Preview

The Lost and Lonely People of John Ernst Steinbeck (of Mice and Men)

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1159 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Lost and Lonely People of John Ernst Steinbeck (of Mice and Men)
Saint Jude Catholic School
High School Department

The Lost and Lonely People of John Ernst Steinbeck

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for English III

Submitted by

#32 Lorraine Elizabeth Tan
HS III-E

Submitted to

Mr. Richard Rillo
Faculty
October 2011

Saint Jude Catholic School Tan/2011
High School Department
English III

No man is an island, and in the face of loneliness George and Lennie formed a family. It is portrayed that through their companionship they chose to rise above. As George and Lennie depended on each other they were able to dream. Like brothers George and Lennie had their fair share of disagreements but it is clearly seen that George is devoted to Lennie and Lennie is unswervingly loyal to George.
Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men reveals that oftentimes, dire circumstances are not the only things to crush the human spirit; when loneliness is a person’s constant companion, it is difficult to rise above his lot in life and feel connected to the world around him.
As the story unfolds, the mark of The Great Depression is clearly illustrated and Of Mice And Men depicts that the crushing of the laborers spirits aren’t limited to the presence of dire circumstances. While in present day context the occurrence of these ominous conditions are clearly evident in the lives of people. The nation is constantly struggling to fight overpopulation, food shortage, corruption and even global warming. These difficulties have taken hold of their lives and have hindered them to live. As a person fights his daily battles, his hopes and dreams slowly drains out as well. Meanwhile these problems may temporarily hold a person down, but loneliness can permanently incapacitate him. Lucky for a person who manages to find a way to keep going and to push through.
October 2011

Saint Jude Catholic School Tan/2011
High School Department
English III

Loneliness is far worse than the presence of dire



References: 1Loneliness Retrieved October 2011 from http://www.counselingcenter.illinois.edu/?page_id=188 2Eleanor Rigby Retrieved October 2011 from http://poemhunter.com/song/eleanor-rigby/ 3Cacioppo, J. T., Fowler, J. H. (2008) Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.; New York 4 Shute, N. (2008) Why loneliness is bad for your health. U.S. News and World Report. http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/2008/11/12/why-loneliness-is-bad-for-your-health.html

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    What is Loneliness and Companionship Today Introduction Anna Quindlein's article titled Doing nothing is something published on May 12, 2002 and William Deresiewicz's The End Of Solitude published February 30, 2009 seek to explain how modernity has changed the way man socializes and spends time. Quindlein views this change from the perspective of a busy scheduled life more so for children who now lack time for themselves while Deresiewicz looks at it from the angle of a lonely but an overly communicating people.…

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck illustrates the loneliness of the characters and the isolation of the characters in the Ranch and how they are driven to try and find friendship and escape loneliness.…

    • 1702 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Curley's Wifes Loneliness

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Almost everyone is lonely at some point in their life. Whether you want to hang out with friends and no one is available, or you're just sitting in your bedroom by yourself isolated from everyone else with nothing to do. Throughout your life you are going to want to be surrounded by people you enjoy and are loved by. In John Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice and Men" loneliness and the need for companionship is shown in ways such as Crooks with discrimination, Curley's wife, and conflict.…

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Loneliness is a very common feeling that everyone goes through at some point in life. John Steinbeck uses loneliness as a way to show that no one has to be alone and people do have a meaning to life. Of mice and men is a story about two men, George and Lennie, who are on their way to work on a ranch in Soledad, California to make money and get a little piece of land to call their own. At the ranch, George constantly reminds Lennie to avoid the troubles of the ranch. Unfortunately, things do not end the way they dreamed. Humans crave contact with others to give life meaning. Despite their needs for companionship, people still set up barriers that retain loneliness and they sustain those barriers by being inhumane to each other.…

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Unfortunately lonliness and isolation is a big deal in today's society, a lot of people do not have anyone to be there for them or anyone to talk to. Those people put themselves in a really bad place when they do not want any contact with another person. That really takes a toll on the person after a while they can start to go insane by not having anyone to talk to after a while they start to lose a piece of themselves then thy lose themselves all at once. John Stienbeck's novella, Of Mice and Men, claims lonliness and isolation change people so much they are not they same person they were before.…

    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    John Steinbeck’s novella, “Of Mice and Men” tells the catastrophic story of two displaced ranch workers throughout the great depression in California, USA. The antagonists, George Milton and Lenny Small are equally dependant on each other even though their personalities are contradicting. The characters that populate this tragic story are recognizably all poor and desperate for work due to the Great Depression; accordingly the characters are all distrusting, irritated and often lonely. The novella explores the effects of loneliness and social isolation as well as whether the two characteristics are mutually exclusive. Lenny Small, a simpleton demonstrates the concept as he is socially isolated due to noticeable mental disability. Curley and his wife show the radical effects of loneliness and ‘the cripples’ are isolated due to physical manifestations which cause all of their plans and dreams to go awry.…

    • 1098 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In the United States, there are over 44 million people who are lonely and longing to connect with another living soul. Loneliness is a psychological disease that gradually consumes you, until you are left feeling empty and rejected from society. Psychologists believe that physical isolation, the death of a loved one, or low self-esteem are all contributing factors. Those who struggle with this disease may experience depression or drastic personality alterations. In the novella Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck conveys how adversity shapes character by illustrating that loneliness influences individuals to appear cold-hearted or detached.…

    • 1189 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Still today loneliness is shown in everyone's life, in differents ways but none the less. People need someone to be there for them at all times, if they don’t they put all of these ideas in their head, and push everyone out. Loneliness makes a person see the world as worthless, no meaning, and become…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Of Mice and Man

    • 309 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In the book of John Steinbeck the seam of loneliness is touched. In “Of Mice and…

    • 309 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Steinbeck’s novel, ‘Of Mice and Men’, was published in 1937. At this time America was still suffering the from the depression and the wandering workers who form the basis of the novel were very much within the consciousness of a nation separated by wealth yet driven by the idea of ‘the American dream’. Steinbeck’s novel is, however, essentially a tale of loneliness and of men struggling alone against a cold, uncaring and forgettable destiny.…

    • 953 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Of Mice And Men Outline

    • 270 Words
    • 1 Page

    Thesis: In the novel “Of Mice and Men” the author Steinbeck uses many themes sucas friendship, loneliness and the American Dream.…

    • 270 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Loneliness is an impossible fact of life that nobody can avoid especially during the Great Depression. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, a novella by John Steinbeck shows that in the early 1930s – during the Great Depression – was a period of great loneliness of men and women, therefore people are driven to find friendship in order to escape the loneliness. But barely anyone find the right companionship while a lot of them were still lonely even if they found their companions. Throughout the story, Steinbeck shows that everyone needs a friend and without friends people will suffer from loneliness inevitably. People who were being discriminated and intolerance or were deserted, they will end up in loneliness and isolation. Almost all the characters in the novel are really lonely and unhappy with their lives, and none of them can escape this unhappiness and loneliness because most of the ranch workers just come and go – they do not care about anyone. After the stock market crashed the Great Depression began, therefore the economic and society forces control them and free will seems like an unrealistically fictitious.…

    • 1368 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout a person’s lifetime, it is virtually impossible to avoid social encounters. Humans are social animals, and one’s growth is dependent on other human beings. Newborns and young children rely extensively on the supervision of others, knowledge is acquired via social observation and learning from other people, well-being and happiness are promoted by connecting with other individuals, and so on. Sociality is a dominant force. Studies have shown that the consequences of social isolation can be considered equivalent to that of everyday smoking. This paper will be exploring less severe effects that can be attributed to social exclusion: loneliness and lowered self-esteem, on which an observation and a relevant empirical evidence will be provided.…

    • 592 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    References: Alpass, FM & Neville, S 2010, ‘Loneliness health and depression in older males’, Aging & mental Health, vol.7, no.3, pp. 212-216.…

    • 1122 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The article “Personal and Social Influences on Loneliness: The Mediating Effect of Social Provisions” defined loneliness by stating, “First, loneliness is thought to result from perceived deficiencies in one’s social world. Second, loneliness is thought to be a subjective state experienced by the individual, rather than some objective feature in the individual’s social world. Third, this experience frequently is unpleasant and distressing” (Kraus et al. 85). Everyone faces loneliness and despair in their lives. In today’s world people may feel misunderstood or isolated, or they could feel deficient because the lack a family or missing a loved one. In Hamlet, much of the loneliness and suffering he endures is due to the secrets he is forced to keep. There were many instances where Hamlet felt alone and upset, but he could not share his pain with anyone else. We can also find examples of Hamlet’s despair due to betrayal from his so-called friends. The loneliness and despair in Hamlet are factors that added to his suffering and caused his overall demise.…

    • 940 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays