Webster's Dictionary defines the word loneliness as 'being alone and without companions'. That definition perfectly describes the feeling and atmosphere of John Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice and Men". Steinbeck describes brings his readers into the lives of two lonely farm workers and describes the negative, painful and destructive power loneliness can have on people. Three key characters in the novel exhibit true loneliness and each has a different reason for experiencing it: sex, age, and race. .
One character in "Of Mice and Men" that represents loneliness is Crooks. "Guys don't come into a colored man's room very much"" (71). Crooks is a black man that isn't treated equally from the other workers because he is black. Because the other workers don't treat him good it turns crooks into a rude man. "I tell ya, he cried, I tell ya a guy gets lonely, an, he gets sick"" (73). Crooks is getting sick (mental) because he is always alone. Medicine for that kind of sick is a friend. Crooks is always alone because he is black.
Another character in this book that represents loneliness is Candy. He is an old man who has only one hand and only one true friend a dog (45). He doesn't do much anymore, except take care to his dog and do little work around the farm that a little kid could do. He knows that he doesn't have much time anymore and his future doesn't look very good. Me an' Lennie an' George. We gonna have a place to ourselves. Crooks asked, "You say you got the money? "Damn Right. We got most of it. Just a little bit more to get. Have it in one month. George got the land all picked out, too "(76). Since Candy asked George and Lennie to share their dream he will not feel as lonely as he used to be. Now candy doesn't feel like an old dog that is waiting to be shot. Candy is an old man who is not much good to the farm which makes him one of loneliest people on the farm.
The last of the lonely 3 is Curley's wife.