A World Full Of Loneliness - 1256 Words

Megan Lee Mr. Bain Honors English 1 27 September 2014 A World Full of Loneliness In life, everyone wants to have somebody they can call a friend. The unfortunate reality of this is that at some point in time, almost every person will experience loneliness. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, deals with the hardships of two friends who put their belief in a giant pipe dream. The book follows George and Lennie’s troubled and laborious life until their plans go very awry. â€Å"King of Hoboes, Arvel Pearson†, by Errol Lincoln Uys, is a nonfiction text which overviews Arvel Pearson’s life as a professional hobo. This includes a detailed version of what it was like to be a hobo in the time period known as the Great Depression and provides an idea of†¦show more content†¦Later in the chapter, after the men have talked for a while, Curley’s wife enters the bunk too. An argument takes place following her arrival and Crooks is â€Å"reduced†¦ to nothing† by a threat made by Curley’s wife (Steinbeck 81). This proves t o be a reminder to Crooks as to why he should never let people inside his built up walls. Steinbeck uses this portion of his book to exemplify loneliness; his main theme of the novel. Crooks begins all alone, befriends someone just this once, but remains lonely by the end. If Crooks is not threatened and remains a friend of Lennie’s, the message this sends would be very different; however the reality of this situation occurring is unlikely. During the 1930’s, a time recognized as the Great Depression, almost everyone primarily wants to survive and that left most people working to earn a stake; friendships are an unimportant matter. In â€Å"King of Hoboes† it mentions that Arvel Pearson â€Å"had a partner but it [did not] work out† (Uys 47). If one of them makes it onto a train, but the other one misses it then most likely they will be separated for good. As a hobo, Pearson’s story mentions â€Å"there [are] nights [he will] get homesick waiting for a train with nobody to talk to† (Uys 48). This could be a reason a hobo might attempt to make a friend. The solitude that a hobo faces can be overwhelming, but traveling with a partner seemingly could solve this problem. The character or person will make a friend to cope with the