Loneliness Flashcards
Candy
eagerly wants to join George/Lennie at the barn to avoid being lonely
“i wish somebody would shoot me when i become useless”
can’t work because of his missing hand and only has one friend (old dog)
“I had him since he was a pup”
-companion/equivalent of a friend
-isolation from other ranch workers because of his dog (he has a companion but they don’t so they’re jealous)
Crooks
“books ain’t no good…A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody”
-believes that in order to thrive one must have social opportunities and form relationships
-shows that he also has no companions
“Guys don’t come in a coloured man’s room very much”
isolated due to his race/skin tone
“I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse”
permanently detached from the rest of the group and is never asked to join to play horseshoes
“you ain’t wanted in my room”
-segregated in the barn (racial discrimination)
-so used to this isolation that he doesn’t know how to react when someone actually wants to talk to him so he became a bitter lonely man
Curley’s Wife
“What’s the matter with me? Ain’t i got a right to talk to nobody”
Curley has forbidden her from discussing her life with the workers and threatened the workers from speaking to her
“I never get to talk to nobody, I get awful lonely”
-one of the loneliest people on the ranch because she’s isolated
-has no girl friends and isn’t allowed to venture into town so she confides in the workers for company
“I don’ like Curley, he ain’t a nice fella”
-only married him to get away form home
-wanted to become an actress so she’s separated from her dream
-she pretends to be okay but her real world is lonely and miserable
-on a ranch where no one shares your interests is difficult
George and Lennie
“We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us”
-different from other ranch hands (happy pair)
-but it’s possible to feel lonely in a room full of people
-as much as they have each other, Lennie doesn’t understand George as much as George understands him
-shows that George gives advice to Lennie and not vice versa
“I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy”
-The Boss has previous experience of workers traveling individually, so he’s shocked and becomes suspicious when they arrive together which shows the uncommonness of their relationship
-shows that compassionate relationships were unfamiliar
Migrant Workers
- loneliest guys in the world
- you’re all goddamn scared of each other
