The loneliness and companionships in the book Of Mice and Men

After reading the book Of Mice and Men, I really noticed all the loneliness and companionships there are in the book. Most noticeably were the characters like Curley’s wife, who was looking for love and affection, George and Lennie, who only had each other, and Candy, who only had the love of his dog.

Curley’s wife suffers from complete alienation and loneliness. Her husband makes her feel isolated, verbally abuses her, keeps her away from the other men, and keeps her somewhat incarcerated inside her own home. Throughout the book I see her in constant search for love and affection. She tries to start various conversations with George, but George assumes that she is might be trouble. He tells himself not to give in to self-indulgence when it comes to Curley’s wife and her scandalous motives. Even the men on the farm misjudge her. They refer to her as a no good dirty tramp who is trying to sleep with everyone. The understatements that have been made about her might be the main cause of her loneliness and depression.

When it comes to George and Lennie, their relationship is a little different. Ever since Lennie’s Aunt died he has been traveling with George. George, on the other hand, only took him in because he knew that Lennie could not survive without the support of a sane human being. At times, George wished that he had never let a mentally challenged Man tag along with him because of the trouble that Lennie caused. Lennie doesn’t understand the effect of his actions like when he felt on the girl’s dress in Weed or when he felt on Curley’s wife’s hair and accidentally killed her. However, they stay together because of the mutual companionship they provide each other regardless of Lennie’s handicap. “I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you…” Quote from chapter 1 of Of Mice and Men

Candy has to be one of the saddest characters in the book. He didn’t have a family to comfort him and he had been working on the farm for god knows how long. Candy lost his hand in an accident and worries about his future on the ranch. He feels that his age makes him useless to the other workers. The only thing that ever mattered to him was his dog but it was brutally killed by Carlson because it was very old. The only thing he lived for was unceremoniously torn away from him with a bullet to the head.

Candy, Curley’s wife, Lennie and George all search for affection and companionship. Some are able to encounter it if only for a brief moment while for others, companionship eludes them forever.