As a result of her situation Curley’s wife has become a predatory flirt, seeking out the company of farm workers to distract herself from the consequences of her choices. This behaviour stems from a type of coping mechanism which allows her to frequently delve into fantasy in order to escape her own reality. This is a common tendency of hers throughout the book, she often expresses regrets at not becoming a movie star and leading the glamorous life she feels she deserves (‘‘Coulda been in the movies, an had nice clothes”). The loneliness she feels is the root of her manipulative behaviour towards men; she views them as a means of escape from her marriage to Curley and will stop at nothing to entrap their sensibilities. Her volatile emotions can, on occasion, manifest themselves into violent outbursts; this happens most notably with Crooks, who she uses as a convenient outlet for her frustrations. This is best demonstrated when she threatens Crooks with lynching after he told her to leave his room (“I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny”). This cruel sentiment is her way of maintaining some control over her life, and imposing her will on others by exerting the little power she has as a white woman over a crippled black man in a racist society. Interestingly this outburst does not feature in the 1992 film version ‘Of Mice and Men’; where Curley’s wife is portrayed as an altogether more sympathetic and pitiable character, stating such things as (“I’m not your object”) which appeases modern interpretations of women’s roles in marriage and strengthens her as a character by endowing her with an assertiveness towards Curley that does not feature in the novel. Curley’s wife is a strong indicator of what long periods of loneliness can do to embitter the mind and cause vindictive and resentful behaviour towards others, especially Crooks who is her only outlet.
Crooks, the farms resident stable buck, represents the marginalisation of black men and women in the 1920s and 30s, and embodies the effects of what continual isolation can have upon a man. The reader is first introduced to Crooks when Lennie stumbles into his room in the barn where Crooks is attempting to rub ointment onto his crooked back. This is indicative of the workers’ hostile feelings towards him, that he must endure this pain without any offerings of help or assistance from his compatriots. Crooks’ life was not always so lonely; upon meeting Lennie he begins to reminisce of his childhood days when he was able to meet and play with white boys (“and some of them was pretty nice”), before they learnt the prejudice and hatred of their generation. Steinbeck is commenting on racism, highlighting the needless ruin of a man’s life for simply being different. However, in his isolation from the world and all within it Crooks has grown contemptuous and resentful towards others; he seizes Lennie’s attachment to George and carefully implants the idea of abandonment into his mind and revels in its effects (“Crooks’ face lighted with pleasure in his torture”). Steinbeck does draw a parallel between them, as if Crooks sees his own childlike innocence in Lennie, and the fragility of his situation and friendship with George; that one moment he can be happy and content with the world, and the next staring down the barrel of seemingly endless and lonely existence. Crooks feeds on Lennies despair like a tonic for his own existence, as if he could transfer his feelings of loneliness to another and thereby free himself.
One of the most powerful sentiments in the book is Crooks’ assertion “I tell ya, a guy gets too lonely, an' he gets sick”, which tells of the beginnings of Crooks’ descent into madness. In an attempt to shield himself from the continual suffering of his own incarceration his mind is slowly retreating into fantasy and hallucination. Though underneath all his bitterness and self-pity Crooks is still a good man (“I didn’t mean to scare you. He’ll come back. I was talkin’ about myself”), he is robbed of his last vestiges of hope after Curley’s wife’s vicious attack, (“Crooks had reduced himself to nothing”). This has left him in a “reduced” state, forced to submit his entire individuality to stay alive.
Candy is an aging and handicapped farm worker who represents the effects age and infirmity have upon the poor working class in an unequal 1930s society. Candy is perhaps the most pitiable character in the book, as his age and bodily limitations frequently inhibit his ability to defend or look after himself. This is demonstrated when his pet dog, who was his only real friend, was killed by Carlson when it was decided that its smell was to revolting to bear any longer. This was achieved, with the help of Slim, by the use of peer pressure and the offering of an inducement in the form of a replacement puppy. The fact that Carlson has orchestrated the event so carefully with prior calculation to achieve his desired goal shows his selfishness. That he does not suggest a compromise - such as forbidding the dog to enter the bunkhouse - shows his contempt for Candy's feelings. This selfishness is typical of the younger generation in this novel, and is best illustrated by the farm workers’ card game, whilst all the time refusing to acknowledge Candy’s suffering or attempting to comfort him. The deliberate timing of the event, when he was surrounded by other people, was Carlson’s way of asserting control and appealing to the presumed allegiance of everyone in the room to appear more authoritative when talking to Candy. In this way we see that people often need the support of other like-minded people before they feel comfortable asserting their opinions.
The dog comes to represent Candy’s precarious situation as an elderly and increasingly unwanted part of society. He sees the dog as foreshadowing of his eventual fate when he grows too old to work. He is afraid of being cast out as a nuisance, unworthy of life or protection and despised by the younger generation. His proposal of giving all his money in exchange for a place on George and Lennie’s planned farm is a marker of his desperate situation. The prospective of leaving the farm briefly endows Candy with the confidence to stand up to Curley’s wife after she threatens Crooks. This suggestion of bravery and friendship is indicative of the type of man Candy would be if not for his loneliness, which has crippled his self-belief and has left him near destitute and subservient.
The above characters demonstrate the pitfalls of loneliness, and the dangers it poses to people and their well-being. In contrast to this George and Lennie, through a mutually beneficial relationship, are able to deflect the negative attributes of their solitary professions by travelling together (“I got you.. and you got me”). Most people have needs that require social interaction with people, something which George and Lennie are able to achieve through their mutual friendship, in spit of their hard living conditions. This enables them to function in a more stable and happier way. Their stability stems from a mutual dream of their own farm (“We got a future”); a dream that sustains them throughout their journeying, and as a result they’re not aimless like so many of the other workers in their situation who squander their monthly pay packets on alcohol, gambling and female company. This is in contrast to other itinerant workers, whose lives do not depend upon anyone, and so nobody depends on them. The memory of a former occupant of the bunkhouse, who “upped and quit, the way a guy will” represents those who are resigned to their situation, and demonstrates the desultory manner in which they lead their lives.
Lennie and George enjoy a symbiotic relationship in which each is able to obtain something from the other. From Lennie, George acquires an emotional baseline which enables him to better assert himself, as well as a responsibility and duty towards others. George is aware of a meanness in himself (“a real smart guy... ain’t hardly ever a nice fella’”), but through looking after Lennie he pacifies his character (“well, I ain’t done nothing like that no more”). From George, Lennie acquires a carer and sense of purpose through their shared dream of buying a farm. The stability George is afforded from Lennie gives him the ability to stand up for people without fear of reproductions, because he has protection in the form of Lennie, and even if he were to be sent away he wouldn’t be alone. His behaviour was calm but unwavering when he confronted Curley and Curley’s wife. His compassionate nature is shown when he tries to change the subject in the bunkhouse when his cohabitants are pressuring Candy to kill his dog (“I seen a guy in Weed that had an Airedale could heard sheep”), but Carlson recognises this attempt and was “was not to be put off”.
Candy recognises this moral integrity in George and so decides to trust him with his money and enter into a partnership with him and Lennie and buy a farm. Because of the proposed partnership with Candy they do, briefly, have a chance of realising their dream. Steinbeck here demonstrates that trust in people is required in order to achieve your dreams. After George kills Lennie he chooses not to buy and live on his own farm with Candy as a form of self-punishment, (“I’ll work my month…an’ I’ll stay all night in some lousy cat house”). George now accepts that without Lennie his dream of owning a farm is dead, so chooses to face a life of cruel loneliness as a normal itinerant worker with no goals or aspirations other than to numb the pain of existence.
In conclusion Steinbeck continually uses characters that, in the context of their society, live with prior afflictions (such as skin colour, infirmity, mental ability, and even gender) which hinder them from functioning in society as isolated individuals, so must form alliances and partnerships to enable them to survive. This element of symbiosis stems from the environment in which they exist, where a man is only as powerful as his ability to work. He attacks the capitalist system in which people are regarded as labour and not given the rights or freedoms to enable them to put down roots and start families. His criticism of the American Dream of hard work promising prosperity and success, and a compassionate look at its victims, are core themes throughout the book. The lack of social security and level of expectation upon the individual to support themselves, or else face starvation, forces people like Lennie into work to survive, even if they’re danger to themselves or others. The inevitable tragedy was Lennie’s slowness being kept secret from Lennie’s wife, who unknowingly set the tragedy in motion. Steinbeck tells us the only way to improve things is to enable trust and openness in the workforce, and that this depends on workers rights and freedoms being protected. Though the enabling of trust and openness in the workplace, people would be empowered to work from a position of strength rather than need, vulnerability and defensiveness; and with loneliness reduced as a consequence life would improve for everyone.
