The Theme of Loneliness in Of Mice and Men

             Have you ever been lonely? For someone to be lonely, it means that he or she is solitary and do not have any companions. Loneliness can be caused by many different types of discrimination. Loneliness appears in today's world in different cases. In Of Mice and Men, the characters that present the theme of loneliness are Candy, Curley's wife, George, Crooks, and Curley. Candy is lonely because of his old age. He is rejected by the rest of the people for being old and handicapped. His only company, his faithful, old, and blind dog, is willingly taken from him and killed; Candy fears that he will be treated the same way in the future and therefore, wants to join Lennie and George on the ranch. Curley's wife also voices her loneliness. She says, "I never get to talk to nobody. I get lonely." Her marriage with Curley did not make her happy, but it made her feel awful and regretful. She had wanted to become a movie star but never got the chance. She is also avoided because she always causes trouble and brings commotion among the workers and Candy.
             Early in the book, George sets the lonely mood by stating to Lennie, "Guys like us that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world." Another significant key to presenting the theme is that George always plays the card game solitaire. The word solitaire means to be alone; therefore, George plays solitaire because if he played with Lennie, he would not get anywhere. He is also lonely because he doesn't have someone on the same level with who he can interact.
             Moreover, Crooks presents the theme of loneliness because he is always by himself in his room. His loneliness is caused by the prejudice of the other workers; because he is the only black man on the ranch, he is forced to live alone in a shed of the barn, and no one will have any interaction with him. His loneliness makes him not want to talk to other people and makes his life on the farm miserable. The fact that C...

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The Theme of Loneliness in Of Mice and Men. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 09:39, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/11818.html