The novel "Of Mice and Men" is set around loneliness and dreams. Do you agree?

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Ceri Davies

09/10/01

The novel “Of Mice and Men” is set around loneliness and dreams.

Do you agree?

The novel “Of Mice and Men” was written by John Steinbeck. He set the novel in the 1930’s during the economical depression. At this time there were not a lot of jobs. This resulted in harsh poverty. Most men became ranch workers at this time as the majority of businesses had failed. Most ranch workers worked casually and could not afford to settle down. However there was always the dream of doing this.

                        I have decided to start my essay by writing about Candy. I think that Candy is one of the loneliest characters in this novel. Candy is an old man who lost his right hand in an accident at the ranch. The ranch now use him as a swamper, this means that he has no companionship at all and that Candy is alone all the time that he works. He is an old man with no one but an old dog to keep him company.

E.g. “old Candy, the swamper, came in and went to his bunk, and behind him struggled his old dog.”

                        I think that the fact that Candy is a gossip is one if the biggest clue’s that we could get that tells us that he is lonely. I think he does to get the other men on the ranch to like him so that they’ll ask him if he’ll want to do stuff with him.

E.g. “ The boss was expecting you last night”

E.g. “ His thumbs were stuck in his belt”

                        Candy loves to gossip so that he gets attention. We read this all the way through the novel. The reason anyone wants attention is because they are lonely that is the only reason. He is so lonely that the old dog is his best friend. Here is my proof that he loves to gossip and he loves the attention he gets for it.

E.g. “ The swamper warmed to his gossip. You seen that glove on his left hand?”

E.g. “ well - she got the eye”

                        

                        I want to emphasise how big a symbol of Candy’s loneliness the old dog really is. He loves the dog and wants the dog so much that he’ll even apologise for the smell of the dog. Candy is so lonely that even though he knows that the dog is old and in pain he still can’t let go. He just can’t kill the dog. He needs companionship so much that he’s willing to put the dog through so much pain that he can’t even walk.

E.g. “ He apologised I been around him so much I never noticed how he stinks.”

E.g. “ No, I couldn’t do that. I had him to long.”

                        He has this dream because its not so much b having his own ranch it’s the fear of dying alone with no friend or no companion.

                        All the way through the novel I thought that Candy was very down to earth. The only time I thought he started to dream was when he heard George and Lennie talking about there own place. That was when he got over the old dog’s death and thought that he could live without him. It is as if George and Lennie gave him something to live for.

E.g. “Candy said excitedly” “How much they want for a place like that?”

E.g. “s’pose I went in with you guys. I ain’t much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some. How’d that be?”

E.g. “I’d make a will an’ leave my share to you guys in case I kick off.”

                        Another character that I think is lonely is Slim. Slim is extremely lonely although he does not say it. Slim is the man that everyone looks up to. I think that’s why it’s so hard to see his loneliness. Even though he is the man everyone looks up to he is still lonely. He hasn’t got anyone to talk to or someone to listen to him.

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E.g. “ain’t many guys that travel round together,’ he mused don’t know why. Maybe ever’body in the world is scared of each other.”

                        Slim seems to wish for a companion. I think that slim understands the importance of companionship.

E.g. ” Ain’t many guys travel around together,’ he mused.”

When slim say’s this it seems to suggest that slim may want a companion himself.

Because George was new at the ranch slim began to talk to him. I think it was so that he could become a friend with George and he wouldn’t be so lonely. Slim starts of by ...

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