As Steinbeck illustrates through Curley’s wife, Candy and Crooks, companionship and a sense of belonging are essential to human happiness. All three characters face problems and negative feelings because of their loneliness and isolation. This loneliness is sometimes due to the unwillingness of society to tolerate those who are different.
Curley’s wife is the only major character Steinbeck does not give a name. Like the ranch- hands, she is desperately lonely and has broken dreams of a better life. For Curley’s wife, the dream centers around Hollywood, and becoming a movie star. The loneliness of Curley’s wife is kept alive by Curley’s jealousy. She dislikes her husband and feels isolated from the other men. She confesses this to Lennie when she say, “I don’t like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella (89).” Curley’s wife is so overwhelmed by her loneliness, she looks for friendship from other men by seducing them. She seeks out the friendship of Lennie because all the others fear Curley and do not want to have anything to do with her. “Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time (77)?” It is clear she is frustrated with her situation. “Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am, anyways (87)?” Since Curley’s wife is ignored and treated unkindly at home, she feels insecure and attacks those who are even weaker. For instance, she insults Crooks because of his skin color. She harasses Lennie because of his mental disability. These actions are a result of her suffering from loneliness.
Candy also confesses to being lonely. The old, aging handyman does not feel as useful as he once was on the ranch. Candy feels alone due to the fact that he cannot help out as much as the others. He worries that the boss will soon find him useless and demand he leave the ranch. Candy shows this fear when he says, “They’ll can me purty soon. Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunk houses they’ll put me on the county (60).” It is clear Candy no longer feels important to the group. Candy has only his dog as his companion. Candy’s dog, once a sheepherder, but now smelly and aged, supports Candy’s fears. Candy does not want his dog to leave him for the same reasons he fears he will soon have to leave the ranch. When the dog is willingly taken from him and killed, he feels he has no one anymore and attaches himself to the dream Lennie and George share so he does not feel alone. The loneliness in Candy’s life is caused by him no longer feeling productive and he hopes to escape this by participating in George and Lennie’s dream.
Crooks is the most lonesome character in the novel for one main reason: his race. Ever since he was a little boy on his father’s chicken ranch, he experienced loneliness. As the only black man on the ranch, he is forced to live apart from the others. He is banned from the white men’s bunkhouse and is not even allowed to join them in a game of cards. When Lennie asks Crooks why he isn’t wanted, Crooks explains his situation, “Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, all of you stink to me (68).” Crooks is mistreated as a result of the racist attitudes of the other men on the ranch. Crooks desperately wants a companion. He expresses this desire to Lennie, because Lennie is the only person willing to talk to him. Crooks says, “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you (72).” Even though Crooks focuses on his books and work, he still realizes that these do not substitute for human companionship. What Crooks wants more than anything is a sense of belonging. This desire explains why Crooks cannot help but ask, even though he doubts George and Lennie’s talk about the farm they want to own, if there might be room for him to come along.
In conclusion, Steinbeck uses a variety of characters and situations to portray how loneliness can affect us. Many of the problems the characters faced were caused by their lack of companionship. Although they were all on the ranch together, they were lonely because of whom they were. Steinbeck shows how important friendship is by including George and Lennie’s dream in his novel. It is not surprising that many of the characters want to take part in the promise of this dream. They are seeking a way out of their loneliness and isolation. As seen in the novel, ” Of Mice and Men,” the common need for companionship is vitally important to human happiness and the lack of loneliness.
