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

allness is a render of being totally in sadness, resulting from being forsaken or abandoned. As I understand it, solitude is when a person has no one to twaddle to, no one to confide in, nor anyone to keep high society with. Loneliness also makes a person slip into a empty state, which they try to inter under a tough image, and is an emotion eve the strongest can non avoid. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck deals with desolation by mattering for comfort in a friend, entirely settling for the attentive ear of a stranger. Although they expect at ease and friendly on the surface, a thick(p) sense impression of b beness lingers in the tones of Crooks, George, and Curleys wife, to which they are dreaded to denudation an secede from to cope with their seclusion from the rest of society.Crooks, a die hard(a)ly, sharp-witted, black stablehand, who takes his tell apart from his crooked back, leads a solitary(a) life. He lives according to the rule that no black man is allowed to envision a white mans home. Crooks retirement is a result of rejection from everyone else on the ranch. He is forced to live alone in a barn, w here(predicate) he lives his life in isolation because of his colour, which was an issue in those days. When Lennie visits him in the room, Crooks reactions let on 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 plane allowed to enter the white mens bunkhouse, or join them in a game of cards. His resentment typically comes out through his bitter, sad, and touching vulnerability, as he tells LennieA guy needs some tree trunkto be sound him. A guy goes nuts if he own(prenominal)t got nobody. arrogatet make no difference who the guy is, longs hes with you. I tell ya a guy gets besides 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 ho w lonely he gets, and admits that it results in sickness. Further more(prenominal), as bitter as he is about his exclusion from anformer(a)(prenominal) 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 relationship he can find is with his books.When Lennie dialog about his dream farm, Crooks hesitantly asks Lennie an alternative forhim to escape his nakedness, If youguys would want a hand to work for nothingjust 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 withdrawers 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 footstep foot in Crooks hu mble abode.George, a short-tempered but agreeable and devoted friend, is lost in loneliness. At the beginning of the novel, George reveals his thoughts on loneliness in a twaddle that he narrates about Lennie, himself, on a farmGuys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They dont belong no place. With us it aint like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a doomed about us. We dont have 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. barely not us. (Steinbeck 13-14)George realizes that loneliness attributes too much of his sufferings. Georges rough locating 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 friendsh ip. To dominate his loneliness, George not only befriends Lennie, but he seems 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 qualitys an even greater sense of loneliness and guilt before he kills Lennie. Instead of being angry and reprimanding him, George, overcome by his forthcoming loneliness, responds to Lennies running away to the caves, No I want you to stay 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 disadvantage of his friendfor a long time, leading him to feel even more guilty and lonely.Curleys wife, who walks the ranch as a temptress, hides a deep sense of loneliness throne the tramp, tart, and bitch masks that she puts on. For a young skirt to wed at an early age, and then be left alone at home, would send one in a deep state of loneliness or depression. She is married to a man that gives her little anxiety and none of his time. Curleys wifes mask of a ill-treat hides the vulnerability, dissatisfaction, and loneliness in her life. Her first outburst in Crooks room crying 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 foul-smelling 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 belong and love, she turns to strangers such as Lennie, Crooks, and Candy. Before her death, Curleys wife reveals a ken about herself to Lennie, the only person that she feels she can talk to. She hints at her loneliness when she says, Seems like they aint none of them cares how I gotta live, (Steinbeck 88). Her aggravation and thwarting 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 works out to her misfortune that she has to be mercilessly killed by his hands. each(prenominal) three of the characters share the despair of wanting to change the way they are and attain a victory over their loneliness. Crooks loneliness is hidden by his character, but eventually comes to surface while lecture 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 covered behind the mask of a portrayed prostitute, but the mask falls off during her conve rsations with strangers, including Lennie.Ithink John Steinbecks 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 shoes of a character to emphasize with, as well as relate to them and perceive their misery.