We’ve all heard the saying, You can’t have a rainbow without a little rain. In JohnSteinbeck’s Of Mice and Males, this precept is utilized to the relationships between thecharacters. The novel tells the story of two companions, George and Lennie, who’re travellingtogether on the lookout for work and discover themselves amongst many lonely characters. Steinbeckcompares companionship to loneliness with a purpose to present the reader that one can not fullyunderstand happiness without first realizing unhappiness. The writer offers the reader with manyexamples of lonesome characters, together with Crooks, Curley’s spouse, and Sweet.
He does this inorder to focus on the nice friendship between George and Lennie.The writer makes use of Crooks’ solitude in distinction to the different friendships. When Crooks andLennie are in the barn, Crooks explains to Lennie that a man will get too lonely an’ he will get sick(73), clearly referring to himself. Steinbeck’s objective is to make the character of Crooks appearopposite to George and Lennie’s characters. Whereas George and Lennie have one another, Crooksonly has his books, and even these, he says, ain’t no good.
A man wants any person — to be nearhim (72). Crooks’ room is alleged to have many private belongings mendacity round unorganized.By creating such a messy picture of Crooks’ room, Steinbeck demonstrates that being alone,Crooks might depart his issues about (66). Crooks’ isolation is aggravated by him beingAfrican-American. Crooks, a lonely character, is used as a counterexample of the relationshipbetween George and Lennie. For the reader to completely perceive their happiness, she or he should first be launched to a melancholy character. Equally, in life one should first perceive whathe is lacking earlier than one can absolutely respect what he has.An extra instance illustrating the significance of companionship is the seclusionexperienced by Curley’s spouse. Being the solely girl amongst a group of males, she looks as if astrong character, however in actuality, her gender distances her from the others on the ranch. Crooks,Lennie, and Sweet are in Crooks’ room when Curley’s spouse walks in. Crooks emphasizes that hedon’t need no bother (77), however Curley’s spouse counters that by saying, Assume I don’t like totalk to any person ever’ as soon as in a whereas? Assume I like to stay in that home alla time? (77). Thispassage reveals that even a girl who seems to have a companion in life, her husband Curley,simply desires to have a good friend to speak to, like every other individual. Curley’s spouse is keen to exit ofher means and even get in bother along with her husband simply to have a pleasant chat. This eager for afriend is what finally will get her killed by Lennie when she approaches him with a purpose to have aconversation with him. Moreover, Steinbeck forgives the undeniable fact that she received the eye (28),that means that she flirts with all of the males, as a result of her intentions are benign and she or he simplywants to have any person to speak with. This deep loneliness is used to deliver out the theme ofcompanionship. Curley’s spouse has a unhappy life, and the reader wants her for instance tounderstand how really grateful George and Lennie are that they have one another. Steinbeckteaches the reader to understand how the melancholy can deliver out the boon life has to supply.Sweet, the previous swamper, is proven as an remoted individual, very like the different characterson the ranch, but, in contrast to the others, he’s allowed to share George and Lennie’s friendship. Hewillingly accepts the invitation to be a a part of George and Lennie’s dream to buy their ownfarm. By letting Sweet have a glimpse into George and Lennie’s companionship, Steinbeckdirectly reveals how completely different Sweet’s life might have been if he had companions. Sweet asks earnestly to be a part of George and Lennie’s dream. His supplication is greater than a request toown his personal home and property; it’s a plea for companionship. He emphasizes this must bewith folks by saying, S’pose I went in with you guys (59). Not like the others on the ranch,Sweet experiences the feeling of getting a companion in life, his canine. Sweet describes him as truefamily, saying that he had him so lengthy. Had him since he was a pup (44). Regardless of that, Candyplaces the lifetime of his canine into the arms of Carlson, the man who finally kills him. Sweet isthe solely character from the ranch who experiences the lack of somebody shut. Sweet has a tasteof companionship and it’s abruptly ripped away from him. Solely after Sweet is compelled to sufferthrough the dying of his canine does he really perceive the necessity of a good friend in a single’s life.Likewise, in life, one can solely respect happiness after having skilled the troubles thatcome with sorrow.Steinbeck makes use of the relationship between George and Lennie to specific the theme ofcompanionship in distinction to loneliness. George tells Lennie the identical story of their friendshipoften all through the novel. Lennie is aware of it by coronary heart and when George begins retelling it,Lennie completes it by saying, I received you to take care of me, and you bought me to take care of you(14). This demonstrates the true bond between George and Lennie as a result of it reveals they arealways there for one another. The considered shedding a good friend could make a relationship evenstronger. Steinbeck describes a dialog between George and Lennie after their argumentwhen they’re resting subsequent to the Salinas River in the starting of the novel. Lennie says, Ifyou don’ need me I can go off in the hills an’ discover a cave. I can go away anytime (12).Nonetheless, the males maintain on to one another and this makes their nice friendship seem all thatmuch higher as a result of it reveals how sturdy it’s. The loneliness, an analogy for one thing unhappy in life, is offered alongside companionship, or happiness, with a purpose to present that one can not existwithout the different and that each are crucial for having fun with life to the fullest.In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Males, the theme of loneliness is used as a distinction to thetheme of companionship. Many characters are confronted with the burden of with going by means of lifealone. Crooks is omitted due to his pores and skin shade. Curley’s spouse simply desires somebody whom shecan speak to, however is taken into account an outcast as a result of her gender. Sweet reveals his loneliness throughthe lack of his canine, however he additionally has a glimpse into happiness by means of sharing the dream of Georgeand Lennie. All of those characters are used to counter the sturdy relationship between Georgeand Lennie and their devoted devotion to one another, but the reader can also be launched to thefragility of their friendship. Life is stuffed with ups and downs, however is essential to grasp that thisbittersweet high quality serves a higher objective: to deliver out the good and make it stand out amongall of the unhealthy.