Of Mice & Men: Forced Isolation Essay

Everyone in their lifetime desires the comfort of a friend, besides allow for settle for the attentive ear of a stranger. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows how solitary people were during the 1930s. He teaches a grim lesson about the nature of gay existence, and how the records in the story had to admit at one time or an a nonher(prenominal) to having a profound sense of loneliness and isolation. Although each character had their own secluded troubles, Curleys married woman, Crooks, and glaze, suffered the most from loneliness.Curleys wife is the wholly female character in the story who is never given a proper, and is only mentioned in connectence to her conserve. The men on the farm refer to her as a tramp, a tart, and a looloo, and she represents the lure of female sexuality in a male-dominated world. Steinbeck depicts Curleys wife not as a vill personal, but rather as a victim. same the ranch-hands, she is desperately lonely and has broken dreams of a bet ter life. For example, she tells Lennie, I shit lonely. You plunder babble to people, but I cant talk to nobody but Curley. (95) This shows how aw atomic number 18 she is about Curleys insecurity, which causes her to converse with the other men in secret.Curley expects his wife to do as he tells her at all times, and expects her to isolate herself from everyone else and to only talk to him. In addition, Curleys wife also adds after discovering where Curley had gone too Think I acquiret greet where they all went? Even Curley? (77) Curleys wife despises the requirements and demands her husband has over her, fully knowing that Curley is unfaithful to her. Using this ag personalst her husband, Curleys wife does the exact opposite of what he tells demands of her, and does as she deprivations whenever Curley isnt around, and tries to have the guys examine that all she needs is a friend. Curleys wife, being a woman, is judge to obey a man at all times, but since she is a free-spiri ted woman, she has hopes and dreams just care everyone else that she had to give up to spend the rest of her crushed life being isolated.Candy, the old swamper, is a lonely character because he is different fromeveryone else and doesnt really have anybody to call friend. For example, Candy tells George, Id make a will an leave my circumstances to you guys in case I kick off, cause I personalt got no relatives nor nothing. (59) Candy clearly says in this statement that he is desperate to not spend the rest of his life whole. He was free to give George and Lennie his life savings to be a part of their American Dream, and clings to the idea of having the freedom to take up or set aside work as he chooses. In addition, Candy continues to persuade George, When they can me here I wisht close tobodyd shoot me. But they wint do nothing like that.I wont have no place to go, an I cant compass no more capers. (60) Candy compares himself to his old dog that was shot because he was no longer useful and the guys at the ranch didnt want him to suffer anymore. He knows that he will get fired from his job soon, because he as well is getting very old and useless, and wished that at a time he does get fired, one of the men on the ranch will shoot him to put him out of his misery, because he will have no one left to spend his life with. Candy is a weighty worker, however, he fears that he will be alone for the rest of his life and tries to do everything in his power to avoid that worrying obstacle.Crooks is a lively, sharp-witted, African American who takes his name from his crooked back. Like most of the characters in the story, he admits that he is awfully lonely. When Lennie visits him in his room, his reaction certainly reveals this fact. Why aint you wanted? Lennie asked. Cause Im dismal. (68) At eldest when Lennie visited Crooks, he turns Lennie away, hoping to prove a point that if he, as a black man, is not allowed in white mens houses, then whites are not allowed in his. However, his desire for company ultimately wins out and he invites Lennie to sit with him. Like Curleys wife, Crooks is a disempowered character who turns his vulnerability into a weapon to attack those who are even weaker.Crooks adds, A guy sets alone here at night, maybe readin books or thinkin or stuff like that. Sometimes he gets thinkin, an he got nothin to tell him whats so an aint so. Maybe if he sees somethin, he dont know whether its right or not. He can turn to some other guy and ast him if he sees it too. (73) Crooks as a black and incapacitate man, is forced to live on the periphery of ranch life. He is not even allowed to enter the white mensbunkhouse, or sexual union them in a game of cards. His resentment typically comes out done his bitter harsh intellect, but in this passage he displays a desolate, touching vulnerability. Crooks desire for a friend by whom to measure things echoes Georges earlier description of the life of a migrant worker.These c haracters each lust the reassurance of a friend at one time or some other and are all rendered helpless by their isolation, and yet, even at their weakest, they prove to destroy those who are even weaker than they are. Because of this weapons-grade feeling of loneliness, it isnt move that the promise of a farm of their own life filled with strong bonds holds such allure.