Charles University in Prague

CHARLES UNIVERSITY IN PRAGUE

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

Department of English Language and Literature

BACHELOR THESIS

John Steinbeck’s treatment of loneliness – a biographical and fictional experience – an analysis of loneliness in Tortilla Flat, Cannery Row and Of Mice and Men

Author: Petra Purkrábková

Supervisor: Mgr. Jakub Ženíšek

Prague 2011

Declaration:

I hereby declare that this diploma thesis, titled “John Steinbeck’s treatment of loneliness – a biographical and fictional experience – an analysis of loneliness in Tortilla Flat, Cannery Row and of Mice and Men”, is the result of my own work and that I used only the cited sources.

Prague, April 5th 2011 …………………………

Abstract

“Every man's work, whether it be literature, or music or pictures or architecture or anything else, is always a portrait of himself.” (Butler)

The aim of this thesis is to put forward the importance of the author behind the book and to see clearly the effect of an author‟s life upon his work. The theme in focus is loneliness. This theme is to be analyzed in a dual manner. Firstly as an account of Steinbeck‟s own experience of loneliness. Secondly as a theme of focus in the novels; Of Mice and Men, Cannery Row and Tortilla Flat. Where applicable, a correlation between the author‟s own experience of loneliness and the struggle of his characters is to be highlighted.

This thesis is separated into five parts. The initial part is a brief definition of loneliness which serves the purpose of introducing the theme of study. It also states the terms that will be used throughout the thesis. The second part is an analysis of Steinbeck‟s own experience of loneliness as obtained through a compilation of his letters. These two parts conclude the theoretic background of John Steinbeck and his intimate relation to the phenomenon of loneliness.

The further three parts are analyses of the three listed novels. The focus is on each applicable character and his/her portrayal of loneliness. By analysing each individual character in depth, the thesis is to depict the complexity of loneliness. The thesis tries to summarize the multifaceted nature of loneliness as personified by the characters. The interconnectedness between the author and his created characters is to be presented wherever supporting sources prove sufficient.

The overall outcome is to be a congruent analysis clearly stating the importance of an author‟s own experience of loneliness and the physical demonstration of loneliness as depicted in the body of work.

Abstrakt

Cílem této práce je vyzdvihnou autora knihy a vidět jasně dopad autorova života na jeho tvorbu. Práce se zaměřuje na téma osamocení. Toto téma je zkoumáno ze dvou pohledů. Nejdříve jako popis Steinbeckova vlastního prožitku osamocení. Poté jako odraz tohoto prožitku v jeho díle – O Myších a lidech, Na plechárně a Pláň Tortilla. Všude tam, kde je možné rozvést spojitost mezi autorovým vlastním prožitkem osamocení a ......

Tato práce je rozdělena na pět částí. První část je stručná definice termínu osamoceni za účelem uvedení témata rozboru. Tato část také upřesňuje termíny, které jsou užívané ve zbytku práce. Druhá část je rozborem Steinbeckova vlastního prožitku osamocení obsaženého v jeho korespondenci. Tyto dvě části tvoří teoretický základ prožitku osamocení a intimního vztahu Johna Steinbecka k tomuto jevu.

Následující tři části této práce jsou rozborz tří jmenovaných novel. Zaměřují se na každou vhodnou postavu a její vyjádření osamocení. Podrobnou analýzou jednotlivých postav se dospívá ke zobrazení mnohotvárnosti osamocení. Spojitost mezi autorovým prožitkem a fiktivními postavami je podložena vhodnými dostupnými zdroji.

Celkovým výsledkem by měla být souhrná analýza autorova vlastního prožitku osamocení a jeho fyzického zvárnění v jeho díle.

Contents

Loneliness: a definition ...... 6

Steinbeck and loneliness ...... 7

The phenomenon of loneliness in Of Mice and Men ...... 12

Cannery row and loneliness ...... 20

Tortilla Flat and loneliness ...... 25

Conclusion 1: Typology of loneliness in Steinbeck‟s novels ...... 29

Conclusion 2: Loners in Steinbeck – biographical anchoring ...... 31

Works Cited ...... 33

Loneliness: a definition

This thesis is concerned with loneliness as portrayed through the characters in John Steinbeck‟s novels. What it also deals with is the isolation experienced by the writer himself. In order to deliver a well-rounded analysis of loneliness, definitions and terminology must be provided. This terminology will further be put into context in this body of work.

The first term of concern is loneliness. According to the Oxford Learner‟s thesaurus is “the state of being unhappy because you have no friends or little contact with other people.” (“Loneliness”, def. 2) There exists a binary relation between loneliness and alienation in terms of the perspective according to G.M. Francis. Loneliness refers to the subjective experience of separation from someone or something. On the other hand alienation refers to the objective or physical separation from the person or thing. (Francis) The Longman dictionary of Contemporary English states that alienation is “the feeling of not being part of society or a group.” (“Alienation”, def. 1)Therefore a clear distinction between the terms loneliness and alienation needs to be made.

The element of choice distinguishes two terms: aloneness and loneliness. The concept of loneliness is defined by the feeling of being by oneself. This feeling does not occur by choice nor does the person want to be in the condition. The term aloneness, on the contrary, is defined by a present element of choice in wanting to be by oneself. (Bekhet 210) This text deals with the terms aloneness and solitude in an equivalent manner.

Another term used in relation to the concept of loneliness is isolation. This term is defined as follows, “when one group, person or thing is separate from others.” This thesis is concerned with the concept of social isolation. A social isolation with choice is aloneness or solitude. Conversely, social isolation without the element of choice is loneliness. (Abir.K.Bekhet 210)

The above stated terms are the central themes of this thesis. However, as the concept of loneliness is hard to grasp, each individual experience of the author himself and his characters is analysed and elaborated on in isolation. This introduction of terms only helps to narrow the scope.

Steinbeck and loneliness

The form of the hand-written letter is a vital source in finding out the emotions and thoughts that dwelled within the author himself. His private letters were, as their own nature implies, not intended to be published. The post humous publication of his private letters have provided a deeper understanding of Steinbeck as an author, but also a man of emotions and of flesh and bone. (E.Steinbeck, Preface) In 1962, Steinbeck made the following remark: “In sixty years I‟ve left a lot of tracks”. Having spent his life writing with utter devotion, he left behind physical proof of arduous labour of the mind and the hand. These tracks shape not only his oeuvre, but also reveal sides to his personality previously unkown. The theme of isolation is widely mentioned in his letters. It is therefore of interest to explore his experience of loneliness and juxtapose it to several artistic renditions of loneliness found in his novels.

Loneliness is undoubtedly an emotion inherent to the human being. Steinbeck was no exception. To read Steinbeck one must dissect the author from the god-like position of an omniscient writer and place him by his side, into the ordinary. Throughout his career he experienced various forms of lonelines. Such loneliness infiltrated into his works of fiction and transferred a deeper sense of solitude into the characters which came to life through his mind and his typewriter. The writer cannot be dissected from the book, and reversely neither can the book be dissected from the author. According to Michael J.Meyer, a noted Steinbeck scholar :

...although the themes of isolation and loneliness have been accorded critical acknowledgment as a principal Steinbeckian fictional emphasis, to my knowledge no critic has yet traced the impact of these elements in his personal correspondence nor suggested that Steinbeck held an ambiguous paradoxical viewpoint about them in real life, a viewpoint that also extended into his fictional output. (Meyer 291)

What Meyer implies is that Steinbeck viewed loneliness in a dual manner. This duality is determined by the negative and positive aspect of loneliness. Both aspects are revealed when the rising fame of „America‟s primary literary artist‟ was accompanied by a rising tendency of solitude and loneliness. (Meyer 291) Meyer states “For Steinbeck, as for many artists, both literary and musical, the loneliness/isolation that they encountered as a

result of their professions was bane as well as a blessing.” (Meyer 291) The source of Steinbeck‟s loneliness was therefore a curse as well as an opportunity. The time and silence provided Steinbeck with a much needed artistic space and the opportunity to think and contemplate.

Steinbeck was aware of the duality of his loneliness. Being a human equiped with inherent emotional supply he understood the cruelty produced by social isolation. Conversely, isolation also provided Steinbeck with the understanding that lonesome moments in life provide the much needed time for uninterrupted artistic creativity and contemplation. The latter experience of loneliness was subject to age and experience, as Steinbeck was only able to see the „bright side‟ of loneliness further on in his life. (Meyer 292) In a letter to Amasa Miller in 1931, Steinbeck tells of his sadness

I feel very sad. It is the feeling of impending doom when one is comfortable and in heath. I guess it‟s an apprehension of jealous gods. One can‟t be as happy as I have been for very long. Thereis a law against it. I have worked hard and enjoyed my work and it is the punishment of man to hate his work. Sooner or later I will have work that I hate. (Life in Letters 45)

In the wake of his writing profession, Steinbeck set out to prove his writing abilities, but his fear of rejection often drove him into solitude and overcontemplation. In a letter to George Albee Steinbeck writes “ I have been filled with a curious cloying despair. I haven‟t heard a word from any of my manuscripts for over three months...I would welcome rejections far more than this appalling silence.” (Life in Letters 34) The silence that preceded Steinbeck‟s approval from publishing houses drove Steinbeck into moments of artistic defeat. Up until the publishing of Tortilla Flat, Steinbeck fought with the imperfections of his literary style and also with his own financial restraints. When writing to George Albee in 1931, Steinbeck mentions the words „starve‟ and unstable „financial future‟ both of which were very real. Steinbeck‟s had his own initial doubts about writing, as expressed in his own words: “Any attempt to get me any kind of an award is pre-doomed to failure. Furthermost I seriously doubt that my brand of literature will ever feed me [...] If eventually I have to go work digging ditches, I shall have had my chance.” (Life in Letters 47-48) Steinbeck‟s fatalistic nature and an evolved sense of laissez-faire comes into light in letter form when he makes the following remark in a letter to George Albee : “I don‟t want to possess anything. I

have no ambition because, on inspection, the aims of ambition achieved seem tiresome.” (Life in Letters 93)

Upon the release of Tortilla Flat in the year of 1935, Steinbeck for the first time experienced unexpected praise by receiving a Commonwealth Club award. (Life in Letters 118) After being nominated Steinbeck was afraid of becoming a „trademark‟ and therefore getting disconnected from the books which were his world. By receiving this award, Steinbeck felt that he would be receiving a prize that rightfully belonged to the book itself. Steinbeck felt that he would be „cheating‟ the characters in Tortilla Flat : “cheating them should cut myself off from their society forever.” (Life in Letters 119) Following the same line of thought, Steinbeck‟s fictional world that he created formed his world, it was the source of his loneliness whilst at the same time his company.

Steinbeck‟s own experience of loneliness in 1940‟s was that of a negative nature as portrayed by sadness, rejection and depression (Meyer 293) In a letter to Carlton A. Sheffield Steinbeck opens up by saying:

The loneliness and the discouragement are by no means a thing that has passed. In fact, they seem to crowd in more than ever...[even though] I now possess the things that the great majority of people think are the death of loneliness and discouragement only they aren‟t. (Life in Letters 212)

Steinbeck‟s perception that his celebrity was a source of doom played crucial part in his experience of loneliness. The paradox that with fame comes loneliness was demonstrated in Steinbeck‟s life. The more acclaim and praise he received, the further he felt being pushed back and confined to closed spaces such as his New York residence. In New York he had established a residence, which he referred to as a „working cellar‟ – a small tight space with “no window, no ability to look out and see the postman and the garbage wagon.” (Life in Letters 287-288) His idea of „spreading out‟ and „getting away from the family‟ gives the impression that Steinbeck was in search of solitude with the intention to write. (Life in Letters 287) Steinbeck was a passionate writer and nothing gave him more of a pleasure writing. His work was his life – “For myself there are two things I cannot do without. Crudely stated they are work and women, and more gently- creative effort in all directions.” (Life in Letters 359)

Much of Steinbeck‟s loneliness was caused due by his insecurities in marital matters with Gwyn and after the death of his lifelong friend Ed Ricketts. (Meyer 294) Steinbeck tried to overcome the pain “I realized more than at any time in my life that there is nothing anyone can do. It‟s something that one has to do alone” (Life in Letters 334-335) This piece of information gives evidence of Steinbeck‟s need for finding peace within himself in isolation. Steinbeck further on moved back to his roots, to California, having regained his energy in 1949. (Meyer 294) Having bounced back from gloomy months Steinbeck writes to John O‟Hara “ I have had seven months of quiet out here to try to seduce the maelstrom to kettle size. Being alone here has allowed me to think out a lot of things. There is so much rapping in this world” (Life in Letters 359)

Having experience both the negative and positive sides to loneliness Steinbeck goes on to say “I think I believe in one thing powerfully – that the only creative thing our species has is the individual lonely mind.” (Life in Letters 359) Indeed, loneliness was the driving force of Steinbeck‟s creativity. He strongly emphasised the need for peace and quiet in order to achieve artistic brilliance. Steinbeck stressed that the life of an artist was a „cold‟ and „lonely profession‟ – “the coldest and loneliest, because this is all I can do.” (Life in Letters 360). The president of the English Club said that Steinbeck “had no other interests or talents that I could make out. He was a writer, but he was that and nothing else.” (Shillinglaw) Steinbeck‟s constant search for desolate places in which he could write proved his devoutness to being an artist.

The positive side of loneliness was also manifested through the means of ignorance. Steinbeck stressed that when one is ignorant to its surroundings it almost has a liberating effect. In a 1954 letter to Elizabeth Otis, Steinbeck observes: “I think it has been good to be out of touch with the news. Nothing gives you more of a sense of not being able to help than non-hearing.” (Life in Letters 478) Steinbeck found consolation in writing and receiving letters, more than anything it kept him informed about what really mattered to him. Steinbeck, although by nature a very private and introverted man, felt an immense need to share his feelings with others. The letter was his medium and the recipient his audience. Staunchly believing that a writer without readers is alone, Steinbeck stressed the importance of the plight. He often drew attention to the loneliness and struggle of the artist. In a letter to Peter Benchley in 1958, Steinbeck wrote:

A writer out of loneliness is trying to communicate like a distant star sending signals. He isn‟t sending signals. He isn‟t telling or teaching or ordering. Rather he seeks to establish a relationship of meaning, of feeling, of observing. We are lonesome animals. We spend our life trying to be less lonesome. One of our ancient methods is to tell a story begging the listener to say – and to feel – “ Yes that‟s the way it is, or at least that‟s the way I feel it. You‟re not as alone as you though.” (Life in Letters 523)

With growing age, Steinbeck was able to see the multifaceted nature of lonelines. With growing age he assumed a deeper understanding of loneliness. Steinbeck grew to accept loneliness as something that has always been, and always will be – nature‟s inseparable conditon. In order to cope with loneliness Steinbeck found solace in nature. Having walked through cold woods, Steinbeck recalled a restorative effect which he described as „soothing and quieting‟ on his psyche. (Life in Letters 544) Besides the calming effect of nature, Steinbeck found in it an office for his work. In 1958 in a letter adressed to Elizabeth Otis, he writes: “I can‟t tell you what solace I get from the new boat [at Sag Harbour]. I can move out and anchor and have a little table and yellow pad and some pencils. I can put myself in a position so that nothing can intervene. Isn‟t that wonderful?” (Life in Letters 57)

In a letter to Pascal Covici in 1958, Steinbeck writes:

This is a lonely business. The difficulty comes when you begin to think it isn‟t. It‟s not a social racket at all. It has nothing to do with conversation of criticism or even compliments. It has nothing to do with family and marriage or friends or associates in the world. I guess that‟s why writers are hard to live with, impossible as friends and ridiculous as associates. A writer and his work is and should be like a surly dog with a bone, suspicious of everyone, trusting no one, loving no one. It‟s hard to justify such a life but that‟s the way it is if it is done well. (Life in Letters 610)

Steinbeck was aware of the lonesome profession of the writer. By ascribing this property to the occupation, Steinbeck acknowledges his own alienation. Steinbeck suffered from loneliness but also fed from it. It was what gave and took, but what was always a part of his being. His own experience of loneliness gave depth to the characters he created as he was not writing from experience ex nihili, but from experience which was fundementally his own.

The phenomenon of loneliness in Of Mice and Men

To read Of Mice and Men one must consider the original title Something That Happened. The original title reveals Steinbeck‟s non-judgemental attitude and the aim to realistically depict the environment. This is what Steinbeck liked to call „is thinking‟ – a way of treating a subject as the way it appears in nature. (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men, preface 8) The original title talks of something of the past, something that has happened, something of a definite finality. This agrees when the talk is of the material and factual, but feelings and emotions fall short of this categorization. Loneliness does not happen, it becomes. Antonia Seixas states: “the hardest task a writer can set himself is to tell the story of „something that happened‟ without explaining „why‟. (Schultz 148) Loneliness is the the central theme of the novel, and Steinbeck explores it through the characters of Lennie, George, Curley‟s wife, Candy and Crooks. Steinbeck does not explicitely mention the causes of each character‟s loneliness , but circumstances imply the reasons why. In this manner, Steinbeck manages to portray the complexity of loneliness, and the impossibility to generalize it as a one- dimensional emotion with a single cause.

The novel opens up with “a few miles from Soledad” and this does not occur by chance. Soledad in Spanish means solitude and Steinbeck, having some knowledge of Spanish, must have been aware of its meaning. (Bloom 18) The opening creates an anticipatory gesture of loneliness that is later to be played out in the characters in this valley of solitude. The placidity and stillness is broken down as Lennie and George appear on the scene: “For a moment the place was lifeless, and then two men emerged from the path and came into the opening by the green pool.” The unexpectedness of two men travelling together is unknown sight in the valley as “rabbits sat quietly as little, gray sculptures...a stilted heron laboured up into the air and pounded down river”- everything halted at the sight of the pair of men. (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 4)

The relationship between Lennie and George is a complex one. Lennie, being of a simple mind, relies on George and conversely George is glad to have somebody by his side. Either way this friendship benefits both characters. There exists a duality of feelings in

George towards Lennie. One type of relationship he has with Lennie is that of a burden, as demonstrated by:

God a‟mighty if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an‟ work, an‟ no trouble. No mess at all, and when the the end of the month come I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get whatever I want. Why I could stay in a cat house all night. I could eat any place I want, hotel or any place, and order any damn thing I could think of. An‟ I could do all that every damn month. Get a gallon of whiskey, or set in a pool room and play cards and shoot pool. (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 12)

Although George dreams about of the life he could have without Lennie, he also realizes how lonely and sad a solitary life can be. A life in two proves to be as much a reward as a drawback: “No look, I was just foolin‟ Lennie. „Cause I want you to stay with me.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 14) George clearly describes the reason why a man should never be lonely : “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family . They don‟t belong no place.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 15) What George and Lennie create is a unit that travels from place to place, but by being together they make the nomadic life bearable.

The unit that George and Lennie create consists of a brotherly bond. In their loneliness in the world they have each other to look out for. When comparing this unique bond to the ittinerant workers, George admits the positive aspect of having a friend in Lennie:

We got a future. We got someome 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 to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us” and Lennie‟s reply “But not us. Because I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you. (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 15-16)

The touching relationship between Lennie and George can be regarded as rare during the times of the Depression. The Depression of the 1930‟s saw many migrant workers move up and down the state of California is search for work. (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men, Preface). Lonely migrants flooded the vast famlands of the Golden State in search for places to work and survive through the strenuous times. It is not an attempt to presume that the

migrant workers had enough to take care of themselves, let alone worry about other people. This taken into account shows that the tight bond between Lennie and George is hard to find. Upon arriving to the ranch, the boss is suspicious of Lennie and George‟s friendship: “"I said what stake you got in this guy? You takin‟ his pay away from him” to which George replies “No, „course I ain‟t. Why you think I‟m sellin‟ him out? The boss remains suspicious out of experience “Well, I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy. I just like to know what your interest is.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 24) The boss implies that isolation on the Salinas ranch is a matter of status quo – something expected and usual.

Steinbeck portrays the duality of loneliness perfectly through the character of George. This duality is represented by viewing loneliness as a blessing and in opposition to a blessing. In gaining liberation from Lennie, George would liberate himself from a burden. This loneliness would grant George the freedom to “live so easy and maybe have a girl.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 9) On the contrary, the liberation would bring about loneliness as caused by the loss of a companion. Clinging onto Lennie, who is emotionally dependent on him, makes George realize that he is needed. In effect, Lennie‟s dependency on George affirms his own existance. The relationship between Lennie and George proves to be beneficient as it shields them from exterior harm – “Because I‟ve got you and you got me to look after you.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 14) Lennie and George keep themselves from isolation through having each other, but yet are happy to be insulated from the outside world.

Lennie and George represent a rarity of friendship of which the other isolates on the ranch can only dream of. Crooks, the black stable buck represents Steinbeck‟s duality of loneliness in the sense that he demands loneliness, but also suffers from it. This duality is also one that traces Steinbeck‟s own experience of loneliness. Crooks represents an ambiguity about isolation. (Meyer 299) Though it is easy to simplify his attitude to loneliness in this duality, one must acknowledge the fact that Crooks‟ loneliness is not something he chooses, but something that he grows accustomed to. As an example of this habit, Crooks utters : “You got no right to come into my room. This here‟s my room . No one‟s got the right to be here but me.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 67-68) Crooks epitomises a person who with experience grows comfortable with his own isolation and any means of contact creates an offense. As Meyer states: “[Crooks] resigns [due to] the lack of acceptance he experiences from his fellow farmhands.” (Meyer 299) This implies that Crooks is not perceived as equal

amongst the farm workers and is therefore ostracized and confined to his own room within the bunkhouse.

When speaking to Lennie, Crooks opens up about his non-acceptance amongst the workers: “Cause I‟m black. They play cards in there, but I can‟t play coz I‟m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, all stink to me.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 68) The stable buck‟s room is a safe shelter, where he is free to do whatever he intends to, uninterrupted. On the other hand, Crooks‟ room is a curse that confines him to loneliness. Steinbeck‟s own need to find his own space in order to write gave him the opportunity to be creative, but Crooks‟ own space means that he is primarily condemned to loneliness. In this aspect, Steinbeck‟s relation to isolation is directly opposite to that of Crooks. Steinbeck‟s experience is that of solitude. Crooks is merely suffering of culturally induced social isolation.

The barn that Crooks lives in is his safe haven, where there are no intruders but also where he has only himself to talk to. Crooks steers clear of interaction in fear that a problem may arise. His responses are often blunt, short and usually without any emotional colouring. Only when protecting his territory, Crooks becomes strongly defensive. To affirm his rights Crooks says to Lennie: “I ain‟t wanted in the bunk house, and you aint wanted in my room.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 68) Although Lennie, upon his arrival to Crooks‟ room, is fenced off and forced to leave, Lennie is still persistent enough to be eventually allowed to stay. By rejecting the warning Lennie forces Crooks to alter his rejection of company: “Come on in and set a while [...] long as you won‟t get out and leave me alone, you might as well set down.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 69) This shows that although Crooks is aware of his exclusion he is also a lonely human being with a natural need for companionship.

Crook‟s background is revealing of how his loneliness came about. Having been raised on his father‟s farm, he mentions: “There wasn‟t another coloured family for miles around. And now there ain‟t a coloured man on this ranch an‟ there‟s just one family in Soledad [...] If I say something, why it‟s just a nigger sayin‟ it.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 70) Crook is the only black man on the farm, so his loneliness is intensified as he has no one to relate to. Crook‟s father rejected the idea of his son, Crooks, playing with white children; “The white kids come to play at our place, an‟ sometimes I went to play with them...my man did not like that. I never knew till long later why he did not like that. But I know now.”

(Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 70) Crooks possesses a very careful and distrustful nature, which is a direct result of his father‟s upbringing.

Crooks‟ suspicious concept of friendship springs from his experience that most friendships are fake and insincere. His belief is that friendship serves a benefit rather than being an act of kindness and tolerance. Crooks portrays his antagonistic approach to friendship when speaking to Lennie: “George knows what he is about. Jus‟ talking and you don‟t understand anything –I seen it over and over-a guy talkin‟ to another guy and it don‟t make any difference if he don‟t hear or understand. It‟s just the talking. It‟s just being with another guy.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 71) Although Crooks mentions how wanton some friendships are, he in fact, desires the bond all the same.

As a means of companionship, Crooks clings to books. In utter solace and within his confined, small room he is able to read volumes upon volumes. Through books Crooks is able to find temporary company. As a matter of fact, books are a safe way of avoiding loneliness, without having to interact with the other farmhands. It doesn‟t take long for Crooks to admit that books are flawed and that the human bond of friendship is irreplacable. Yet, Crooks also makes it clear it does not need to be friendship, there just needs to be a „somebody‟ : “Books aint no good. A guy needs somebody - to be near him...A guy goes nuts if he ain‟t got nobody. Don‟t make a difference who the guy is, long‟s he‟s with you.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 72) Just the idea of having somebody by your side is good enough, but books are not able to provide that.

Although, Crooks doesn‟t believe in the institution of friendship, he seeks personal contact in order to obtain a stamp of approval in his decision making. (Meyer 300) He also needs somebody to discuss his thoughts with and therefore make himself feel that he exists and so that his thoughts aren‟t just wasted away in vain. It is a matter of assurance, an assertion of being, of somebody having a testimony about what he does and what he says:

A guy sets alone out here at night, maybe readin‟ books or thinkin‟ or stuff like that. Sometimes he gets thinkin‟, an‟ he got nothing to tell him what‟s so an‟ what ain‟t so. Maybe if he sees something he don‟t know whether it‟s right or not. He can‟t turn to some other guy and ast him if he sees it too. He can‟t tell. He got nothing to measure by. I seen things out there. I wasn‟t drunk. I don‟t know if I

was asleep. If some guy was with me, he could tell me I was asleep, an‟ then it would be all right. But I jus‟ don‟t know.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 72-73)

As Candy enters Crooks‟ room, Crooks returns to his old ways, being resentful and hateful towards any intruder who dares enter his kingdom of solitude. Crooks greets Candy, the swamper, with the same ambiguity and treatment that Lennie received, “Come on in. If ever‟body‟s comin‟ in, you might just as well.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 74) Steinbeck explains that it „was difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger‟. (John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 74) Crooks is therefore afraid to reveal his emotional side since he had always only shown his tough exterior. This ambiguity perfectly portrays Crooks‟ confusion as to what he really wants and the possibility of actually obtaining it, given his condition.

Steinbeck‟s duality of loneliness is clearly displayed in the character of Candy when he enters Crooks‟ room. It would occur that Candy is jealous of the privacy that Crooks‟ posseses by having his own place. But what he does not realize is that privacy is also the cause of the loneliness inflicted on Crooks. “You got a nice cozy place here...must be nice to have a room all to yourself this way” Candy says to Crooks. (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 74) Candy, being a caucasian farmhand, does not realize that by Crooks having his own place he is under a curse of loneliness. Crooks retorts to Candy‟s comment by saying: “Sure...and a manure pile underneath the window. Sure it‟s swell”. Crooks doesn‟t view his loneliness as means of comfort and privacy. He sees that by having his own room he is being segregated from the other farm workers and therefore made an outcast. Crooks‟ segregation and overall cold attitude makes it hard for other farmhands to approach him. Therefore Crooks does not take part in the card games and his loneliness is made even more profound than that implied by his skin colour. As the chapter reaches its end, Crooks watches Lennie and Candy leave his room, looking in their direction. Although- Crooks has experienced human interaction, he got ultimately reconciled to a lonely existence.

Through the lonely characters of Crooks, Curley‟s wife and Candy, Steinbeck manages to portray the multitude of layers and types of isolation. Each of the character‟s isolation emerges from different causes, and it is these causes that Steinbeck implies but never explicitely explains. Again, this is is the story of „something that happened‟ but not a story of „how it happened‟. Candy‟s isolation happens to be caused by the killing of his dog. As Candy mentions prior to the dog‟s death: “No, no I couldn‟t do that . I had „im too long.”

(Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 45) Candy regards his dog as a friend, but the dog is also an escape from loneliness. Therefore, when the farmhands offer to shoot his dog in order to ease the pain of his old age, Candy is highly reluctant. Candy tries to avoid the idea of having his companion killed off, “Maybe tommora. Le‟s wait till tomorra.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 48) As the dog is Candy‟s own steady companion, this sense of security disappears with the dog‟s death. The only remedy which rectifies this situation is Slim‟s offering a pup, “Candy you can have any one of them pups you want.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 49) Candy values the company of a dog as much as Crooks values the company of his books. However the relation between these two characters and their escape from isolation cannot be equated. Candy represents a white farmhand desiring an „interaction and closeness with others, be they human or otherwise‟. According to Michael J.Meyer, Candy represents the norm, a pure desire to seek contact. (Meyer 303) Crooks on the other hand personifies Steinbeck‟s dual perception of loneliness, the barn being a curse but also a safe ground.

Curley‟s wife is the only isolated woman in the novel. The first reason that arises out of context is that by her being the only woman on the ranch, she stands alone in the representation of her own sex. Her isolation is predetermined automatically, since her only way to seek company is to speak to men. Curley‟s wife is trapped in her own gender as the male farmhands presume her actions are merely a sexual quest. Upon Lennie and George‟s arrival on the ranch Candy mentions, “I seen her give Slim the eye...An‟ I seen her give Carlson the eye”. (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 29) Throughout the book, Curley‟s wife is deemed a „tart‟, a „bitch‟ and a „floozy‟. (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 29,33,78) With ease it can be said, that Curley‟s wife is trapped in her own sexuality without any possible escape. By explanation, Curley‟s wife emphasises her sexuality , “She had full, rouged lips, and wide- spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 32) Steinbeck, himself, provides in Life in Letters a background on Curley‟s wife:

No man has ever considered her as anything except a girl to try to make. She has never talked to a man except in the sexual fencing conversation. She is not highly sexed particularly but knows instinctively that if she is to be noticed at all, it will be because one finds her sexually desirable. (Life in Letters 154)

What Steinbeck implies, is that Curley‟s wife knows no other way and her behaviour comes out of the environment in which she had been brought up. Steinbeck writes : “She

grew up in an atmosphere of fighting and suspicion [...] her moral training was most rigid.”(Life in Letters 154) Therefore, with growing age, Curley‟s wife learned to fend for herself. It is Steinbeck who himself mentions that she is the hardest when she is afraid. Michael J. Meyer explains; “Instead of becoming reclusive, she instead becomes assertive, an attribute that others interpret as sexual aggresivity.” (Meyer 304) It is often that this „sexual aggresivity‟ causes the farmhands to assume that she is instantly a flirt and a floozy. But instead she is defending herself and fighting to be accepted.

When talking to Lennie, Curley‟s wife opens up about being lonely “Why can‟t I talk to you. I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 85) Curley‟s wife is emotionally starved and her husband is incapable of providing any consolation. It is Curley that restricts his wife from communicating with the farm workers, therefore pushing her aside - “I can‟t talk to nobody but Curley, else he gets mad.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 85) The whole novel follows the rat race between Curley and his wife, where they are constantly looking for each other. Curley‟s wife seeks her husband only as an excuse to start a conversation. On the other hand Curley looks for his wife as he is convinced she is cheating on him. It is this rat race which occupies the married couple and causes the isolation of both.

Curley‟s wife reveals that it is much easier to talk to an individual than to a group. “If I catch any one man, an‟ he‟s alone, I get along fine with him. But just let two of the guys get together an‟ you won‟t talk [...] You‟re all scared of each other, that‟s what. Ever‟one of you „s scared the rest is goin‟ to get something on you.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men 77) It is this fear of being caught by Curley that causes all the farmhands to avoid contact with Curley‟s wife. It is similiar to Crooks‟ fear of interaction, as it causes problems. But there exists a major difference between the loneliness of the two characters. Crooks resigns to a solitary existence but Curley‟s wife fights it. It is her environment in which she grew up that made her assertive and it is the constant refusal that makes her push forward.

In conclusion to the analysis of the loneliness of Curley‟s wife one must conclude that it is the misunderstanding that drives one into loneliness. She is merely a product of her own upbrining and the restrictions imposed on her on the Salinas farm. Steinbeck sums up Curley‟s wife in the following passage, “...I‟ve known this girl and I‟m just trying to tell you what she is like. She is afraid of everyone in the world. You‟ve known girls like that, haven‟t

you? You can see them in Central Park on a hot night. They travel in groups for protection. They pretend to be wise and hard and voluptuous.” (Life in Letters 155) Curley‟s wife is the only woman on the ranch, therefore she wages a war against the majority. As an individual, Curley‟s wife is vulnerable and destined to a life in solitude. To summarise her loneliness, Michael J.Meyer mentions “In reality, of course, she is merely a woman who yearns for compassion and comradeship as well as for full acceptance of her gender.” (Meyer 304) Curley‟s wife is a victim of circumstance and the unchangeable and therefore her destiny is something she has no power over.

The duality of loneliess that Steinbeck has managed to put forward in Of Mice and Men is telling of his philosophical conviction. In a letter to his editor, Pascal Covici in 1941, he writes “ It seems fairly obvious that two sides of a mirror are required before one has a mirror, that two forces are necessary in man before he is a man.” (Life in Letters 221) With this, Steinbeck means to explain the diversity of the human character. The ambiquity of attitude and emotions is masterfully demonstrated in Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck‟s characters are not flat, instead they represent entities in which two sides are in conflict. Crooks fights with the concept of race segregation, but also values his loneliness. Curley‟s wife is in conflict with her own gender, but at the same time she plays with it. Candy clings to his old dog, but at the same time knows that killing his dog would relieve its pain. George is in conflict whether to value his friendship or seek freedom in loneliness. Lennie is at conflict with his own self, by not being able to decide for himself. It is indeed this ambiquity that celebrates Steinbeck‟s own inner fight with isolation

Cannery row and loneliness

Steinbeck, in the Sea of Cortez, writes : “A man looking at reality brings his own limitations to the world. If he has strentgh and energy of mind the tide pool stretches both ways, digs back to electrons and leaps space into the universe and fights out of the moment into non-conceptual time. Then ecology has a synonym which is ALL.” (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 11). Steinbeck‟s all embracing view of nature puts the tidepool as an example of how humanity can be examined in its broadest terms. It is this tide pool which concludes the life on the characters on Cannery Row. Steinbeck manages to depict the complexity of life

restricted to only one place, Cannery Row. Just as the sea species are inspected in the tide pool can the characters be studied in interaction of the co-habitants.

As Dr.Susan Shillinglaw tells of Cannery Row, “The flotsam of society exists here: Mack and the boys, Doc, Dora Flood, Lee Chong, and most dramatically Henri – the artist who constructs a boat that he fears to sail – all live on the margins of society, on the verge of loneliness, dependent on one another for survival.” This taken into account, Cannery row explores the interwoven lives of the lonely that come together seeking company. As Steinbeck stresses the cohabitation of the human being and nature, the tide pool is the metaphor of the human inhabitants of Cannery Row. This is beautifully allegorized when Doc catches some starfish, and these starfish cling together, knotted up in embrace. (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 39) When one is familiar with the fusion of the tide pool and the life of humans in Cannery Row, then the loneliness in the novel can be explored.

One of the victims of loneliness is clearly William, a bartender who worked at Dora‟s prior to Alfred. With William, it is non-acceptance which drove him to loneliness and in effect into committing suicide. Mack‟s boys did not let him into their social circle, as Steinbeck tells in the novel “the bums would not receive him socially.” (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 17) His own character swallowed him up in self-depreciation and dark thoughts. Clearly nobody cared when he uttered that “I think I will bump myself off”. Dora retorted “Well, do it in your own time and don‟t mess up the rugs.” (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 17) Steinbeck explains that it was Dora‟s experience with neurotic people that proved that a joke will ratify the situation. Little was known, that broody William would take this to heart and presume there is no escape, other than death. When William is faced with proving that he will truly commit suicide, it becomes inevitable that he must carry it out. The causes of his loneliness are concluded in death as the weight of his existence becomes unbearable.

Chapter 4 introduces the character of the lonely, wandering Chinaman. He occurs in Cannery Row out of nowhere, without anybody knowing him. It is of interest to mention that more than he was visible, he was heard. His sole flapped and woke up citizens from their sleep, but they never got to know him. Steinbeck mentions that, “he carried a little cloud of fear about with him.” The Chinaman hence became a story to tell around and to ascribe attributes to his existance, as „God‟, „Death‟ and „Chinaman‟. (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 19) The Chinaman occurs and disappears, therefore never leaving behind any trace of

permanence. It is this dead-like existence that proves his loneliness in the world. When a boy approaches to incquire about who he is, the Chinaman turned into one big eye to show the boy the countryside of loneliness. The Chinaman therefore represents a loneliness which is caused by human ignorance. The fact, that the Chinaman appears and disappears personifies the loneliness of a solitary wanderer.

One of the other lonely characters is Henri, the painter. In his creative affection he constantly changes his medium as often as a tide moves in and flows away. In his loneliness he is afraid to launch his boat, besides him being afraid of the sea it would also mean a certain finality. Finishing the boat would mean, he would have to launch it, for the people in the Row would naturally expect that as a consequence. So Henri constantly works on the boat that shall never be finished, in solitude. Henri is deemed as „nuts‟ by Hazel, to which Doc retorts, “Oh, yes, I guess so. Nuts about the same amount we are, only in a different way.” (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 28) Doc means to explain that all people have something they are interested in. Henri, just happens to be an lonesome artist afraid of ever completing what he is most passionate about, boats. Henri, the painter, represents the loneliness of the artistic mind. The displacement provides Henri with enough time to expand on his creativity. Steinbeck, in his own life, had to remove himself from a hectic lifestyle and focus on his art in solitude. It is also this concept of being afraid to finish something that haunts an artist. The aim for artistic clarity and good reception by the critics is demand. Steinbeck wrote about the book, “ The critics say at once that it is not true to nature and that it is bad taste. In nature two things do not occur – the wheel and good taste. So what do they want?” (Life in letters 278)

Steinbeck introduces the reader to the characters of Mr. And Mrs.Malloy. They represent a married unit and therefore are not typical representatives of loneliness. What causes the loneliness is misunderstanding. Living in a boiler, Mrs.Malloy aims to buy curtains for windows which do not exist. Logically, Mr. Malloy finds that buying curtains is a useless act. It is this misunderstanding between the woman and the man that causes their alienation. When Mrs. Malloy utters, “Men just don‟t understand how a woman feels” - her sighing is definitely more significant than the importance of buying curtains. (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 37) Clearly though, Sam Mallory seeks to remedy the situation by asking Mack: “You know any kind of glue that you can stick cloth to iron.” (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 38) This misunderstanding between man and woman proves to be reconciled in aftermath.

Mack and the boys represent a unity of men who live together and move as one. But there is also strong evidence that each one of them lives a separate life from the unit. In chapter 7, Steinbeck labels Mack and the boys as “ravening individualists.” Mack then creates lines on the floor of the Palace Flophouse, to mark the territory of each of the five men. (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 30) It is this unity into which the boys crawl to omit loneliness. Gay leaves his threatening wife to live with the boys. Hazel is an innocent and naive man who is drawn into Mack‟s circle of friends. Eddie works at La Ida‟s and cements the comraderie of Mack‟s boys with alcohol. Mack finally finds a place where he understands. (Schultz 48,49) Steinbeck writes about Mack‟s boys:

“They are the Virtues, the Graces, the Beauties of the hurried mangled craziness of Monterey and the cosmic Monterey where men in fear and hunger destroy their stomachs in the fights to secure certain food, where men hungering for love destroy everything lovable about them. Mack and the boys are the Beauties, the Virtues, the Graces.” (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 13)

By being together, and living together, they fight against the „hunger‟ of the lonesome man and are able to savour world‟s gifts. These initially lonesome men are drawn towards each other and become the masters of their own lives. As stated in the novel, Mack‟s boys are a “little group of men who had in common no families, no money, and no ambitions beyond food, drink and contentment.” (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 10) There is a cosmic magnetism which draws these men together into the Palace Flophouse – the shared dwelling of Mack and the boys.

The most prominent character in the novel is undisputably Doc. Steinbeck based the character of Doc on his his longtime friend, Ed Ricketts. The inspiration was not haphazard, for Ed Ricketts was a marine biologist as much as Doc was. When Mack utters, “that Doc is a nice fellow, we ought to do something for him”, he is obliquely saying that everybody in Cannery Row holds him in the highest respect. But in such an utterance one can feel a certain sorry feeling for the lonesome Doc. As Susan Shillinglaw mentions, “Doc is essentially a lonely man, yet he befriends people.” (Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men, Preface X) Chapter 5 tells of Doc‟s contribution to the Row, “Over a period of years Doc dug himself into Cannery Row an extent that not even he suspected. He became the fountain of philosophy and science and art.” (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 23) Doc drew in the lonely and desperate and with his

healing philosophy he managed to yield a flickering light of hope in the inhabitants. It was this magnetic charisma that attracted the lonesome little Frankie. Doc became a father figure to the unwanted boy who was rejected by his school and his parents -“His mind had no horizon-and his sympathy had no warp.” (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 23)

“In spite of his friendliness and his friends Doc was a lonely and set-apart man [...] In a group, Doc seemed always alone.” (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 75) It was perhaps the requirement of his job that requested total dedication of his mind. The tide, being his source of income, it would not wait and often he had to travel alone, for he could not wait on others – “Doc had to go alone because the tide would not wait.” (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 76) It is this dedication to his work that Steinbeck knew about personally. It was Steinbeck who removed himself from chaos in order to carry out his job. In Knowing Ed Ricketts, Steinbeck describes his friend and also simultaneously the character of Doc;

“After the first moment I knew him, and for the next eighteen years I knew him better than I knew anyone, and perhaps I did not know him at all. Maybe it was that way with all of his friends. He was different from anyone and yet so like that everyone found himself in Ed.” (Steinbeck, Knowing Ed Ricketts 521)

It is exactly this explanation which puts clarity in understanding the character of Doc. Although Doc is surrounded by friends, he is cautious of revealing his true self. His altruistic character is demonstrated when the influenza epidemic breaks out. (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 73) Although, he is not a professional doctor, people flee to him for help. Doc becomes the lonely man to whom people cling. Much like Ed Ricketts, Doc is a private person and a private person is always confined to a lonely existence.

Dora, the Bear Flag restaurant owner is another magnet to whom lonely souls wander. By explanation, Dora has gained the respect of; “the intelligent, the learned and the kind.” (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 15). Only through her wit, tact and undisputed sense of realism, Dora manages to launch and maintain a well-grounded establishment. Steinbeck makes it clear that this is no ordinary whore house where floozies and the tasteless earn their living. Dora represent a pillar of wisdom and experience. Her generosity can be put into light, when we come to realize that “ Of her girls some are farly inactive due to age and infirmities, but Dora never puts them aside although, as she says, some of them don‟t turn three tricks a month but they go right on eating three meals a day.” (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 15) Dora

therefore does not confine her girls to loneliness through ostracision, but keeps them close as family members. It is prehaps Dora‟s own fear of loneliness that makes her keep her girls together irrespective of age and productivity.

Cannery Row represents a place, where, as Steinbeck wrote, the inhabitants are “whores, pimps, gamblers and sons of bitches.” (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 5) But if the perspective was to be shifted, these denizens would be “saints and angels and martyrs and holy men.” (Steinbeck, Cannery Row 5) Within Cannery Row, the place, each character is himself, accepted as a lonely wanderer who has found his destination. Cannery Row represents a magnetic universe to which the lonely souls wander. The lonely Chinaman, whose purpose is unkown. Doc, the loved but lonely marine biologist. Frankie, the ostracized boy yearning for acceptance. Mack and the boys is a group of lonely men who find company amongst each other. Dr. Shillinglaw provides a comprehensive summary of Cannery Row:

The street in Monterey came to symbolize for Steinbeck the whole thing – life, in a word. The difficulty in teaching this novel is that it included so much that is essentially Steinbeck; scientific detachment and ecological awareness; empathy toward the lonely and the dispossessed that ocassionally verges on sentimentality; awareness of the potential cruelty of group man; and, at the darkest level in the book, the terror of isolation and nothingness, existential despair that was hi own demon as well as the legacy of war. (Steinbeck, Cannery Row Preface xvii)

Tortilla Flat and loneliness

Tortilla Flat, written in the Depression Era, represented the escapist nature of the times. It was not only the times that shaped the novel, but it was the paisanos on which Steinbeck based the novel. It is therefore safe to assume that the novel is a product of the time and also the product of inspection of the paisano people. In a foreword to a 1947 Modern Library edition of the book, Steinbeck writes about paisano people: “They are people whom I know and like, people who merge successfully with their habitat. In men this is called philosophy, and it is a fine thing.” (Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat, introduction xii) As a matter of fact all characters present are the paisano people. Steinbeck describes the paisano; “He is a mixture of Spanish, Indian, Mexican and Caucasian bloods. His ancestors have lived in 25

California for a hundred or two years...he is a paisano, and he lives up in that uphill dictrict above the town of Monterey called Tortilla Flat.” (Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat 8) The novel therefore deals with one location, and one ethnic group – the paisanos. This separation from the rest of Monterey predicts certain ostracision, much like the confinement to one area in Cannery Row.

Steinbeck wrote about himself in 1934: “I am so simple that I want to be comfortable and comfort consists in- a place to sleep, dry and fairly soft, lack of hunger, almost any kind of food, occasional loss of semen in intercourse when it becomes troublesome, and a good deal of work. These constitute my ends. You see it a description of a stupid slothful animal.” (Life in Letters 93) There seems to be a direct correlation with the paisano people – “The paisano people are clean of commercialism, free of the complicated systes of American business, and having nothing that can be stolen, exploited or mortgaged...” (Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat 4) But an even more striking linearity to Steinbeck‟s own concept of self is demonstrated by: All that paisanos really want is enough food, a warm place to sleep, wine, and – ocassionally – women and parties. (Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat, introduction ix) It was this biological human need in which Steinbeck himself believed. The paisanos were the perfect embodiment of his non-teleological philosophy. Much like in Of Mice and Men, Tortilla Flat is a story of the what rather than why.

The introduction of the novel tells of the unity of three elements: the place, the person and the group. It is is also this first paragraph which introduces the main themes and the plot:

This is the story of Danny and of Danny‟s friends and of Danny‟s house. It is a story of how these three became one thing, so that in Tortilla Flat if you speak of Danny‟s house you do not mean a structure of wood flaked with old whitewash, overgrown with an ancient untrimmed rose of Castile. No, when you speak of Danny‟s house you are understood to mean a unit of which the parts are men, from which came sweetness and joy, philantropy and, in the end, a mystic sorrow. (Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat 3)

The main protagonist of the novel is Danny. A paisano and an accidental inheritor of two houses on the Tortilla Flat. The impending doom of responsiblity causes Danny to revolt unknowing how to cope with the weight. Unlike many other paisanos, he finally had something that could be stolen off of him and exploited. What would be considered a blessing

can also be a curse, and this is exactly how Danny viewed his inheritance. Having just come back from the war, Danny is saddened upon realizing how many friends he had lost in the war: “and after a time, a loneliness fell upon Danny and Pilon. Danny thought of his lost friends.” (Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat 10) Upon realizing that the houses can shelter his friend Pilon, Danny sees a flickering light of hope that his life will be amongst friends.

Pilon, “a lover and beauty of mystic”, is part scheming and part morally virtuous. (Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat 18) When he rents a home from Danny with promises to pay him, both sides know of the improbability. Pilon fights with himself whether to give up his freedom or to live in loneliness. Pilon feels indebted to Danny – “my freedom will be cut off, soon I shall be a slave because of this Jew‟s house.” (Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat 13) Much like other paisanos, Pilon is one with nature and the prospect of being bound to something material is like cutting the wings of a bird. Pilon, with his cunning nature easily transfers the debt onto Pablo. Instantly Pablo becomes part of the circle of friends.

The question of trust arises when Pilon, Pablo and Danny discuss women. Pablo utters – “What is a man to do? Is there no one to trust?” (Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat 23) Clearly, women in the paisano world are not meant to be trusted. Pablo and Pilon would rather be lonely than to be led on by a woman of loose manners: “These women, there is no virtue in them anymore.” So Pablo, Danny and Pilon put their souls into the hands of friendship and wine. Wine is the medium by which these men initiate friendship, reconcile, steal for and waste away their time. Wherever there is wine, there is also friendship in Tortilla Flat. Friendship is also described as a means of survival: “One did not go shivering about in the dawn, beating one‟s hands to keep them from freezing.”

When the second house which was sublet to Pilon burns down, Danny welcomes his friends into his home. After having felt left out due to his social status as an owner, Danny invites Pilon, Pablo and Jesus Maria into his house – “as the owner of two houses, he had been considered rich, and he had missed a great many tidbits.” (Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat 39) The house then became the home of the four men, ready to lure in another inhabitant, Pirate.

Pirate is the lonely wanderer surrounded by his dogs as his trusted companions. He is described to have “the secret look of an animal that would like to run away if it dared turn its back long enough.” (Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat 44) This animal instinct not only tells of Pirate‟s underdeveloped intellect, but it also proves his alienation from the interractive human world.

To enforce this idea, Pirate names his dogs Enrique, Rudolph, Senor Alec Thompson – all of which are names fit for men. By naming his dogs this way, Pirate creates a world which makes him feel like he is part of society. When Pirate is faced with the the offer of living with Danny‟s friends, he welcomes the idea. Through this accceptance Pirate fully admits his yearning for friendship and interaction with those of his kind.

Danny, Pablo, Pilon, Pirate and Jesus Maria are one, living in one house, in one place. The house is the Round Table and the men are the knights - “ For Danny‟s house was not unlike the Round Table, and Danny‟s friends were not unlike the knights of it.” (Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat 3) Steinbeck‟s infatuation with the Arthurian legend, especially the one by Malory is fairly palpable in the novel. But more than anything, Tortilla Flat is a story of the group and what Steinbeck called the „phalanx‟. As the preface discusses – “this is the story of how that group came into being, of how it flourished and grew to be an organization beautiful and wise...In the end, this story tells how the talisman was lost and how the group disintegrated.” (Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat 3) As Thomas Fensch discusses in the introduction: “Steinbeck was interested in the birth, survival and ultimate death of the group, a „phalanx‟ – the “I” which becomes “we”. In his paisano round table in Tortilla Flat. He imagined the ideal birth, life and death of the phalanx.” (Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat, introduction xix)

In 1939, Steinbeck writes about the phalanx:

When a man hears great music, sees great pictures, reads great poetry, he loses his identity in that of the phalanx. I do not need to describe the emotion caused by these things, but it is invariably a feeling of oneness with one‟s phalanx. For a man is lonely when he is cut off. He dies. From the phalanx he takes fluid necessary to his life. (Life in Letters 81)

Danny and his friends create a group which through experience, friendship and wine manage to face the scrutiny of the Depression era. From five lonely individuals comes one strong group, with its rise and fall. Tortilla Flat tells of the birth, the life and the death of the group. Parallel to the thought, the group is created from loneliness and ends in loneliness, much like the cyclical nature of the fragile human life.

Conclusion 1: Typology of loneliness in Steinbeck’s novels

John Steinbeck‟s portrayal of lonely characters facilitates the creation of a multitude of typologies. All the characters are subject to different causes of their alienation and loneliness. And from theses causes arise recurrent types of loneliness as previously analysed.

The victims of social exclusion are predominantly the characters of Lennie, Crooks and Curley‟s wife. Lennie‟s exclusion is caused by his mental indisposition, limiting the possibilities of social interaction. Crooks is also a victim of social exclusion as caused by his skin colour. Curley‟s wife is a victim of her own gender. The alienation of these characters is the product of their lack of power to change the inevitable. They are the prey of human prejudice, sexism and racism as generated by the majority. These characters are therefore indubitably predisposed to social exclusion.

Doc and Dora represent characters that fall into the category of occupational misfits. Doc, a marine biologist is susceptible to a solitary life due to his profession. His work requires the concentration of a single mind. His university education automatically excludes him from the majority of Cannery Row. Doc faces the fact that he is a solitary highly educated human being on Cannery Row. He is surrounded by social outcasts like Mack and the boys, all of them have no understanding for his profession and his taste for music. Dora, the owner of the Bear Flag Restaurant is ostracized by authorities due to the nature of her business. To avoid constant nagging from the authorities, Dora attends charity events and tries to hang on to the thin thread of her social acceptance. It is these two characters which can be summarised as occupational misfits.

Candy, one of the ranch farmhands in Of Mice and Men, is a victim of loneliness due to his old age. His fear is that he will get removed from the ranch, causing him to fight a war that would be lost even before it began. With rising age, the possibilities of finding a job are meagre, especially after Candy has been severely injured. This impending doom caused by ageing causes Candy to fear for his future. It is also a fear of being abandonded. This fear is stengthened through the death of his dog, who is his only permanent companion when farm hands come and go. Candy is therefore a victim of loneliness as caused by old age – or to put it more precisely. by isolation brought about by old age.

Mack and the boys, characters from Cannery Row are cultural and social outsiders. Their evolved sense of freedom and underdeveloped sense of responsibility are the causes of their cultural alienation. In the eyes of the Cannery Row inhabitants, Mack and the boys are viewed as a pack of idle men up to no good. In order to redeem themselves they need to start working and finally plan a succesful party for Doc. Mack and the boys the constructs of their own alienation from society. Their capablities allow them to shape their future in any form desired, it is only their idle nature that stunts the possibilites. It would seem that Mack and the boys are on the verge of loneliness and solitude. They live together, eat together, do everything together and seem content with the state. If this aspect is taken into account, Mack and the boys are living in solitude. It is only their conscience which makes them worry about the perception of society and how Doc views them. In this aspect they are indeed cultural and social outsiders.

Danny, Pablo, Pilon, Pirate and Jesus Maria are the products of social exclusion. They are all paisanos confined to the territory of Tortilla Flat. It is this social exclusion from the rest of Monterey that causes the perception of social exclusion. The paisanos are one ethnic group confined to one district. Tortilla Flat is the cosmos of Danny and his friends. As the introduction implies, Tortilla Flat is a story of Danny, his friends and his house. It is evident that we are then dealing with a restricted place, with specific people and a specific house. Therefore, Tortilla Flat and its characters are the result of social exclusion.

In conclusion, a tentative taxonomy of loneliness can be summarised in the three analysed novels by Steinbeck. Firstly, there are the socially excluded characters; Lennie, Curley‟s wife and Crooks. Lennie‟s loneliness roots back to his mental indisposition – he is the contruct of mental alienation. Curley‟s wife is a victim of prejudice and a sexist society, she is therefore entrapped by her own gender. She is a sufferer of loneliness as caused by sexual alienation. Crooks is socially excluded due to his skin colour, therefore he represents a character suffering from racial alienation.

Candy is a victim of his old age. Therefore it can be concluded that his loneliness is ascribed to his fear of growing old and the restrictions that old age imposes. For this reason a typology can be provided for this loneliness – old age isolation. Mack and the boys are cutural and social outsiders. Their unacceptance from society and their inability to adjust are the causes of their ostracision. Danny and his friends are also socially and culturally excluded, but

the cause is attributed to the fact that they are paisanos. Their exclusion is culturally determined by their ethnicity.

To conclude the taxonomy of loneliness in selected Steinbeck‟s novels, we may identify six types of loneliness: mental alienation, sexual alienation, racial alienation, old age isolation, ethnical isolation and occupational alienation.

Conclusion 2: Loners in Steinbeck – biographical anchoring

Afer having studied the theme of loneliness in Steinbeck‟s own life and in his fictional characters there arise a few legitimate connections between the two. It is safe to say that John Steinbeck took inspiration from the surrounding world, from his own experiences, the life of others; but all in all his novels predominantly represent a realistic account of his life and the times.

Steinbeck‟s own experience as a farm hand proves that he was familiar with the loneliness and rootlessness of the working man. Lennie, George, Doc, Dora, Danny, Mack – all of these characters were based on people that Steinbeck had met. The character of Doc was directly based on Steinbeck‟s friend, Ed Ricketts. The complexity of his characters are therefore direct translations of his watchful eye and his attentive ear.

In 1945, in a letter to Pascal Covici, Steinbeck writes: Living is people, not places. I have no peers here – in notoriety and so called success – and the people who are coming up are ferocious. There‟s no one to talk to except Ed...This isn‟t my country anymore. And it won‟t be until I am dead. It makes me very sad.” (Life in Letters 280-281) Steinbeck‟s experience of loneliness proved to be at its height when writing Cannery Row. Ed, who is impersonated in the character of Doc, was therefore a product of Steinbeck‟s experience of loneliness.

The characters of Curley‟s wife and Crooks prove hard to link directly to the writer‟s own experience. As Steinbeck was a caucasian, his understanding of the racial alienation could have hardly gone beyond practicable imaginitive constraints. Similarly, Steinbeck‟s portrayal of Curley‟s wife and her sexual alienation might prove to be hard to identify with.

In conclusion, Steinbeck‟s life must have been an inspiration for his fictional characters as most of them were based on real people. However, it is still a prevailing question whether a specific character represented his own experience of loneliness. It is evident though that certain characters portray Steinbeck‟s duality of loneliness – a duality which treated loneliness as a burden, but also as a blessing. This treatment of loneliness is found in the character of George in Of Mice and Men.

In recalling of the Samuel Butler‟s quote provided in the abstract “Every man's work, whether it be literature, or music or pictures or architecture or anything else, is always a portrait of himself.” (Butler) Steinbeck‟s novels were indeed portraits, but not only of himself, but also of nature and most predominantly: portraits of the human condition. Perhaps Steinbeck‟s fascination of the lonely and dispossessed originated in his own soul, through the understanding of his own condition and an evolved empathy for otherness. It is this understanding of the human condition that makes Steinbeck‟s work of fiction a true work of art in terms of depicting human emotions in a realistic and believable manner.

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