Consider the theme of loneliness Essay

Steinbeck employs character be restrained by the rules of society and through them, to convey the characteristics of American society in the 1920sa society based on physical strength and individualism. The grotesque pair, Lennie and George, seemed incongruous in their situations and by comparing and contrasting their family to the some others, the indorser is given a notwithstanding understanding to the theme.The entire novel is full of references to this theme. In Soledad, also the Spanish word for lvirtuosoliness, situates the gap w present the volume of the story is set. It is an ordinary ranch with ordinary people doing monotonous, meanual work such as long horseing barley. The genius of this work suggests the kind of animationstyle the characters on the ranch lead. The ranch also represents a microcosm of the outside world. hither in this close community, a range of characters, each identify by their own personality, are inevitable to work closely together inorder t o achieve their own, individual daydreams.When George and Lennie first enters the ranch, they are greeted by an old swamper by the name sweeten. A fragile old man with exclusively one hand, he is used by Steinbeck to demonstrate the cruelty of society towards elderly and the disabled. In a society that emphasis physical strength, Candy is intelligibly at a disadvantage. However, he does not attempt this disadvantage solely rather get a line the more feminine and sensitive side of him to others to reinforce this weakness. His domestic role in the bunkhouse and part as the gossiper again is an expansion of his at5/9/00titude towards the rest of the male in the ranch. Candy separates himself from the rest of guys and has however the union of a dragged-footed sheep-dog.When Carlson demands the killing of this dog, although disapproves of it, does not retaliate just now instead looked hopelessly at lithe and asks for his assistance. His re put to death to Carlsons demand is pass ive in the way that he only watched uneasily and tries to stay put the killing by suggesting whitethorn be to-morra. His deep-rooted relationship with the dog is shown in this intensely mad part that explicitly dissects his sensitivity. At the sound of the shot, he appears lost and all he manages to do is to view into the ceiling blankly. Similar to this, at the end of the story, George too has to face with the death of his love ones. The difference as yet lies in the reason behind the killing. George justifies the killing and does it out of his concern for Lennie and not out of pressure from others.Curley is the sanction character appearing on the scene. A thin young man wearing high-heeled boots, he is clearly no ordinary labouring man. He is the boss son and is determine to show his status and billet using this kind of symbolism. However, by doing so, he achieves exactly the opposite. The other men do not screw his authority and even Candy thinks of him as a scrappy little guy. His method of try to gain respects by false image works against him and isolates him from the others. Curley also has a wife who is the only female in the ranch. This arrangement and character of his wife can only encourage the insecurity he feels anyway.Although he has a wife, she appears more a possession to show off rather than a company. Their relationship is equivocal since they appear to spend all day looking for each other. His stature also becomes a great encumbrance to him. With a personality that is completely obsess with self-image, Curley is deeply disturb by his tallness and to resolve this, he translates his anger towards himself onto others. To him, Lennies physique is a challenge of authority and because of this, he wants by prove himself by defeating Lennie. This transference accounts for his cynical nature and isolates him from everyone else. Although desperate to participate, his character and fear for judgement are essential ingredients for his desolation .Curleys wife is too refereed to as a destitute character. horizontal before her appearance, the reader is given a pre-conceived image of a lousy tart by the introduction from Candy. Her dramatic trip up and physical appearance appears to fit the image full rouged lips and heavily made-up, clearly she is not a simple country girl by any mean. From her playful action and twitchy body language, George directly recognize her as the femme fatale and warned Lennie not to talk to her. This warning is a pre-echo to the trouble Lennie will get in for her later on in the story, a build up to the final tragedy at the end. Even at first sight she gave the reputation of a tramp and jail-bait. At a primary level, her action can be explained by boredom and experiment.She is the only in the ranch and clearly has no one to relate. However, from her ult experience, Steinbeck implies that Curleys wife dream astir(predicate) being in the movies all day. By vamper and making sexual suggestive me ssage to others, she attempts to achieve the glamorous and danger feel of affair that she imagined they do in the movies. An alternative explanation to her action would be that she is another victim of loneliness, desperate to establish relationship with others. She dislike Curley for when Curley crushed his hand she even suggested to Lennie that she would have liked to through with(p) it herself.When she eventually discovers that Lennie is a effectual attendee, she unburdens herself with words in a passion of communication, as though she hurried before her listener could be taken away. She is a highly ambivalent character because although the reader feels sympathetic towards her for her past cast- couch experience, her seduction that lead to the murder at the end is almost entirely her fault. One may argue that she had no knowledge of Lennies past and receives the punishment harsher than she deserves. More over, the price for her innocent wrongdoing is on the destruction of the hope of three blameless people George, Lennie and Candy.Similarly, George and Lennie have a dream, the American dream of living off the fatta the lan . This phrase followed by a description of their future house is a leimotif representing the birth and rebirth of their hope. This hope is the source of energy and once shattered, unlike Curleys wife who was consequently able to found a less satisfying alternative George can find no other replacement like Lennie.Crooks the Negro stable buck is presented as another victim of loneliness. Due to his contort and disability, he is separated with the rest of the male community in everyway. This is shown in the examples that the boss gives him hell whenever he is mad and only in special occasion such as Xmas is he yield into the bunkhouse. In this highly racist period, Crooks role as the nigger stable buck meant he is at the bottom of the hierarchy and therefore ostracized by the rest of the community. Due to this inferiority, Crooks feel s even stronger about protecting himself in territorial terms and by isolation. Nonetheless, he does not enjoy this solitude but instead, quite prefer the opposite.This is best shown when Candy and Lennie enter his room, which no one but Slim had done before, Crooks finds it difficult to conceal his pleasure in anger. Although he would rather play card in the bunkhouse with others, since he stink and aint wanted there, instead, he has to sit out here and read books. This shows that he has adapted to loneliness using other means but although he knows energy can replace a real company. In the scene which he unburdens himself to Lennie, the situation becomes parallel to that of Lennie and Curleys wife. Not only are they both absurd and have difficulty in relating to others on the ranch due to society boundary based on racism and sexism, they both confide in Lennie because he would not go on blabbin to others. With Lennie they do not feel under threat and therefore do not have to prote ct themselves with masks of imagery. In comparison, George and Lennie are always at ease at the company of each other. Apart from Slim, they appear to be the only guys on the ranch to manage this.Slim the jekline muleteer is the touch stone character in the novel used to reflect morally and decency. Although with a uncouth appearance, every movement and air of his is described with royalty and achieved only by master craftsmen. However, his title as the price of the ranch is not self-given. His authority is acknowledge by the other males on the ranch and so great the his word was taken on any object. His power appears to go beyond the form at the time.Even in this image-ridden macho culture, Slim does not needs to prove his position by creating illusion using force, yet with quite the opposite gentleness and sense elements of human quality that are most required in this imbalance situation. Apart from Lennie, Slim appears to be the only one who George is voluntary to confide. Du ring the talk, they touch on the subject of loneliness, a sensation that grins a normal, respectable person to nothing but a mean guy who wants to fight all the time. In this part of the novel, George explains his relationship with Lennie and wherefore they had traveled together. In a deeper sense, the phrase got kinda used to each other implies a long-term relationship which neither of the can live without now.Other minor characters in the novel such as Carlson and Whitney represent transaline people who best demonstrate the majority of the society at the time. They aint got no people so they move around the country as Crook states they come, an they quit ango. Their life style is monotonous and they aint have no fun. Their few entertainments include the skid game and cards, which again are reference to competition and individualism. Nonetheless, it is only in these games they educate allowance for their halt and relax into the company of each other.In conclusion, Steinbeck pr esentation of the theme of loneliness is reflected in the actions of his character. Although desperate to make contact, their concern for reputation and nature of the machismo culture in society isolate them from one another. The end tragedy then attracts sympathy from the reader by shattering the hope of few exceptions that appeared to have survived.