Loneliness Case - Crooks

Crooks is one of the character in this book that symbolizes loneliness. "Guys don't come into a colored man's room very much" (71). Because Crooks is black he is treated differently than the other workers. Crooks becomes very rude because they do not treat him right. "I tell ya, he cried, I tell ya a guy gets lonely, an, he gets sick" (73). Because Crooks is always isolated he is becoming mentally sick. The only cure for this ailment is a friend. The only reason why crooks is always alone is because he is black.

Candy the handyman is another character in this book that is experiencing loneliness. He is an old man who has only one hand and only one true friend...a dog (45).Due to his old age Candy does not do much around the farm but take care of his dog. Candy is aware that his time is coming soon and knows his period on this earth is slowly deteriorating. 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 George and Lennie shared their dream with Candy he does not feel as lonely as he did before. Candy no longer feels like an old dog that is waiting to be shot. Candy does not contribute much to the farm and is not really needed because he is old and has one hand, thus making him the loneliest person on the farm.

The last of the lonely 3 is Curley's wife. Slim says, "She aint concealin' nothing. I never seen nobody like her. Shes got the eye goin all the time on everybody. I bet she gives the stable buck the eye" (51). Curley's wife is such a flirt with everyone so that she doesn't have to be so lonely. Because of that reason everyone thinks that she is a trap and no one want to talk to her but Curley and she doesn't even like him much. "Why can't I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely." Lennie said, Well, I aint supposed to talk to you or nothing." "I get lonely," she said. "You can talk to people, but I can't talk to nobody but Curley. Else he get mad. How'd you not like to talk to anybody?" (87) Curley's wife makes you hate her and feel bad for her at the same time. If everyone knew how she felt maybe she wouldn't feel the way she does. Curley's wife's loneliness and her dirty ways caused her to be killed by Lennie at the end of the book.