Secondly George is very insecure in the novel too. He needs someone to control For example ‘George snapped his fingers sharply, and at the sound Lennie laid the mouse in his hand.’ As you can see George has Lennie in his grasp and can order him to do anything. Never any mention of relatives. At a point in the story he changes Lennie’s fantasy dream into his own ‘ I know a little place we can get cheap, but they ain’t givin’ it away.’ George is trying to make the dream reality.
Additionally candy is insecure. Because he is disabled he is unable to buck barley and must stay at the ranch and clean up ‘The old man came in slowly into the room. He had his broom in his hand’. This must make him feel quite lonely. Candy also gets sucked into the dream after his dog is sadly shot. ‘ Candy went on excitedly, ‘how much they want for a place like that’ after his dogs death candy is trying to cling on to something.
Fourthly Curley is one of the most insecure workers. He is described as being pugnacious. Curley also fancies himself quite the boxer and likes to pick on the bigger guys like Lennie ‘and then smashed down his nose with a right. Lennie gave a cry of terror’ but Lennie is a lot tougher than Curley and gets his hand destroyed ‘he stood crying, his fist lost in Lennie’s paw. He has quite a poor marriage ‘Slim said, ‘well you been askin’ me too often. I’m getting’ God damn sick of it. If you can’t look after your own God damn wife. He can’t even trusts his own wife even though Slim is completely innocent and even though he is married he still goes off the ‘cat’ house.
Next is the boss. He wears spurs to prove ‘he was not a working man’
Curley’s wife is most properly the most insecure person on the range. There are many reasons for this she flirts even though she has a husband ‘she put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door’ its likes she’s bored of Curley already an flirting for fun tell us how much fun she’s has. She isn’t the nicest character in the novel too as at one point she lash out on Crook’s ‘she turned on him in scorn. ‘Listen here nigger’ she said. ‘You know what I can do to you if you open your trap’? Crook’s is the only person Curley’s wife can have an argument with and win every time she’s just trying to bully crook’s.
Crook’s suffer from very harsh racism because of the era. Crook’s has many disadvantages because of his colour he can’t mix with others, not allowed in the bunk house and just to insult him further they put a heap of manure outside his window. Crook’s is most properly the most loneliness character in the novel as well, for example: ‘Sure you could play horseshoes it got dark, but then you got to read books. Books ain’t no good. A guy needs somebody- to be near him’. This just truly tells us how lonely he is.
Furthermore Carlson is rather insecure. He shoots Candy’s dog ‘tell you what. I’ll shoot him for you. Carlson gets straight quite a forcefully guy. Also when Curley has a go at Carlson, he has none of it. ‘Carlson laughed. ‘you God damn punk’. This is most properly why in the novel he is know as the ‘big man’.
Meanwhile Slim is the only person not insecure. Everyone just respects him he’s just a laid back easy to talk to guy
The setting of the ranch adds to the feeling of insecurity because the men come and go. No time to form relationships. Men just work then move on. No family eve mentioned between any of them, plus it quite a cold and gloomy place.
Therefore nearly all the characters are outsiders, lonely, insecure. Because of the era of the 1930’s there is little hope for any of them changing their lives- certainly the dream shall sadly never become reality
