Loneliness Essay, Research Paper
Loneliness is a basic part of human life. In his novel, Of Mice and
Men, John Steinbeck illustrates the loneliness of California ranch life
in the early 1930?s and shows how people are driven to find
friendship.
George and Lennie would truly be lonely if they did not have each
other. They consider each other family, even though they are so
different. To George, Lennie is like a pet or a little brother, because
George turns to him for friendship and someone to talk to. George?s
frequently shares his philosophy about guys that work on ranches.
“Guys like us, that live on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the
world.” He means that if not for each other, then they would be all
alone, with no friends.
Curly?s wife is lonely because of someone else, Curly. Everybody is
afraid to talk to her because Curly is extremely jealous and would
start a fight. She is always flirting with the workers, because she
does not like Curly and is looking for companionship. She even talks
to Crooks, Candy and Lennie in the barn, when nobody else would.
Then, when she spots Lennie in the barn alone, she tries to get him to
listen to her, even when he does not want to talk. She is obviously
very desperate if she wants to talk to someone as dumb as Lennie.
Candy also has his one friend in the world, his dog, whom he can not
even talk to him. However, when his dog dies, he has to look
elsewhere for friendship. He hopes that these friends can be George
and Lennie. He asks George if he can join them in their quest to own
a piece of land and live off it. Candy also needs to share his thoughts
with them. Candy is obviously lonely, because people then did not
travel together, and those that did grew up together.
The absence of character names in the novel shows how people do
not care about others, leading to loneliness. Even though Curly?s
wife is mentioned frequently, nobody asks what her name is. Nobody
wants to talk her because people are afraid of Curly. Also, the boss?
name is never mentioned, further proving the point. Because people
do not get to know each other, they end up not having many friends.
Crooks is isolated by his skin color. This makes him the loneliest of
all. Because of his skin color, he cannot be around other people.
Since nobody is ever talking to him, he must turn to his books to not
become lonely. Books soon become boring, and he is lonely again.
He is eager for company, even though he does not show it. When
Crooks was talking to Lennie, he comments on George and Lennie?s
dream to own a farm. “An? never a God damn one of ?em ever gets
it. Just like heaven. Ever?body wants a little piece of lan?.. It?s just in
their head.”
Even if all people are miserable when they are lonely, the
consequences of friendship can be even worse. When one of the
members of a friendship is removed, there is much misery. When
Candy lost his dog, he kept thinking about him. He felt he should
have shot his dog himself. When George had to shoot Lennie, he felt
terrible. He had just shot his best friend, his only friend in the world.
Because of this, he has to live the rest of his life alone and knowing
that he killed his only friend.
All people are driven for friendship and companionship. When they
find it, they are the happiest people, because everyone else is alone
and sad. Lonely people are very miserable and always looking for
someone to talk with them. The only downside to finding a friend is
what happens when one of the friends is lost. This causes even more
misery in the remaining friend, and forces the friend to start
searching again. Friendship is a very valuable thing to a person, as it
keeps us away from loneliness.