“Loneliness is the ultimate poverty.” -Pauline Phillips. Throughout the novella Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows how loneliness really is the ultimate poverty. The novella takes place during the 1930s, during the Great Depression, on a farm in California. Almost every worker was living in poverty, but the lonely ones struggled the most. Steinbeck displays loneliness through a variety of characters but the most notable ones were Curley's wife, Candy, and Crooks.
The first character to display loneliness is Curley's wife. Multiple times throughout the novel, she showed up wherever the boys were, usually at the bunkhouse, and said, “I'm looking for Curley” (31). Steinbeck makes it obvious that she isn't really looking for Curley, she just wants to talk to someone. Another time she displays loneliness during the novel is when she is trying to get Lennie to talk to her and he isn't too sure. “I never get to talk to nobody. I get awfully lonely” (86). In this example she comes out and tells us that she feels lonely! She doesn't really love curley, she just wanted to get away from her parents. Whenever she leaves the house, nobody talks to her because they think she is “trouble” but really she's just …show more content…
When Carlson was pressing to let him shoot his dog he was very resistance because the dog has been his only friend for over a decade. “Candy looked to Slim for some kind of reversal”(47). He did not get the reversal he was desperately hoping for. He was less jolly after his dog got shot, and he would do anything for a friend. At one time, he approached George and asked if he could get in on his and Lennie's dream. “Spose I want in with you guys, that’s 350 bucks right there,”(59). 350 dollars in the 1930s was a fortune! He could almost buy his own farm, but the chance of being with two friends was worth a fortune to him. He would’ve paid all 600 if he had the money! To summarize, Candy was a old and incredible lonely
The first character to display loneliness is Curley's wife. Multiple times throughout the novel, she showed up wherever the boys were, usually at the bunkhouse, and said, “I'm looking for Curley” (31). Steinbeck makes it obvious that she isn't really looking for Curley, she just wants to talk to someone. Another time she displays loneliness during the novel is when she is trying to get Lennie to talk to her and he isn't too sure. “I never get to talk to nobody. I get awfully lonely” (86). In this example she comes out and tells us that she feels lonely! She doesn't really love curley, she just wanted to get away from her parents. Whenever she leaves the house, nobody talks to her because they think she is “trouble” but really she's just …show more content…
When Carlson was pressing to let him shoot his dog he was very resistance because the dog has been his only friend for over a decade. “Candy looked to Slim for some kind of reversal”(47). He did not get the reversal he was desperately hoping for. He was less jolly after his dog got shot, and he would do anything for a friend. At one time, he approached George and asked if he could get in on his and Lennie's dream. “Spose I want in with you guys, that’s 350 bucks right there,”(59). 350 dollars in the 1930s was a fortune! He could almost buy his own farm, but the chance of being with two friends was worth a fortune to him. He would’ve paid all 600 if he had the money! To summarize, Candy was a old and incredible lonely