Essay About Steinbeck Explore Loneliness And John Steinbeck

How Does Steinbeck Explore Loneliness in of Mice and Men – Essay – yteh
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How Does Steinbeck Explore Loneliness in of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, explores the theme of loneliness through his characterisation. The novel is set during the 1930s in Soledad, California, highlighting its isolation and overwhelming sense of loneliness. Through the introduction, Steinbeck prepares readers for a novel saturated in loneliness. Virtually every character portrays different causes of loneliness. However, these causes are also observed in contemporary society and relate to personal experience.

Steinbeck explores loneliness through the characterisation of protagonists, George and Lennie. George is lonely because of his obligations and his duty of care towards Lennie. This is shown when George says:

“I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl.” (Steinbeck, 2000, p.9)
George also states that, as he fantasises about the life he could have, he goes “nuts”. This portrays how strongly George feels obliged to care for Lennie. However, Lennie is lonely as no one can truly understand nor access his simple-mindedness. Steinbeck explores loneliness through Lennie by depicting how lonely Lennie would be without George, his caregiver. This is demonstrated through his outburst:

“‘George gonna come back’, Lennie reassured himself in a frightened voice” (Steinbeck, 2000, p.72)
It is evident that without George, Lennie would face eternal loneliness because George has been the only person who attempts to understand his mental incapacity. Steinbeck also reveals that authorities will “lock him up and strap him down and put him in a cage” (Steinbeck, 2000, p.96) because of his mental disability. Mental disability appears to be a characteristic that has always led to the stigmatization and exclusion of individuals. The stigmatization of mental disability has a number of consequences in contemporary society such as, the refusal to seek treatment, as individuals may feel ashamed, along with the inability to find suitable employment. Steinbeck explores loneliness through mental disability by conveying the fact that there is no place for people like Lennie, because the social stigma of mental disability will always be prevalent.

Steinbeck also explores how loneliness can surface in a marriage through Curley and especially, his wife. Curley is unhappy in his marriage because of his wife’s provocativeness which leads to his possessiveness regarding his wife. He is deemed a man who is “kind of like he is mad that he ain’t a big guy”. (Steinbeck, 2000, p.28) Steinbeck reveals loneliness in Curley through his superior status to the other ranchmen, meaning he is excluded from the group and is obviously resented because of his aggression. Loneliness is explored through Curley’s wife as she, too, is unhappy in her marriage. Steinbeck uses her lack of identity to demonstrate how possessive Curley is towards his wife. Her loneliness is evident when she says:

“You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley…How’d you like to talk to nobody?” (Steinbeck, 2000, p.85)
This depicts how confined and isolated Curley’s wife feels in her emotionally abusive marriage. Steinbeck uses her dialogue to convey how lonesome she is as she spends every opportunity of human interaction talking about herself. Through the characterisation of Curley and his wife, Steinbeck explores loneliness in an abusive and unhappy marriage. Many women similar to Curley’s wife may marry a man based on their fear of loneliness. The underlying cause of the fear of loneliness is ‘self-abandonment’. (Paul, 2011) Women who are in abusive relationships feel lonely as they cannot share a connection with their spouse. In fact, these women will feel lonelier in their marriages than if they were not married. Curley’s wife is a prime example of how confined and isolated women may feel in abusive relationships in contemporary society.

Steinbeck continues to explore loneliness through the eyes of an old man. Candy, a disabled elderly man, feels worthless because of his inability to manage manual work. Candy states:

“When they can me here … I won’t have no place to go,
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(2015, 08). How Does Steinbeck Explore Loneliness in of Mice and Men. EssaysForStudent.com. Retrieved 08, 2015, from
“How Does Steinbeck Explore Loneliness in of Mice and Men” EssaysForStudent.com. 08 2015. 2015. 08 2015 < "How Does Steinbeck Explore Loneliness in of Mice and Men." EssaysForStudent.com. EssaysForStudent.com, 08 2015. Web. 08 2015. < "How Does Steinbeck Explore Loneliness in of Mice and Men." EssaysForStudent.com. 08, 2015. Accessed 08, 2015. Essay Preview By: yteh Submitted: August 25, 2015 Essay Length: 1,035 Words / 5 Pages Paper type: Essay Views: 358 Report this essay Tweet Related Essays Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck Introduction: Of Mice and Men is a novel, which considers really interesting subjects such as dream/reality, innocence, loneliness, 1,025 Words  |  5 Pages Loneliness and Isolation in of Mice and Men Loneliness and Isolation in OF MICE AND MEN Isolation is shown is tons of ways. For one the towns name Soledad when translated it means 277 Words  |  2 Pages Steinbeck Essay - of Mice and Men - the Tragedies of Life The Tragedies of Life No matter how hard one might try, one’s dreams may never become a reality. That is something that young people may 441 Words  |  2 Pages Of Mice & Men These three characters have come to dead ends in their lives. I feel sorry for Crooks Curley’s wife and Candy. Crooks is black in a 457 Words  |  2 Pages Similar Topics Mice Men Of Mice And Men Get Access to 89,000+ Essays and Term Papers Join 209,000+ Other Students High Quality Essays and Documents Sign up © 2008–2020 EssaysForStudent.comFree Essays, Book Reports, Term Papers and Research Papers Essays Sign up Sign in Contact us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Service Facebook Twitter