The novella, “Of Mice and Men” written by John Steinbeck and the movie “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?” demonstrates a major theme of loneliness, each containing at least one or more character representing varying degrees of loneliness. Crooks, a character in “Of Mice and Men”, is the only black farmhand on an all white farm during the time of America’s Great Depression. He deals with the constant isolation, segregation, and loneliness of the racism on the farm. Mrs. Grape, a character from “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?” is an obese mother grieving her husband’s suicide years later. Because of her immense weight, Mrs. Grape stays indoors at all times leaving her children to take care of the household, bills, and herself. Her loneliness stems from losing her husband as well as being isolated in the house constantly. These seemingly different characters have many similarities. Although both Crooks and Mrs. Grape are similar in many ways, one huge difference makes Crooks a stronger person. …show more content…
Grape were both able to move around but it was with great difficulty that Mrs. Grape could move and Crooks could not perform certain tasks due to his crooked back. The two were ‘disabled’ or more or less deformed in terms of the healthy and regular human anatomy. When Lennie first sees Crooks, Steinbeck states, “His [Crooks] was bent over to the left by his crooked spine…” (Steinbeck 67). It is a known fact in the novella that Crooks’s back was caused by a horse kicking it during his younger days, so it is through no fault of his that he is ‘deformed’. On the other hand Mrs. Grape was regarded as the most beautiful woman in town, but after her husband’s suicide, she gained weight. She gained so much weight; she became obese and therefore ‘deformed’. Her obesity was through no fault but her own because she used food as a coping mechanism with her husband’s death years
Universally, it’s known for people in different time periods to share the same characteristics. In the 1930’s, people were racist and migrant workers travelled all over America. In the 1990’s, society was developing into what it is today. Specifically, an uprise of advanced technology and architecture. Although the time periods differ immensely, the people of those time periods are very similar.
“A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you. I tell ya. ”(Steinbeck, page 73).
Crooks is teasing Lennie about his mental disability. Crooks is proving to Lennie that he cannot work and live on his own and usually needs somebody to assist
Katherine Evans Period 4 Loneliness and the Negative Effects on Life Everyone eventually feels a little bit lonely sometimes weather its being away from family for a long period of time or it's being in a new place where you don't know anyone. Loneliness is something most people are faced with at some point in their life. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, two men named George and Lennie move around a lot and work on ranches. In the novel they are working on a ranch near Soledad, California; Soledad means solitude connecting to loneliness. While they are there they meet people like Crooks, Curley, Curley’s wife, Carlson and Candy.
As German theologian once said, “We are all so much together but we are all dying of loneliness.” This is quite apparent for multiple characters in the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. George and Lennie are two men that travel around together in efforts of finding work during the Great Depression, which they must do often due to Lennie’s mental illness that causes him to do “bad” things and ruin things for them on multiple jobs. However, they find work as ranch hands south of Soledad, which causes them and multiple other characters, such as the stable buck Crooks, to come face to face with their constant loneliness. Soledad, which ironically translates to loneliness, is relevant to the novel.
It is very clear that there are many similarities and differences between the characters Gilbert and Edward in these two films demonstrated by using different types of camera angles. Although both films depict the characters as outsiders/heroes, there are other similarities as well as evident differences between the two. First and foremost, the medium shot where Gilbert is shown comforting Arnie after he accidentally killed a grasshopper, reveals that he is like a guardian towards Arnie, always able to help, alternatively, a high angle long shot shows Edward standing over the dead inventor after he had cut his face with his scissor hands, positioning the audience to see that even when Edward tries to help, he makes the situation worse. Furthermore, the long shots of
Loneliness makes me feel so sad, but in a book are cool. Loneliness has a negative effect many characters in the novella called Of Mice and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. The two main characters of the book are named George he is short and skinny also there's Lennie tall and strong. The setting of the book is on a ranch and nothing fancy about it. Loneliness has a negative effect on many characters in the book, like Crooks.
Often in life people are lonely. In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck there are two characters in the story that are lonely. They are also considered outsiders in the book. These characters in the story are not accepted in the book because they don't have friends on the farm. You could tell they’re lonely because no one wants to talk to them or help them.
They say I stink. Well I tell you all of you stink to me.” ” (65) Crooks was shunned because his physical appearance and wasn’t treated the same as the rest of the men. This makes Crooks a key character that informs us of the social injustices that where prominent during the time period of the novel.
Racism and Loneliness: Two Components for Bitterness Norman Cousins once said, “The eternal quest of the individual human being is to shatter his loneliness.” Crooks, one character from John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, battles with loneliness. He is forced to deal with racial segregation and live in a confined space isolated. Since Crooks is secluded he becomes an unpleasant human being and treats others poorly. Crooks’ method for coping with his loneliness, hurts him as a person instead of helping him.
This proves that crooks is isolated from the group because of his race. The evidence also proves that it affects him by being very anti-social and causes him to isolate himself from the other migrant farmers. The real question to sum up this is what does Steinbeck think of a Lonely African American migrant farmer who is isolated because his
In Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice and Men the main theme is Loneliness and Isolation. Steinbeck really creates an image in your head of the life of the migrated ranch men. He hides the fact the characters are isolated in the language he uses. The town that the ranch is close to is called “Soledad” which means loneliness in spanish. In latin “Solitaire” (the card game the men play) means alone and isolated.
Loneliness and isolation is an ongoing theme throughout the novel Of Mice and Men, experienced by several characters to different degrees. Some characters are more isolated and lonely than others, yet every character in the story goes through this theme during one point in the story. There are various reasons why each character is lonely or isolated. In general, all the ranch workers feel some sort of loneliness because they move alone from ranch to ranch and do not have real connections with others, Curley’s wife experiences this theme because she is the only woman on the ranch and nobody wants to interact with her because Curley is very protective and hostile of her. Thirdly, Candy struggles through being lonely and isolated after Carlson shot his dog and because Candy does not work with the others since he is a swamper.
First, loneliness is the sadness caused by having no friends or company, and friendship is a state of mutual trust and support between people, they are polar opposites, yet a person may acclaim to have both. For example today a person may have a friend, or many, but still will face loneliness in their life in one way or another. This is shown in Of Mice and Men periodically throughout the novel, knowing this the reader is challenged with such themes, the enticing beauty of friendship between George and Lennie, and the gloomy dreaded idea of loneliness shown by Curley’s wife, Candy, Crooks, and again Lennie. Among these characters the reader may also feel a connection between themselves and the characters, even though the world now and during the publication of Of Mice and Men has changed a lot. The world has reformed, and developed exponentially so, however friendship and loneliness is still a facet of everyday
One’s self has experienced loneliness from choice or forced into isolation. The novel ¨Of Mice and Men¨ written by John Steinbeck, took place during the Great Depression, near Soledad, California. The protagonist, George and the antagonist, Lennie are mid aged, white men who are working on a ranch with other mid aged, white men. Along with ones who aren’t as focused at the time, such as Crooks, the negro or black, Curley’s wife, the woman and, Candy, the old and weak man were treated differently from all the white, strong males in the novel due to the setting the novel. This making distance in relationships in Of Mice and Men, isolating these characters into loneliness.