OMM+Personal+Response+2

== Personal Response 2: Examine the idea of lonliness both in connection with George, Lennie and the other characters, and within your own life? What is lonliness? When is it experienced? How do you move past the feeling of lonliness-or can you ever? ==

//**Hannah Atwell:**// Loneliness is a depressing feeling of being alone and is not experienced in a happy manner, hence depressing manner. Not many people like to alone all the time. Lonelines generally is not good for people. It can make them go crazy because they have no one to turn to or talk to. It can also cause people to talk to themselves all the time. All in all, most of the time, being lonely is somewhat depressing.

Loneliness is experienced in many different situations. It can be experienced if you are socially awkward and you don't have many friends. People who are constantly rejected may also feel lonely all of the time. I do not personally know anyone in a situation such as that but it's a possibility. For example, Crooks is always lonely because he is black and the only black person on the ranch and ,back then, it was frowned upon to be black, even though you couldn't be black by choice. People were racist and did as much as they could not to associate with people of the African American race. My dog gets lonely everyday because she is always home by her lonesome. I don't think George is ever entirely lonely because Lennie is always clinging to his side. Migrant workers as a whole in the 1930's probably felt lonely all of the time because normally they travel alone and earn their money alone, everyone they meet ends up in the past and are forgotten. Loneliness is experienced more with certain people and less with others. Some people are outgoing and don't let loneliness overcome them, while others just let it happen.

**Haley Reich**: Loneliness is tough. Its depressing to have to face everything on your own or feel as if nobody is there to help you get through the problems you face everyday. This feeling can be experienced at anytime. After someone or a pet dies you feel this void of them not being around especially if you were really close to or very fond of this person. To me, to move forward is the best thing for you. Find something to fill your time or even a friend to share with. Share stories or memories of the person or even find something that makes you feel less lonely like people. Sometimes finding something to keep around even if its like a teddy bear or buying a new pet can help overcome that loneliness. People become depressed because of there loneliness which can only lead to bad things sometimes. To me loneliness can be overcame. You have to be willing to try new things but with the effort and heart you can change who you feel.

I think Candy will have a hard time with the lost of his old dog. Since he is so much like that dog, it became a part of him. I know if I lost my dog I'd be crushed. Yeah she does stupid things sometimes but I love her to death. Also maybe even Lennie, since he's so strong he doesn't even realize that he can cause harm. Maybe he only likes the soft things because he's lonely and they comfort him. Even though it's cheesy when I miss things I look back at pictures or texts or find things I did with that person. Think of the good times. Lennie has George, and as long as George is around I think it helps Lennie with his loneliness. But at the same time I think George could be lonely by not being able to do as he wants since he has to watch Lennie. I have felt lonely more when my friends can't hang out and I'm home alone and Zach is across the country. But finding things that mattered to me help. I can't distract myself by working out or trying to stay extra busy. This help but it only delays what I feel.

//**Anna Conley: **// In my opinion, lonliness is the state of feeling isolated and utterly alone. This awful feeling can be experienced in many cases. Death of a loved one, friends moving, or surrounding yourself with people who don't look out for you or care about you can be examples of this. Being lonely is honestly one of my biggest fears. I always need people in my life who are encouraging and who are simply there for me. If I don't have this, I can't imagine how I would even function. I feel like I would shut down and simply lose who I am. A person who is lonely can move past this feeling of loneliness only if someone enters their life who becomes their friend. That is the only way to break the binding curse of loneliness They have to be able to interact with just one person and enjoy it.

In the book Of Mice and Men, one character who's loneliness really struck me was Curley's wife. Although I am not very fond of this woman, I can feel her intense feeling of loneliness through her dialouge throughout the book. In chapter five, in the setting when Curley's wife and Lennie are conversing, she mentions several times how lonely she feels all the time. In a way, I feel sympathetic and sorrowful for Curley's wife just because it must really be a pity to marry someone whom you aren't even really attracted to. In the book she also confesses that she doesn't like her husband that much. I feel like she wanted to get away from her mother who had done such a terrible thing to her by crushing her dreams, so in effect she married Curley and now lives on the farm. I do not think this was the right thing to do because even though she does have someone, that person doesn't really care much for her and hardly sees her. Due to this, it causes her to feel lonely all the time.

//**Brianna Ducham:**//

The idea of loneliness is a very depressing feeling you never want to experience. You can feel this in many different ways, I think a lot of young girls and guys feel as if they're lonely for a boyfriend or girlfriend to be by their side like most teenagers causing them obsess to be like everybody else, which is really idiotic. My definition of being lonely is simply being alone all the time, or having nobody there for you when you need them the most. I've never really felt this way in my life so I wouldn't be able to place myself in those kind of situations. Some people get really lonely when that don't have any family close to them or many family losses. I just know that you should never want to experience this kind of feeling.

Another situation for loneliness would be having a disability, condition, or some sort of thing that "makes" you feel as if you need to compare yourself different from everyone else. This kind of goes with the connection for George and Lennie. George has to care for Lennie because of his mental retardation. The only thing that really differs is that George isn't technically lonely, because he is always watching and taking care of Lennie which makes him more irritated and want to get away from him causing him to not be lonely at all. Then again Curley's wife is the most lonesome because you can just read her by how she places herself because she makes sure she gets all the attention she can receive by all the men. She doesn't even like Curley which make her even more lonely. I feel as you have the choice to be lonely or happy, it's just how you place yourself in the world, like Lennie he can't help it, but Curley's wife sure can.

//**Marissa Balderrama:**// Loneliness is the feeling of having no one to trust. You have no one to talk to and you think no one will want to listen to you anyway. Its a sad and depressing feeling that can linger for weeks or months or even years. It can be caused by a number of events ranging from the loss of a friend or the death of a loved one. It might also be because a person simply has no one to talk to. No human interaction for long periods of time would be overwhelming for someone going through hard times. Everyone needs a way to release the thoughts that trouble them and an opinion from another mind could always prove beneficial. I cant imagine feeling the loneliness I know other people feel. I have never been a social starlet and I crave alone time far more than I do social interaction, even with friends. I know many people who need other people to be happy, and i'm happy to say i'm not one of them.

It's easy to see the loneliness that each character displays in this chapter with each being different and personal. Crooks feels loneliness because he's the only black man at the ranch and the other workers avoid him, not trusting him because of the color of his skin. No one visits him or talks to him because they feel that they shouldn't. Curley's wife feels isolated not only because Curley doesn't want her talking to anyone but because no one likes her themselves. She craves the attention she isn't allowed to get and that no one is willing to give. Even George may feel loneliness from time to time. Even though he has had Lennie with him for so long he see's Lennie as more of a responsibility than someone he can talk to. This might be why it was so easy for him to talk to Slim about his relationship with Lennie, it finally gave him some time to interact with someone who can listen.

Loneliness is the feeling of being completely and fully alone. Several of the characters in the book experience loneliness. Although George is always around Lennie, he doesn't really have an equal to speak to. Lennie is alone because he is trapped in his own mind. We see that when he talks to "Aunt Clara" and the "giant rabbit." Only things that are trivial to the world but matter to him are brought up. Curley's wife seems to always be lonely. She is called jailbait and a whore, but even if that's true, I believe she feels alone. She cannot even confide in her husband. Crooks is isolated by his skin. It's a part of himself he can't get rid of and causes him to feel alone.
 * //Rachel// //Hicks://**

Loneliness can be experienced at any time. You don't have to be alone to feel lonely, all the people in the world could be around and the feeling could be the same. Loneliness comes from distrust and lack of communication. I myself am fine alone and with others. I can stay occupied for hours by myself, but I will jump on the first opportunity to hang out with my friends. I also know that my parents and siblings are open-eared to my rants and complaints. I believe loneliness can be overcome. You can have no one to confer with and eventually find someone. Just one person can make an immense difference to how lonely you feel.

//**Trevor Quast:**// Loneliness is a dark, cold and deep feeling that sometimes sends people into depression. You are all by yourself with no one whom you can trust or turn to. I personally hate feeling lonely. I cant talk to anyone, I feel as if I'm secluded from the others in this world and I'm just alone. To be who I am, I need to have people in my life that will be there for me.

George and Lennie are both alone together when they are on the roads. George feels as if he has been stuck alone with Lennie for the rest of his life. Curly's wife is lonely all day long sitting in her house alone while Curly is out doing who knows what. She just wants to get out and talk with people and socialize. Curly has caused her the loneliness that she does not need. Crooks is isolated out in the barn and no one ever comes to see him. If someone does, such and Lennie did, he did not know how to socially react. He is alone and all he can do is read books. Loneliness is felt most in Lennie at the end of the book. He is sitting there with no one around him talking to imaginary images inside his head. Lennie is so alone he is talking to his Aunt Clara who scolds him constantly. After talking with her, he pictures a gigantic rabbit sitting in front of him. The rabbit is putting him down harshly about not being able to take care of the rabbits and that he should just go and leave George. Every character in this book at one point feel lonely. They cannot help it. It is just what the 30's was about.

Loneliness is to be completely by yourself. To have no one to turn to, no one to talk to when you need it the most. Loneliness is like being in to dark with no light. It's one of the most painful feelings a human can feel. Being isolated for a long period of time can even make the strongest willed man go mad. Even with Lennie following his every step, George feels alone. He doesn't has the ability to communication or to express his ideas to anyone of equal intelligent. With poor Lennie, no one can understand him so this creates isolation. He is unable to understand the world around him, therefore, he makes up his own. Another character in the novel who experiences loneliness is Curley's wife. She was the only female on the ranch and was unwanted by all the men who lived and worked there. One can be standing in a crowded room and still experience loneliness.
 * //Jordie Hayes://**

I personal enjoy being alone. I enjoy being in my room with only the company of a good book. I've been this way since I was little but I still balance my alone time with my socal time. However, for someone who's never been truly alone and then is tossed into complete isolation, it can be a hard experience. To move past this feeling, all one has to do is open up and talk; make friends. When moving high schools, for example, can be a pretty lonely time for any teenager but if that teen is willing to make friends, the loneliness will begin to fade away. Loneliness can drive anyone mad or make them depressed, but if that person is willing to try and communicate, they wouldn't be lonely anymore.

To me, loneliness is when you are completely by yourself with nobody to talk to or understand you. I think you can be alone even if you are in a crowd of people. Loneliness is when you have nobody when you need them the most and when things get hard its all on you to figure things out.Loneliness is hard to deal with and even the strongest people deal with loneliness. It can make people lose their minds. I think loneliness occurs when you have problems and dont have anybody to help you with them. You always need someone to talk to and let your feelings out.When you dont have a person to do that for you then you may feel lonely and even troubled.
 * Brinlee Diem:**

Many of the characters in this book feel lonely. In Crook's case, he is isolated and nobody will talk to him. He is stuck in his room just reading books and thinking about life. He has nobody to help him or be his friend when he needs it the most. He is truly a lonely man. Another example would be Candy. He is an old man and all he had was his dog. He's been at this place for so long but he doesn't actually have anyone especially now that his dog is gone. Has been here so long and has seen alot of men to come and go but he doesn't know any of them. None of these guys have ever really aloud them to open up or became a listener to him. He is alone on this farm and in the bunk. However, I feel like you can become less lonely. when you find that one person who will listen to you and who can actually understand you. If you feel lonely now, you will not always be lonely, you always have hope.

//**Nathan Weeks:**// Loneliness to me, is when you don;t have anyone to turn to or someone to let out your feelings to. Even if you are in a room full of people or are surround by "friends" you can still be lonely. If those people or "friends" don't understand you or you don't show them who you really are, then you are most likely lonely. Loneliness can also be experienced when you lose a member of your family or a close friend. When something like that happens you can feel like you are all by yourself, even if you aren't. Losing a loved one can make you hold back your feelings which could also make you have a feeling of loneliness. Like Candy in Of Mice And Men. When Candy lost his dog he experienced real loneliness. He didn't have any hope for the future and didn't know where to turn. He also lost his only friend and the only one he could tell his feeling to.

I think you can move past the feeling of loneliness but it is very difficult to do. In order to move past it you have to gain real friends or be able t put your feelings on the line. If you aren't able to do this then I don't believe that you could ever get past it. Some characters in the book were able to get past it but other weren't. Candy was able to move past it for a little while when he had the hope that him, George, and Lennie were going to ,over to a farm and live together. However, after the tragedy with Curley's wife he went back to the lonely feeling. Curley's wife was lonely throughout the whole book. She tried to fill the empty spot by being a complete tramp but even when she was dong this she was still lonely on the inside. Because she never really connected with anyone. Curley is lonely because he only married his wife to have an object and she was never with him anyways. Some people are able to get over it if they do the right thing but most people are not.

//**Brett Fuller:**// Loneliness is defined as the state of being alone in solitary isolation. It is a terrible thing for someone to undergo. This force of loneliness is what drives someone into insanity. Many different people experience loneliness. I have not personally experienced loneliness, though I have seen those around me feel this way. An example from //Of Mice and Men// would be Crooks. Crooks is a black man in a very racially segregated era of time. Even with all of the other people who work on the ranch, he has to be alone constantly and it drives him crazy.

Loneliness is a feeling that many people cannot overcome. In order to prevail through a challenge such as loneliness, one must be strong. Although there are several methods of actually getting through with this feeling of seclusion, it is very important that you do not feel abandoned. This abandonment can force someone into lunacy.

//**Kirsten** **Miller:**// Loneliness is when you don't have anyone to talk to or feel completely alone. One of the main characters that I felt experienced the most loneliness would be Crooks. He was always alone in his room and very rarely able to talk or interact with the other guys.Since Crooks was colored, no one wanted to be around him much so he felt very lonely basically throughout the entire novel. Even when he was spoken too, mostly it was to be put down and threatened. I have experienced being lonely before, because I'm a person that enjoys having people around me most of the time. I hate the feeling of being alone, it depresses me because there's no one to talk to or share anything with. For me life isn't worth living without sharing it with someone else. For a lot of people loneliness is experienced when they lose friends or even get bullied by others. At least that's when I notice it the most with myself and others around me.

It is possible for most people to move past the feeling of being lonely all the time, but they have to want to get better or out of the "funk" that their in. Some people just don't want to feel okay and that's why they are always lonely. To move past the feelings of loneliness, you have to get out more and try doing things with family. For me, I usually go see a movie with my family or friends. In order to overcome loneliness a person just has to try, without trying I don't believe it's possible to ever get over the feeling of being alone.

Loneliness, in my opinion is a time when no one is around or there for you. Lennis and George are never alone because they have each other and travel with each other. That is rare to see at this time because every one just wants to get money to eat and live so they dont really care and have that compassion for others. All the other workers at the bunkhouse are basically lonely. They dont travel with anyone and if it came down to it, no one would have their back. It'd be a dog-eat-dog scenario.
 * //__Joshua Michael HaneyII__//**

I dont feel lonely really ever. Im normally with a friend or family member and if im not, then I know, somewhere, someone is thinking about me and loves me. Knowing that makes me never feel lonely and always feel loved.

If at any time, I did feel lonely, I dont think it would be an easy task to overcome it. With lonliness, sometimes, comes depression, and thats even harder to overcome and may not be possible to get over, ever.

Lonliness is the feeling you get when you feel like there's nothing left for you. No one who cares, and no one to talk or relate to. It is experienced when you make a grave mistake that will be consequenced with lonliness. When someone messes everything they had up that they had and now they have nothing left. It can also be if you are by yourslef in a certain situation, like only high schooler at a party, or only black in a school. Crooks experiences this because he is the only colored man on the ranch. He experiences lonliness because everyone treats him different than the others. Lennie is the only mentally challenged person on the ranch so it may be hard for him because he is always being yelled at. Lonliness can be passed over if you find something that brings you life again, gives you a meaning but if you hadthe best then you will be lonely for a while.
 * DAKOTA JELINEK:**

Loneliness is when your alone and have no one that you can turn to. I think being lonely can turn into depression, like worrying what's going to happen next that you will have to face on your own. I've experienced loneliness a few different times, once was when I first moved to Montrose having no one to talk to, look up to, or anyone to help me out was really hard luckily I made friends pretty quick so I wasn't lonely for long. Another time is when I moved in with my grandparents, my whole life I've been living with my mom, sister and brother. Now everything's changed and I live with my grandparents I get a bit lonely cause I don't have my brother and sister to play games with, Bug me all the time even though at the time I didn't like it but I sure do miss it now, or just be there to have company. Loneliness is a rough feeling. But I believe everyone can get over it.
 * Brittany Pederson:**

In the book Of Mice And Men, Candy is lonely because his dog was shot and the dog was his best friend and the only one he loved. That dog would follow him everywhere even though he could barely move and it would cause him pain. They were that dedicated to each other. George and Lennie had a relationship that George had to take care of Lennie because he was very unstable and couldn't take care of his self. So in that case George really couldn't have a women because he had to spend all his time taking care of Lennie. He had no time for a wife like he wanted so that made him lonely yes he had Lennie but all he really wanted was a wife to spend his life with.

__**Ashley McClelland:**__

The definition of loneliness is the feeling of being completely alone and deprived of all friendly companionship. I believe most people experience it when they feel like they have no one to talk to or share their feelings with. Even when you're just alone for a day or night you start to feel really lonely. When I loved one dies I think most people tend to feel loneliness.

I think George is lonely in the sense that he knows he can never really be with anyone because he has to take care of Lennie, so he can't really have a wife or companion. George is also lonely because it is almost like he is by himself. He has Lennie to talk to but when he talks to Lennie he forgets a lot and he doesn't really have much to say back. I believe that Lennie isn't lonely because he has George to talk to and be around. It is a nice friendship for Lennie because he does not see it in the way George does. Other characters in the book, like the boys who work on the farm are lonely because they don't have a wife or partner and most of them leave their families so they can work so they end up traveling alone. People like Curley's wife are lonely because she is the only woman on the farm, she doesn't really have anyone to talk to except Curley and he doesn't really listen to her. She deprived of attention and people to talk to that's why she acts like she is hitting on Lennie then all she really wants to do is talk.

I do think that some people can get over being lonely. If they surround themselves with the right people and things that make them happy they could easily over come being lonely and move on with their life. Other people though I think have a though time and almost like to be lonely and you can only let people help you to become unlonely as much you want to be.


 * //Brooke Williams,//**

To me, loneliness is the state of being alone in solitary isolation. When somebody is lonely they feel empty inside. They feel as if they are an outsider and isolated from everybody and everything else. Loneliness is experienced when one person is forced to be alone. There are all kinds of loneliness. Every type of loneliness is different and caused from a different aspect of life.

In my opinion the lack of friendship is the most common cause of loneliness. If there is nobody to listen to you or to have your back, you are living a life alone. There are also other reasons loneliness occurs, such as the loss of important people in one’s life. There are many cases in my life where I lost an important person. Certain stages of loneliness are more severe than others. For example, Crooks in Of Mice and men has a severe case of loneliness. Crooks is an outsider in the society. He lives by himself and he is the only black man for miles.

Depending on the case of loneliness, it can be easy or hard to get over it. In Crooks case, it is extremely hard because he has nobody else to help him through it. If it were a simple girl dealing with a break up it would not be bad, the girl would cry at first but other people would encourage her to get over it. Overall, loneliness is a very sad and serious thing.