Curley's Is Wife The Loneliest Character in Of Mice and Men Essay

Loneliness is an inevitable fact of life that not even the strongest can avoid. John Steinbecks novel, Of Mice and Men is an exploration of the effects that isolation and lack of companionship can have on individuals at a rural ranch in the Salinas Valley, California during the 1930s. There are several characters in the novel that experience greater seclusion than Curleys wife, and that this is not a true assessment of the novel. Throughout this essay, through looking at forlorn characters, the ways in which Curleys wife is not the loneliest character in the novel will be made evident.

Crooks the Negro stable-buck experiences isolation because the society in which he lives is racist. He is segregated and ostracised because of his race and lives on his own, in a little shed off the side of the barn with nothing more than his books, the horses and himself for company. He states that A guy goes nuts if he aint got nobody. Dont make no difference who the guy is, longs hes with you, and I aint wanted in the bunkhouse...they play cards in there, but I cant play because Im black. This demonstrates that Crooks suffers from rejection from others and therefore puts his scale of aloneness at a fair greater level than Curleys wife.

Candy the crippled ranch hand, suffers from an extreme lack of interaction with other people. After losing his long-time companion, his elderly dog, and because of his age, Candy succumbs to the trap of seclusion because he cannot sufficiently mix with the other men while they buck barley in the fields, limiting his level of interaction with them. He states shortly before Carlson shoots his dog No, I couldnt do that. I had him too long. Candy is also quick to approach a new source of friendship to compensate losing his dog, and this becomes evident when he quotes Spose I come with you guys...I aint much good but I can hoe the garden, cook and tend the chickens. Howd that be? This expresses that Candy is eager to make new connections after losing his companion and that he is beginning to fall victim to the trap of separation.

George Milton is a very lonesome character in the novel. He suffers from loneliness because he often becomes irritated and frustrated at only having mentally disabled Lennie Smalls for companionship. George quotes: I gotta tell you again do I? Jesus Christ, youre a crazy bastard! and Say it over to yourself Lennie so you dont forget it. This reveals that George becomes annoyed at the stubbornness of his friend and that he longs for companionship with other like-minded people, as is the case when George takes an instant liking to the relationship between himself and ranch worker Slim. However, this association is ended after Lennie makes a stupid decision forcing he and George to leave the ranch. The extract: I done another bad thing. It dont make no difference.The quote illustrates Georges frustration at his pal Lennie for messing up again and abruptly ending his friendship with Slim.

Carlson the ranch hand is also a very forlorn character. He and the other ranch hands, such as Whit, crave for something exciting and out of the ordinary to happen. The stereotypical views of most ranch workers is that they are people who are physically strong and reclusive thrive for situations where they can have something to amuse themselves and relieve them of their isolation. This is apparent when Carlson is so eager to shoot Candys dog. The way Id shoot him, he wouldnt feel nothing. Id put the gun right there...he wouldnt even quiver. This is evidence that Carlson is indeed yet another secluded character who longs for something to relieve him of his loneliness.

In conclusion, Curleys wife is not the loneliest of all characters in Of Mice and Men. The characters of Crooks, Candy, George and Carlson are all more notably more isolated and distant from human relationships than she is. What is evident through all of these lonely characters is that it is a basic need for people to be associated with others, and if not there can be serious affects to the individual. The novel Of Mice and Men provides us with an enthralling insight to the effects that isolation and separation on people and that we need to comfort those who may feel left out of contact from others.