Literary Elements Of Loneliness In Of Mice And Men

A major problem and issue with today’s world is loneliness and the many ways it can be cultivated by society. John Steinbeck explores this idea in his historical fiction novel, Of Mice and Men through three different characters that show three different literary elements of loneliness. These characters live on a farm in Soledad and each one is discriminated by others based on their unchangeable characteristics . Steinbeck uses them to show the struggle of being looked down upon by society, eventually creating loneliness and maturing it more and more everyday. Through conflict, setting, and discrimination, Steinbeck concludes that loneliness can drive a person mad.

Steinbeck first uses the conflict with Candy to show that society looks upon him as a subhuman and isolate him to himself, leaving him with his feelings, and eventually cultivating loneliness. Candy was once a much respected, well treated worker, and is now only referred to as the “Old Swamper” after a “work related injury” involving his right arm. To supplement Candy’s loneliness, he keeps his old, smelly dog along to accompany him. Candy has spent so much time with this dog that it feels as though he has completely forgotten how one’s word choice can affect a person. As it shows when he converses with George and figures out that the dream of “living off the fatta the land”, won’t happen after Lennie murdered Curley’s Wife, Candy questions, “You and me can get that little place, can’t we? George? You and me can go there and live nice, can’t we, George? Can’t we?” (Steinbeck 93). When he gets no response, the mood changes back to dark and lonely, and Candy feels more alone than ever. Another big part of his life, and the only reason why he still wanted to be alive, was his dog. After a stranger shoots Candy’s dog for him, he feels regret and a deep sense of depression. It alters his personality and makes him even more isolated from the rest of the guys and he never feels the same as when his dog was around, which could symbolize Lennie’s death and how George might have felt afterwards.