Who Do You Think Suffers the Most in Steinbecks "of Mice and Men'

Who do you think suffers the most in John Steinbeck’s novella ‘Of Mice and Men’?

I think Steinbeck reinforces the theme of loneliness using both subtle and some not so subtle ways. The theme of loneliness is notably present in Candy, Crooks and his wife as I believe throughout the book they are the characters that suffer the most. They constantly fight against their isolation in whatever way they can and often it is the way they choose to handle it that shows how much they are actually suffering.

Despite all of the attention Curley’s wife tries to grab, she ends up lonely. The bunkhouse is a male dominated world, where women are not to be trusted. This is the main reason she suffers the most. Although Curley’s wife is often portrayed as a cruel and troublesome villain (one of the reasons she is isolated), the real thing that isolates her is that she is the only female on the ranch.

Even though Curley’s wife is in need of companionship, a gender barrier is already set up which amplifies her loneliness and her lack of friendship. Whilst Curley’s wife is always looking for attention, Curley’s jealously leads to fear and mistrust amongst the other males on the ranch who stay away from her. This further alienates Curley’s wife , trapping her deeper into an endless cycle of loneliness. Race is one another barrier. Crooks must stay in a stable alone as he is not welcome in the bunkhouse because of the color of his skin. For Candy, he is a victim as society has barriers around age and handicap. Unfortunately, these characters suffer due to discriminatory barriers that exist in society and as a result they become  the outcasts of the ranch.

In addition, Steinbeck shows the suffering of the characters through their dreams. Each of the three characters that suffered on the ranch all had aspirations to become something greater. Candy’s dream was to become a close part of George and Lennie’s and share in their dream. Surprisingly, the dream almost becomes a reality but in the end  fate plays a cruel role in this and the dream fades and dies. Curley’s wife’s dream is to be in the movies and ‘wear nice clothes’ and stay in ‘big hotels’ and also to take many ‘pictures.’  Unfortunately, her dream is destroyed as a result of the society she lives in. Her dream ends in loneliness and suffering she goes the pain of trying to seek companionship from her fellow mates on the ranch. Lastly, Crooks’ dream is simply just to be part of something, even if it’s only a small part but he has no faith that his dream will come true…"… If you … guys would want a hand to work for nothing—just his keep, why I’d come an’ lend a hand. I ain’t so crippled I can’t work like a son-of-a-bitch if I want to."