The term loneliness is the state of being lonely, in solitude, or seclusion. It can also arise from the lack of frequent visits by humans. To me, I feel loneliness when it seems no one is around, no one calls upon me, or I feel as though I am in some sort of self-seclusion as a result of lack of feeling needed. John Steinbeck writes about loneliness in his novel, Of Mice and Men. He deals with this issue in a way that can make it seem unnoticed, but further examination reveals the emotions and feelings behind several characters in the story. Curley's wife, Crooks, and George all seem at times to be at peace, but when you look deeper you can see the struggle to be free, to remove that feeling of loneliness.
The realization that there was something deeper in the character of Curley's wife struck me hard. I thought about it long and hard before I realized there had to be a good reason why she never was given a name. She portrays a person who is bitter, and a tramp. All initial views of her are torn when she talks to Crooks and Lennie while the others are out on the town. She tells them how everyone else is out on the town, complains that all she has to talk to are a nigger and a dum-dum, and then admits that she likes it (78). This was my first insight as to the actual person she really is, the lonely woman in search of companions since her husband is never around. Later on in the story she finds Lennie out in the stable and speaks to him. She tells Lennie a lot of her past, how she wanted to be a star. Curley's wife also says how no one cares how she lives. She even says how she never gets to talk to anyone, and how lonely she feels (88). She tells him of her feelings for Curley, how she doesn't like him. Her longing, confiding release of emotion she gives to Lennie seems a bit ironic even. She finally found someone she could talk to, confide in, release herself to, and shortly after she did so, she was killed.