Slim and George - Lonliness & Isolation Points

We have a feeling this may come up so does anyone have any points and the extract may be ending

cdaniels2011

Isn't Slim ironically lonely? Everyone likes him but he has the confidence to walk around on his own and he seems not to care whether or not he is around people or arriving somewhere alone..

I don't know what points to make about Slim and loneliness, I haven't come across any quotes that support it, either.

Reply 2

CaptErin

Original post by Himtiaz

We have a feeling this may come up so does anyone have any points and the extract may be ending

Hiya

George
Talk about how George isn't lonely like the other characters throughout the novel because he has Lennie; even if Lennie offers no intellectual companionship (maybe use a quote of Lennie changing the subject) he is somebody for George to connect with. However, by the end of the novel George is just as lonely as any other character; when George shoots Lennie he becomes just the same as any other worker with no companion and no reality to their dreams. Maybe talk a little about how this is inevitable, how it's foreshadowed by the killing of Candy's dog or the references to light (a symbol for the American Dream) throughout the novel and Curley's Wife cutting it off, e.g. 'the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off. A girl was standing there'. George also repeatedly mentions how lonely ranch work could be, and how he wouldn't like to travel in that way throughout the novel, which amplifies the sadness of the final scene when he is condemned to a life like that of any other worker, 'They ain't got nobody in the world that gives a hoot in the hell about 'em.'

Key George quote for loneliness: ''Guys like us,' George says, 'that work on the ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong noplace.''

Slim
Maybe talk about Slim's surprise at the relationship between George and Lennie, and how he shows that really he would like a travelling partner but doesn't view it as realistic in the harsh ranch life of 1930s America. While other characters (perhaps most notably Curley, 'Oh, so it's that way.' - he thinks George must be taking advantage of Lennie) are suspicious of the relationship and appear to view it somewhat negatively, Slim accepts the relationship between George and Lennie and embraces it as something he also desires.

Key Slim quote for loneliness & relationships: 'Slim looked through George and beyond him. 'Ain't many guys travel around together,' he mused. 'I don't know why. Maybe ever'body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.'' This could be taken as an admission of his loneliness.