Of Men And Mice †Is loneliness mans greatest enemy? Essay

Loneliness is a state of existence all in sadness, resulting from creation forsaken or abandoned. As I understand it, forlornness is when a person has no one to berate to, no one to confide in, nor anyone to keep family with. Loneliness also makes a person rotate into a desolate state, which they try to obliterate under a tough image, and is an emotion sluice the strongest cannot avoid. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck deals with loneliness by looking for comfort in a fri contown(prenominal), but settling for the solicitous capitulum of a stranger. Although they seem at ease and friendly on the surface, a deep genius of loneliness lingers in the hearts of turnings, George, and Curleys wife, to which they are desperate to find an escape from to cope with their retirement from the rest of society.Crooks, a lively, sharp-witted, black stablehand, who takes his name from his crooked back, leads a lonely brio. He lives according to the mold that no black man is all toldowed to enter a white mans home. Crooks loneliness is a result of rejection from everyone else on the ranch. He is forced to live alone in a barn, where he lives his life in isolation because of his colour, which was an issue in those days. When Lennie visits him in the path, Crooks reactions reveal the fact that he is lonely. As a black man with a physical handicap, Crooks is forced to live on the border of ranch life. He is not even allowed to enter the white mens bunkhouse, or join them in a game of cards. His resentment typically comes bug out through his bitter, sad, and touching vulner superpower, as he tells LennieA computed tomography needs somebodyto be near him. A guy goes nuts if he aint got nobody. Dont make no difference who the guy is, longs hes with you. I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an he gets sick. (Steinbeck 72-73)Crooks openness of his inner self, and his ability to speak his hearts desire to a stranger illustrates how lonely he gets, and admits tha t it results in sickness. Furthermore, as bitter as he is about his exclusion from other men, Crooks is grateful for Lennies company, and when Candy enters Crooks room, it becomes difficult for him to conceal his pleasure with anger. The only kindred he can find is with his books.When Lennie dialogue about his dream farm, Crooks hesitantly asks Lennie an alternative forhim to escape his loneliness, If youguys would want a hand to work for zippojust his keep, why Id come an lend a hand (Steinbeck 76). Crooks desperation to get out of his lonely spell prompts him to make such a drastic, but shy, suggestion. Crooks becomes so desperate for a relationship that he offers his services to George and Lennie for free, just to escape his loneliness. Crooks is not successful in overcoming his loneliness because Lennie dies in a matter of days, and no white man in his right mind would care to step infantry in Crooks humble abode.George, a short-tempered but loving and devoted friend, is los t in loneliness. At the beginning of the novel, George reveals his thoughts on loneliness in a story that he narrates about Lennie, himself, on a farmGuys desire us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They dont travel no place. With us it aint like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We dont wipe out to sit in no bar room blowin in our jack jus because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us. (Steinbeck 13-14)George realizes that loneliness attributes too much of his sufferings. Georges rough attitude to conceal his loneliness and to admit to suffering from profound loneliness is revealed when he reminds Lennie that the life of a ranch-hand is among the loneliest of lives. Migrant workers, like George, rarely have anyone to look to for companionship. To overcome his loneliness, George not only befriends Lennie, but he seem s to find companionship with his co-workers as well. He eagerly accepts the invitation to go into town with the boys, leaving Lennie alone in the barn with the animals.Towards the end of the novel, George feels an even greater sense of loneliness and guilt in front he kills Lennie. Instead of beingness irate and reprimanding him, George, overcome by his forthcoming loneliness, responds to Lennies running away to the caves, No I want you to taking into custody here with me (Steinbeck 104). The wave of nostalgia and loneliness that engulfs George is so overwhelming, that he shoots Lennie instantly. In this way, George is not successful of overcoming his loneliness because he would mourn for the loss of his friendfor a long time, leading him to feel even more inculpatory and lonely.Curleys wife, who walks the ranch as a temptress, hides a deep sense of loneliness behind the tramp, tart, and holler out masks that she puts on. For a young lady to wed at an early age, and then be l eft alone at home, would send one in a deep state of loneliness or depression. She is matrimonial to a man that gives her little attention and none of his time. Curleys wifes mask of a prostitute hides the vulnerability, dissatisfaction, and loneliness in her life. Her first outburst in Crooks room tears down a wall of her image Satiday night. Everbody out doin sompin. Everbody An what am I doin? Standin here talkin to a bunch of bindle stiffsa nigger an a dum-dum and a lousy ol sheepan likin it because they aint nobody else. (Steinbeck 78).Being the only woman on the ranch, Curleys wife does not have another person to talk to who could emphasize with her. She has no friends, no future, no respect she does not even deserve a name Desperate to satisfy her need for belonging and love, she turns to strangers such as Lennie, Crooks, and Candy. ahead her death, Curleys wife reveals a lot about herself to Lennie, the only person that she feels she can talk to. She hints at her lonelines s when she says, Seems like they aint none of them cares how I gotta live, (Steinbeck 88). Her aggravation and frustration about being lonely is being released, and she may be free, in a way, because she has finally released most of her innermost feelings and emotions before her death. She is successful in getting a person like Lennie to talk to and confide in, but it deeds out to her misfortune that she has to be mercilessly killed by his hands.All three of the characters share the despair of missing to change the way they are and attain a victory over their loneliness. Crooks loneliness is cloak-and-dagger by his character, but eventually comes to surface while talking to Lennie. Georges loneliness is hidden by his rough attitude, which seems to disappear when narrating the story of the farm to Lennie. Curleys wifes loneliness is cover behind the mask of a portrayed prostitute, but the mask falls off during her conversations with strangers, including Lennie.I theorise John Stei nbecks message about loneliness and peoples attempts to overcome loneliness in the novel is to reveal to us the nature of humans true existence. One cannot escape from being lonely, and the characters attempts to overcome their loneliness is to seek the desire and comfort of a friend, but settle for the attentive ear of a stranger. I feel that Steinbeck is not completely successful in delivering his message across because for a full realization, one has to dig deep into the story, as well as place themselves in the position of a character to emphasize with, as well as relate to them and perceive their misery.