Of Mice and Men Motifs {Grade This Essay}

"Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. . . . With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don't have to sit in no bar room blowin' in our jack jus' because we got no place else to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us." One huge motif in Of Mice and Men is definately lonliness and companionship among the main characters.

To begin, Lennie and George are a great example of two people who have an special companionship with eachother. Mentioned time after time, they are so close they even look after eachother in the worst and best times. For example, Lennie was looking out for George when Crooks told him, what if something was to happen to George. Lennie thought that was unacceptable, and told Crooks, no, nothing is going to happen to George. George and Lennie travel everywhere togehter. In the book George sometimes acts as if he doesn't want Lennie around but I think that he just uses Lennie as an excuse for why he can't reach his own goals and live his own dreams. Basically whatI'm trying to say is that they depend on each other for everything. They act as a married couple if you will one body (Lennie's) and one mind (George's of course). When Lennie does something stupid and gets himself in trouble George could just leave him and let him get hisself killed or jailed but he doesn't. When Lennie's in trouble so is George and he always finds away out for the both of them. Lennie depends on George to take care of him and guide him in the right direction.

Next, there's Crook, the only negro on the ranch. Because he is black and the time period of the book is the racist, segregated 1930's, Crooks is not allowed to bunk with the white workers, and has his own little place.Although all the characters in Of Mice and men have a disability and experience discrimination and unfair treatement at times all the characters have someone else their for them except crooks. Crooks is the definition of lonely. Readers can see this, when Lennie comes in and visits him. He yells at Lennie and tells him since he isn't allowed in their bunk, he isn't allowed in his. Lennie's illness puzzles him, and Crooks takes advantage of him, by telling him George isn't always going to be around. Why does he do this? Well that saying must be true, misery does love company!

Curly's wife is another victim of the lonely disease. She herself said, all she wants is a friend and someone to talk to. Being the wife of the bosses son, all the men on the ranch stay away from her to stay out of trouble. To them she even comes off as promiscuous, but in reality she just needs a friend. She even talks to Lennie, who is just about the only one who doesn't mind talking to her. Talking to lennie and looking for Lennie is a sure sign of loneliness and desperation because everyone on the ranch knows Lennie is all messed up in the head. Because she cant talk to her egotistic husband or mean father in law she looks for companship in anyone who will give her time of day, even if it is a mentally ill person. When she talks tpo Lennie she pours out her deepest secrets that she never told anyone but Lennie. If that isn't a sign of true loneliness, I don't know what is.

Last but not least there's old Candy. Candy is extremely old, at the ranch they make him sweep and look after the chickens, while the younger and healthier guys do the "real work." In the beggining of the story Cnady has companionship in his dog his is much like himself, old and useless as viewed by the other men on the ranch. Due to the way Candy's dog is viewed he is killed (or rather puto ut of his misery by another guy on the ranch. As a result of the murder of Candy's dog Candy is all alone. As the story unfolds Candy develops a relationship with George. Lennie and George even agree to add Candy into their plan of buying that little farm they've always wanted.

In conclusion, Of Mice and Men is a novel filled of tons of things, and motifs being one of them. Unlike most books, there's more than one theme, symbol and even motif. A lot of the time you see and feel the emotions of loneliness and companionship amongst the characters.