Understanding George and Lenie

The loneliness of George and Lennie

In the Story of Of Mice and Men, we are introduced to the main characters at the beginning of the story. In the beginning, they are alone, and sitting on a log, next to a river. In this scene we get to know them, and why they are in this location, and what brought them here. The first words ever to come out of George`s mouth are the ones that scold Lennie because he was doing something not so smart like drinking the water. This first impression tells me that George is unhappy with the actions of Lennie, and this is one reason for there isolation from other people. George doesn't trust Lennie and does not trust him to make his own decisions. In the first part of the story, we take a look at why they move around so much, and why they have to move. The part when George explains when why they ran away from the cops, because Lennie garbbed the woman`s dress, gives us an idea why they keep moving around. A reason for this is because Lennie does something stupid. This may be a reason to why they have little or no connections to people, because of the traveling. We also get a sense of this when George tells the story of the rabbits; ``Guys like us, that work on the ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family, they don't belong no place``...``because you got me to look after you, and I have you to look after me``. Lennie always needs George to look after him, and he is not always found to be happy in the book. this may be the reason why George ends the life of Lennie in the end of the book. Because of the mental state of Lennie, George could not go on in life taking care of Lennie, because he would always lose the jobs George got for them. Because George spends all his time taking care of Lennie, he never gets to stay in one place and hold a job and be rich like3 he explains. He doesn't get a future. These are some reasons why George and Lennie are lonely and isolated in the book Of Mice and Men

Crooks, the Stable Buck

Crooks, The stable buck on the ranch, is always alone and isolated from the other workers on the ranch.

In the story Of Mice and Men, we get to know Crooks a little better near the end of the book, but during the first part of the story, he is only a myth or a legend sort of, because he never appears until later. The workers talk about Crooks quite a bit, but he makes his appearances brief, until later; otherwise, he is "hidden". The book was first published in 1937, so we get a sense of the time frame of the setting. Racial segregation was ended in 1964, with the civil rights act. the book was taken place before this. this explains why Crooks could not stay with the other white workers when living on the ranch. He could not play their card games with them. All he could do was play horse shoes by himself (except for the tournament) and read books. He wanted to let Lennie know about his loneliness, by telling Lennie George was not coming back, trying to show Lennie and make him understand, and that was his cry for help, and the author lets us know this through what he says to Lennie (pg. 72, Of Mice and Men, 1993). During this time, African Americans where not allowed to vote, and did not have the same rights as everyone else. We can tell this story takes place after the Emancipation Proclamation, because Crooks makes money, and he works on the ranch voluntarily. We know, after his scene, that Crooks is a lonely man, because he doesn't have the same rights as the white workers and is isolated. We see this also when Candy is embarrassed when he is allowed to come into Crook's room. this is because he feels guilty of not allowing Crooks into the cabin for the white workers, but Crooks allows him into his room. We then understand the segregation of Crooks and why he ends up to be so lonely.

Curly's Wife

Curly's Wife, a misunderstood character in the novel

Curly's Wife struggles throughout the novel, Of Mice and Men, for attention from some of the workers of the ranch. Curly is showed to be cautious of what his wife is doing, forever looking for her when she is out of the house. He tries to isolate her from the workers of the ranch. I am starting to think he is suspicious of her intent and what she wants from the workers. She is very flirtatious, but she only wants attention from the workers, as she is suppressed by her husband. I think she uses the flirting as a cry for help, and a way to quickly grab the attention of the workers. Nobody knows exactly what she wants, but she is quickly judged that she is a whore, and she labeled . This is why George tries to keep Lenny from her, thinking her actions are harmful. her search for attention is ended when she tries to communicate with Lenny. As he gives her this attention, she takes advantage and spills her emotions, as Lenny is the only one that will listen to her problems. Curly's Wife's search for attention shows how loneliness is a recurring theme in the novel.

Intro

My new blog...


This is my new blog, about a popular book, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. In this blog, I will be updating on my progress on understanding the book and my opinions about what Steinbeck is telling us through this novel. This blog represents my opinions and the comments of others that also have read this very interesting book, reflecting on the journey of George and Lennie. This blog is an Internet option for a high school independent study unit (I.S.U.), and will be evaluated for a mark. Thank you for taking time to view my opinions on the novel and keep reading and follow for updates on my thoughts. Thanks!

Of Mice and Men, By: John Steinbeck