Consider the theme of loneliness Essay

Steinbeck employs character are restrained by the â€Å"rules† of society and through them, to convey the characteristics of American society in the 1920s:a society based on physical strength and individualism. The unusual pair, Lennie and George, seemed incongruous in their situations and by comparing and contrasting their relationship to the others, the reader is given a further understanding to the theme. The entire novel is full of references to this theme. In Soledad, also the Spanish word for loneliness, situates the ranch where the majority of the story is set. It is an ordinary ranch with ordinary people doing monotonous, meanual work such as â€Å"bucking barley†. The nature of this work suggests the kind of lifestyle the characters on the ranch lead. The ranch also represents a microcosm of the outside world. Here in this close community, a range of characters, each identify by their own personality, are required to work closely together inorder to achieve their own, individual dreams. When George and Lennie first enters the ranch, they are greeted by â€Å"an old swamper† by the name Candy. A fragile old man with only one hand, he is used by Steinbeck to demonstrate the cruelty of society towards elderly and the disabled. In a society that emphasis physical strength, Candy is clearly at a disadvantage. However, he does not attempt this disadvantage but rather expose the more feminine and sensitive side of him to others to reinforce this weakness. His domestic role in the bunkhouse and part as the gossiper again is an expansion of his at5/9/00titude towards the rest of the male in the ranch. Candy separates himself from the rest of â€Å"guys† and has only the company of a â€Å"dragged-footed sheep-dog†. When Carlson demands the killing of this dog, although disapproves of it, does not retaliate but instead â€Å"looked hopelessly at Slim† and asks for his assistance. His reaction to Carlson’s demand is passive in the way that he only â€Å"watched uneasily† and tries to delay the killing by suggesting â€Å"may be to-morra†. His deep-rooted relationship with the dog is shown in this intensely emotional part that explicitly dissects his sensitivity. At the sound of the shot, he appears lost and all he manages to do is to â€Å"stare into the ceiling† blankly. Similar to this, at the end of the story, George too has to face with the death of his love ones. The difference however lies in the reason behind the killing. George justifies the killing and does it out of his concern for Lennie and not out of pressure from others. Curley is the second character appearing on the scene. â€Å"A thin young man† wearing â€Å"high-heeled boots†, he is clearly no ordinary labouring man. He is the boss’ son and is determine to show his status and authority using this kind of symbolism. However, by doing so, he achieves exactly the opposite. The other men do not acknowledge his authority and even Candy thinks of him as a â€Å"scrappy little guy†. His method of trying to gain respects by false image works against him and isolates him from the others. Curley also has a wife who is the only female in the ranch. This arrangement and character of his wife can only encourage the insecurity he feels anyway. Although he has a wife, she appears more a possession to show off rather than a company. Their relationship is equivocal since they appear to spend all day looking for each other. His stature also becomes a great encumbrance to him. With a personality that is completely obsess with self-image, Curley is deeply disturb by his height and to resolve this, he translates his anger towards himself onto others. To him, Lennie’s physique is a challenge of authority and because of this, he wants by prove himself by defeating Lennie. This transference accounts for his cynical nature and isolates him from everyone else. Although desperate to participate, his character and fear for judgement are essential ingredients for his desolation. Curley’s wife is too refereed to as a destitute character. Even before her appearance, the reader is given a pre-conceived image of a † lousy tart† by the introduction from Candy. Her dramatic entrance and physical appearance appears to fit the image: â€Å"full rouged lips and heavily made-up†, clearly she is not a simple country girl by any mean. From her â€Å"playful† action and â€Å"twitchy† body language, George immediately recognize her as the â€Å"femme fatale† and warned Lennie not to talk to her. This warning is a pre-echo to the trouble Lennie will get in for her later on in the story, a build up to the final tragedy at the end. Even at first sight she gave the reputation of a â€Å"tramp† and â€Å"jail-bait†. At a primary level, her action can be explained by boredom and experiment. She is the only in the ranch and clearly has no one to relate. However, from her past experience, Steinbeck implies that Curley’s wife dream about being in the movies all day. By flirting and making sexual suggestive message to others, she attempts to achieve the glamorous and danger feel of affair that she imagined they do in the movies. An alternative explanation to her action would be that she is another victim of loneliness, desperate to establish relationship with others. She dislike Curley for when Curley crushed his hand she even suggested to Lennie that she would have liked to done it herself. When she eventually discovers that Lennie is a good â€Å"listener†, she unburdens herself with â€Å"words in a passion of communication, as though she hurried before her listener could be taken away†. She is a highly ambivalent character because although the reader feels sympathetic towards her for her past â€Å"cast- couch† experience, her seduction that lead to the murder at the end is almost entirely her fault. One may argue that she had no knowledge of Lennie’s past and receives the punishment harsher than she deserves. More over, the price for her â€Å"innocent mistake† is on the destruction of the hope of three blameless people: George, Lennie and Candy. Similarly, George and Lennie have a dream, the American dream of â€Å"living off the fatta the lan’ â€Å". This phrase followed by a description of their future house is a leimotif representing the birth and rebirth of their hope. This hope is the source of energy and once shattered, unlike Curley’s wife who was then able to found a less satisfying alternative: George can find no other replacement like Lennie. Crooks the Negro stable buck is presented as another victim of loneliness. Due to his colour and disability, he is separated with the rest of the male community in everyway. This is shown in the examples that â€Å"the boss gives him hell† whenever he is mad and only in special occasion such as X’mas is he allow into the bunkhouse. In this highly racist period, Crook’s role as the â€Å"nigger stable buck† meant he is at the bottom of the hierarchy and therefore ostracized by the rest of the community. Due to this inferiority, Crooks feels even stronger about protecting himself in territorial terms and by isolation. Nonetheless, he does not enjoy this solitude but instead, quite prefer the opposite. This is best shown when Candy and Lennie enter his room, which no one but Slim had done before, Crooks â€Å"finds it difficult to conceal his pleasure in anger†. Although he would rather play card in the bunkhouse with others, since he â€Å"stink† and â€Å"ain’t wanted there†, instead, he has to â€Å"sit out here and read books†. This shows that he has adapted to loneliness using other means but although he knows nothing can replace a real company. In the scene which he unburdens himself to Lennie, the situation becomes parallel to that of Lennie and Curley’s wife. Not only are they both absurd and have difficulty in relating to others on the ranch due to society boundary based on racism and sexism, they both confide in Lennie because he would not â€Å"go on blabbin† to others. With Lennie they do not feel under threat and therefore do not have to protect themselves with masks of imagery. In comparison, George and Lennie are alway s at ease at the company of each other. Apart from Slim, they appear to be the only â€Å"guys† on the ranch to manage this. Slim the jekline skinner is the touch stone character in the novel used to reflect morally and decency. Although with a common appearance, every movement and air of his is described with â€Å"royalty† and â€Å"achieved only by master craftsmen†. However, his title as â€Å"the price of the ranch† is not self-given†. His authority is acknowledge by the other males on the ranch and so great the â€Å"his word was taken on any object†. His power appears to go beyond the system at the time. Even in this image-ridden macho culture, Slim does not needs to prove his position by creating illusion using force, yet with quite the opposite: gentleness and sense; elements of human quality that are most required in this imbalance situation. Apart from Lennie, Slim appears to be the only one who George is willing to confide. During the talk, they touch on the subject of loneliness, a sensation that grins a normal, respectable person to nothing but â€Å"a mean guy who wants to fight all the time†. In this part of the novel, George explains his relationship with Lennie and why they had traveled together. In a deeper sense, the phrase â€Å"got kinda used to each other† implies a long-term relationship which neither of the can live without now. Other minor characters in the novel such as Carlson and Whitney represent transaline people who best demonstrate the majority of the society at the time. They â€Å"ain’t got no people† so they move around the country as Crook states: â€Å"they come, an’ they quit an’go†. Their life style is monotonous and â€Å"they ain’t have no fun†. Their few entertainments include the horseshoe game and cards, which again are reference to competition and individualism. Nonetheless, it is only in these games they make allowance for their guard and relax into the company of each other. In conclusion, Steinbeck presentation of the theme of loneliness is reflected in the actions of his character. Although desperate to make contact, their concern for reputation and nature of the machismo culture in society isolate them from one another. The end tragedy then attracts sympathy from the reader by shattering the hope of few exceptions that appeared to have survived.