Her loneliness is again shown when the manner in which she dresses is inappropriate for the task she will be doing (hanging around the farm, not doing much)for example, she dresses ‘flashy, heavily made up’, as to draw attention to herself; again showing us her desperation for attention. Although I do think that by doing this it gives herself a sense of relief as she is noticed (not always in the right way) by the ranch hands, an example is when Lennie tells of how she is ‘purty’; which she takes to her advantage when desperately trying to talk to Lennie, which at first comes to no avail.
We are shown her longing for companionship when she tries to convey her feelings across to Lennie.
She does this because her relationship with Curley is non existent, the only thing that keeps them together is their marriage, because neither one of them like or speak to each other, this point is further proven when Steinbeck writes how one is always looking for the other; they are never together. She soon realises that she is ignored and rejected, which she is confused by, this is shown when she declares her pent up frustration: "What's the matter with me? Ain't I got a right to talk to nobody?" and again: "Seems like they ain't none of them cares how I gotta live".
Her isolation is further shown when Steinbeck portrays her desperation in her dialogue with Lennie. She confesses her loneliness, knowing that he is not listening (instead thinking about rabbits) but continues -"her words tumbled out" and "she hurried before her listener could be taken away from her". By doing this, the reader sees how just the simple fact of talking to someone can relieve burdens; we also see how her isolation from most people causes her to release all her anxiety quickly. The reader can portray the dialogue between her and Lennie in two ways, the first is: that she knows that Lennie is not focused on her confessions, thus she says what she wants to regardless. Secondly, the reader can portray this scene as if she does want Lennie to listen ("You listenin'?") because she doesn’t really ever do this, thus wanting her confession acknowledged and not said in vain.
Lastly, I think her isolation was inevitable. Her decision to marry Curley meant that she would need to conform to the duties of a housewife- which can be lonely if no one is around to support you-again; being the boss’s wife has limitations like social interaction. In a sense, I think that her death was a good thing, although murder is not justified. Lennie killing of Curley’s wife allowed for an ending to her suffering and misery.
Racism is the main cause for Crooks loneliness due to the society in which he lives in. His disability is another blow to his social life as it means participation in any activity is tedious; which ranch life inevitably is. Crooks is treated harshly due to his race, and because of this he treats the ranch hands in similar manner to the way they treat him.
It seems as if he is intrigued by the bond that Lennie and George share. This is shown when he tries to find a reaction out of Lennie on the supposed disappearance of George; "Well, s'pose, jus' s'pose he don't come back. What'll you do then?” Lonnie’s reaction is of shock and speculation. Crooks asks questions like this, probably to try and find a reaction as he doesn’t know how it feels due to his limited handful of friends. He also might do this to Lennie, so Lennie can have a taste of the pain he goes through when the realization of having no friends hits him.
Crooks loneliness is shown once again in the state of his room, it has numerous personal possessions; showing us that he has accepted his fate of being a stable buck the rest of his life, as he has too many possessions too take with him; showing the reader how he has made his room home. All this changes when Crooks learns of ‘The Dream Farm’ which in his mind he finds to be an escape from this ‘hell’. Crook’s offers his service in return for a bunk- which would be in the barn house- knowing that it will allow him more freedoms to be more social.
In conclusion, I find that Steinbeck wanted to point out the importance of friendship and how loneliness can be a slow killer. Without friends almost everyone will struggle, thus the arrival of George and Lennie and their close friendship is not only a peculiar site for many, but more importantly something that a lot of the characters envy. Finally,
