d by the Depression.The falsehood was actually successful in explaining the ask of people who are only(a) and maybe sustain no friends or family. It in addition looks at the occupy to possess a friend or dream to support you through life. The different relationships and characters in the novel represent loneliness and realism with nearly ein truth per tidings belongings a dream.The first mates we come across in this novel is George and Lennie these two friends travel together and are very close, they have each different. Lennie is mentally handicapped and relies very much on George to make decisions for him. George however is stronger mentally and has a lot of power over Lennie although he relies on Lennie to livelihood him company and safe. They had walked in single stick down the path, and even off in the open one stayed behind the other, this quotation represents the power in spite of appearance their relationship George is the leader and has psychological control over Lennie. Their friendship is like a father and son relationship, George dominates Lennie and some dates teaches him a lesson You never oughta drink water when it aint running, Lennie, exclusively when is still forever skilful to him Good boy.George grows close to Lennie despite the trouble Lennies innocence and strength brings on them both. George is Lennies defender-protecting him from others and himself. Ironically in the first chapter George explains that he could get along so easy and so nice if I didnt have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl, he describes the stress and annoyance of having to look after Lennie.Ironically George explains he wants this scarcely when he is forced to shoot Lennie in the final chapter he becomes lonely. George shoots Lennie when they are at their closest fourth dimension yet, he describes to Lennie their dream that he loves to hear the dream comforts Lennie like a bedtime story. This dream eventually dies with Lenn ie and is the biggest sacrifice George has to make killing his own company and the person he loves most. This shows John Steinbecks naturalistic approach to this novel peoples lives dont always live happily ever after and many dreams dont always become a reality, especially not in the 1930s. dulcorate is an old disabled swamper on the ranch. He lost his right hand in a farm accident and now is reduced to worst job on the ranch a cleaner. He has lost control of his life and is devoted to his dog. His dog is his only friend and when this dog dies we see he is human with emotions, and these people are worthy of respect. When Candys ancient, ill dog was shot, Candy has cryptograph left. He delayed killing the dog, even though he knew deep down that it was the best thing, as he dreaded losing his long-time companion.Candy after having cypher in life to live for, decides to join George and Lennie in their dream, his funds would make the dream possible. Candy and his dogs relationship i s parallel to the one with George and Lennies George relies on Lennie, Lennie relies on George and Candy and his dog rely on each other too. Their relationship also foreshadows George and Lennies Candy regrets not shooting his dog himself, I ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog, this is foreshadowing the end of the novel where George knows he had to shoot Lennie. They both lost their love ones.Curley (the bosss son) and his wife do not get on very well Curley only has a wife for power and for him to look successful in life. Curleys wife is married to a man she doesnt love and who doesnt love her. She has very little respect of Curley Id like to bust him up myself, and only marries him to get back at her mother for not let her fulfil her dream to become a movie star which individual had promised her in the past An a guy tol me he could put me in pitchers..Says I was a natural. As soon as the reader meets Curleys wife they get a very bad impression of her, the rectangle of suns hine in the doorway was cut off, this is both literal and metaphorical foreshadowing she is cutting off the liberal in the door so all of the men look up to her, it is metaphorical foreshadowing great(p) the impression that she is trouble.This means that throughout the novel she is disliked by the reader causation her to be even lonelier. By marrying Curley she has become very isolated becoming the only woman on the ranch she turns to outsiders for oversight and tries to befriend the men by hanging round the bunkhouse. Curleys wife is just like Lennie, Crooks and Candy as they have been left behind on a Saturday night- the rejects on the ranch.Curleys wife has no friends and even admits to being lonely seeing that she is not really smell for Curley she just wants to talk with someone Think I dont know where they all went? Even Curley. I know where they all went. moreover although being forlorn she still has a lot of power over the other ranch workers being the boss sons wife, we see this power when she reminds Crooks of how much authority she has over him I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it aint even funny she exercises her power threatening Crooks with death.Like Candy, being a social outcast, Crooks is the loneliest person on the ranch. Crooks lives in enforced solitude, apart from the other men. He is bitter virtually being a back-busted nigger. He is racially discriminated against being referred to as a nigger people also have no respect for him because of him being black and consequently lives in the atomic number 5 by himself. He cannot get away from this prejudice as not other ranch would take him for the reason that he is black, crippled and old. Steinbeck describes his barn (the place where he lives and spends most of his time) for being alone, Crooks could leave his things about. Crooks is extremely lonely, all he has is books and his rights he believes that every human being should have his rights whichever race they may be.When Lennie joins Crooks in this barn, Crooks starts to tease him, this is the only time he has power over someone and is in control. He can make Lennie afraid as he does not understand, Crooks makes Lennie feel like he does now even though Lennie has done nothing wrong Spose you didnt have nobodySpose George dont come back no more Lennie is terrified of being alone and is helpless without George. Crooks is very twist due to his loneliness Books aint no good. A guy needs somebody to be near himA guy goes nuts if he aint got nobody, but is very pleased when Lennie and Candy join him in his barn It was difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger. each(prenominal) through the novel Crooks has a dream of being seen as equal to everyone else. He knows his civil rights and remembers lovingly his childhood, when he played with white children who came to his familys chicken ranch. Crooks longs for a similar relationship with white people again. He dismisses the fact that George, Le nnies and Candys dream will come true I see hundreds of men come by on the road an on the ranches with bindles on their back an that alike damn thing in their heads. Hundreds of themnobody never gets no land. Its just in their head. But when Candy explains that theyve got the money ready and that they are very enthusiastic about achieving this dream because Crooks gets interest If you.guys would want a hand to work for nothing-just his keep, why Id come an lend a hand. A new friendship is just about to develop but Curleys wife then enters and diverts all attention to her, putting an end to Crooks new friendship and dream.John Steinbeck is a realist and illustrates his views in the novel Of Mice and Men. The different characters lifestyles and personalities in this novel represent what existence was like in the 1930s after the Wall Street Crash. Steinbeck supported social justice and equality for the working classes and so uses realism in his writing. He shows ordinary, everyday d etails, and makes characters speak and behave as they might do in real life. We see this particularly in how his characters are revealed through dialogue She had full, rouged lips and wide set eyes, heavily made up. Her finger-nails were red. Her hair hung up in little rolled clusters, like sausages. In his use of realism he portrays a sense of fate whatever the characters do they are at the pardon of outside influences beyond their control, so attempts to improve their lives will fail.We see this use of realism in George and Lennies dream the couple have done nothing wrong but the injustice of outside causes prevents them from holding on to this dream. Not all the characters are throughout this novel but all of them come about to be lonely at the end George and Lennie have each other with the dream of starting a new life in a little cottage of their own, we only know till the very end that this dream can no longer take place with the loss of Lennie and therefore causing George to be lonely. Curley and his wife have each other even though not really utterance to each other much, Curelys wife could be considered lonely as the reader never sees her with Curley but always hanging around looking to talk to someone.Candy did have his dog to rely on and to trust but when he died then he soon found himself becoming lonely and looking to others for attention and Crooks was also lonely throughout the novel being racially discriminated against by all other ranch workers he was an outsider. Characters on the ranch in this novel are lonely and hold a dream to keep themselves calm and for something to hold onto, seeing that they have no friends they need to look to something to keep them happy and sane. Steinbeck worked on a ranch within the 1930s and must have seen how ranch workers behaved and how lonely they can feel. He has been in a position of a ranch worker and has expressed his tactual sensation of loneliness and dream worthy within this novel, his realism has caused nearly all characters to be lonely at the end of the novel.