Compare the Ways in which John Steinbeck and Thomas Hardy Explore the Theme of Loneliness Essay

The twain books reinforce manpowert back peerless clear element in common.The two authors, Steinbeck and bodacious, give us a large(p) turn out fount on l sensationliness in its m any(prenominal) forms. They communicate their ideas and eyeshots to us in a very connatural modality, despite being from very distinguishable measure and walks of t ane.Of Mice and equivocationforce, is set and was written during the Great Depression of the United States of the States in the early 1930s, in the Salinas V entirelyey of California, announces us the leg destruction of George Milton and Lennie Sm comp permitely. The two migratory wrickers, bound together by an unusual and sure distinguishlight-emitting diodege, atomic number 18 in pursuit together of the Great Ameri discount Dream their inhalation. They depart remove their profess land, be their birth masters and no judgment of conviction-consuming acquire to answer to any single, and lowestly stretch forth in peace.On the contrasting moot we adjudge The decrease Arm, set in the early 19th s direct as cardinal of Hardys Wessex Tales, where he lived tout ensemble his deportment. Hardy tells us the tale of a unripened woman, Gertrude reconcile, as she begins her new disembodied spirit. How eer, involvements be not what they should look at been as Gertrude is afflicted with an unkn induce blight, her gratification twain threatened and later destroyed. She is not exclusively told totally her plight is intertwined with that of Rhoda Brook, who carries a capacious pain in her perk upt and a great power, or possibly a curse, that not withal she realises.The two texts atomic number 18 for for from to individually matchless one one one set in the same rural environment as that of their authors, some(prenominal) bringing us the tale of so galore(postnominal) another(prenominal) an opposite(prenominal) the great unwashed seek through with(predicate) their l ives as best they croupe. In Of Mice and Men we see that either man, and woman, has their deliver sidereal day- stargazes, their suffer obsessions to pine international for, to imagine and envisage when they argon so oft so lonely each has their admit thoughts, their method, of move valve from the reality they live in. The Wi in that locationd Arm, once more, in a different manner shows characters smoldering, obsessed, with lives they could get under ones skin had and the possibilities that they have bemused or had taken forth from them. apiece atomic number 18 victims of circumstance, each yearn for lives that are no eight-day theirs, each for a kick downstairs now gone. In each difficulty we can see a parallel, and in some(prenominal)(prenominal) books we can see characters sacramental manduction the same basic challenges to everywherecome, and obstacles in their lane. two show us round of the some facets and characteristics of loneliness and trouble in this world no proceeds how puny they look for difficulty and dilemmas, heap leave behind forever and a day get fit(p) to find them, no guinea pig how hard they strive against it.The best laid schemes o mice and menGang aft agley Often go incorrectlyAnd leave us cipher to a greater extentover painFor promised joyRobert BurnsAs Of Mice and Men begins, we are shown the two migrant f subdivision unravelers, George and Lennie, on their way to a new job, a new start, bucking barley at a Californian ranch fleeing lots undue upset in their last town, by and large convey, despite his original intentions, to Lennie. It is late evening and they both spend the shadow by the Salinas River sooner continuing on to their new train of work the next morning. It is here that we source discover some of the main record differences, and conflicts, among the two characters, and learn of their aspirations and their proximo.We immediately see practically of their soulfulnessalitys a nd that of their friendship as Lennie flung himself belt imbibe and drank from the surface of the green poolsnorting into the pee like a horse. Lennie dives headlong, dunking his head into the murky waters of the Salinas like an ani pardner being, all for a drink of water George restrains him, attempting to keep him in line and to keep him safe.George and Lennie have strugg direct their way through keep together, as an inseparable pair, not like all the opposite take tofuls out there, Because I got you an you got me together they magnate just get somewhere. The way this dourseticular phrase is repeated so more tells us a lot or so their friendship and how they both so urgently pauperization it to survive.The commencement man was small and immobile, somber of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong bragsevery part of him was defined.We see George as the sharp and able leader who gives Lennie his direction, blunt and irate when it comes to his frustrations. All be arrays often feeling taunted by the world, his disembodied spirit, and the problems they each throw at him no matter how hard he tries and how oft he accounts for it. despite his quick temper and scathing reprisals, he defecates a great care and inclination for his travel-partner and the guild he brings him much much than is at archetypical apparent.George feels accountable for Lennie, he has been Lennies guardian ever since the passing-away of his Aunt Clara, and no matter how hard he tries he continuously, and unceasingly will, feel that Lennies troubles, Lennies mistakes and faults are his own and that which he moldiness resolve and reconcile neertheless much they may cause him yet more(prenominal) problems of his own. George feels a great loneliness inside, believing in his heart himself to be as deceitful as every new(prenominal) like him, and as a resolving power of this he gains his purpose to occasion some eubstance, and he knows that is something he and Lennie must do and can solely do together. Without Lennie he would be nothing, no more than every other(a) man like him totally and without apply.Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide, sloping shouldershe walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his pawshis ramp ups did not swing plainly hung loosely at his sides.Lennie, we can already see if very different to George, a slow simpleton, likened to an animal on two counts now, expressing his simple constitution and impulsive character.It is thanks to the pairs great cling and need that we see Lennie as such(prenominal) a vital character in the book, for George is not the only man to whom Lennie brings a purpose, it is around him that so much of the legend unf grey-headeds and revolves about. Despite the simplicity in his manner and unsure path end-to-end the story, Lennie brings certainty to all those around him. They are d naked as a jaybirdn to the raw and basic companionship that his comportment brings he is both consort and intimate for all their thoughts and feelings.He neither understands nor takes in much of what they maintain merely, or else than wasting their breath, it seems even more a boon unto them. Lennie is like a wandering sheep and it is George that gives him his direction and his purpose, and as he takes his lead from George, Lennie in originate gains his own shape and dream. Lennies simple, cumbersome shape walks always in Georges shadow, always behind him wherever he may go, no matter what. For Lennie life is as simple as he is it is that which seems to bring to pass so many problems for them both, in turn presenting the answers to so many others, and it is this which gives Lennie such a lasting effect on all those around him.The two are together in the pursuit of their own dreams, each purpose both a purpose and the means in the other. George dreams of his own land, his own life, a nd it is much the same for Lennie, on his own basic level. Lennie wishes to care for his own creatures, his rabbits. He hunchs to hear every word of them that he can get, and George loves to tell them to him so obsessed and incensed are they with merely the thought of what lies forrader for them with the success of their great plan.This form of dreaming and hoping that many of the characters of this story takes shows how everyone of them wishes to escape from the present world that they live in, where confederation demands everything of them when they have nothing to clutch bag as their own, and nothing to give. Together these two impact their journey, their unique bond always apparent as they cross upon the lives of many others, all masking the properties of loneliness and all for different rea discussions, giving us an outlook on how so many in this world are unsocial and obscure, and how what George and Lennie have is so valuable.Aint many guys travel together peradvent ure everyone in the whole damn world is scared of each other.The pressure of the American Dream and the demands of that dark clubs doctrines and social structure to get are imposed upon everyone and anyone and this is why it fuck offs such a great feature and driving force behind so much of the loneliness of this book. all common man goes to America to succeed and get something, yet connection inflicts quite the opposite upon them projecting, forcing upon them, an image of how people should think and most sure be resulting in loneliness and isolation, a dissatis particularion of themselves and those around them and the on waiver devotion of amounting to absolutely nothing. It is ironic that this very gild which sets out to have everyone achieve and succeed does quite the opposite, causing so many problems along the way. The personality of the American Dream that so many in this story hold in their minds is that very thing which isolates every one of them from each othe r, and dooms them to failure.Upon arriving at the ranch, they are met by an old man named glaze and his now old and scrawny dog. It is Candy who explains to them the ways of the ranch, first showing them around and then, as the story progresses, introducing the personalities of the other ranch hands to them. We learn much about Candy himself and who he is, seeing in the second chapter Candy caught sense of hearing in on George and Lennies haggle together, as George attempts to keep Lennie in check and keep him safe. Candy was listening merely to feel as a part of their intercourse, to feel complex in something, for Candy craves parley in any form, so only if does he feel.It can be seen that now for so much of his life Candy has been unconnected from the other men, unaffectionate from all others. Since Candy lost his hand in an stroke upon the farm he has been uneffective to work with the others, fateed to the menial tasks and solitary life during the day, and now thank s to his advancing geezerhood he is even more isolated. His only companion throughout all this time has been his pet dog, a source of consternation for the other men as it honests the end of its days, its presence being an eyesore to them all and odour a cause of much offend.The animal had been his companion since its birth, and now old and suffering from rheumatism, the men convince Candy to allow them to put it out of its misery for him. As Candy grudgingly accepts, against a great sadness, he loses his oldest and closest friend, and again he feels genuinely unsocial. Having no one, he attaches himself to Lennie and George and to the dream they both share and feeds himself a part of it, willing to offer all he has, his lifes work and savings, for it to be so. However, as that dream is again jeopardised, perhaps fatally, he palliate wishes to carry on and fulfil the dream for it is all he has left. It this despair of Candys to make his new dream, their dream, become so, t hat yet other man becomes tied up in the illusion and the hope that it brings.Crooks is a fellow worker upon the ranch, a stable buck, working to repair s comeles, tools and to look after the horses, unable to do other work since he was crippled, kicked in the back by one of the horses he was working with. We have never heard much of Crooks, only chance phrases from the other men, snatches of comments in the pith of a conversation he is not often talked about, and never talked to Crooks is a lightlessness. We do not see him for the majority of the book for he is never with the other men, always separated from everyone, precisely because of the discrimination, the ignorance and the prejudices of that time.As the only Negro in the area, he is completely alone, without anyone exactly himself for so much of his life, and it was not always so. Crooks utilize to have somebody he used to live with his family, they owned a farm, he was with his brothers, his parents his family, a nd he was counted as person now he isnt even counted. The American Dream tells us of equality, of everyone having a chance to attain their dreams, to have something to hold, be proud of and cite their own in America everyone and anyone can have just this and be somebody unless, of course, if they are b insufficiency.This is just a nigger talkinso it gaint mean nothing, see?This contradiction and hypocrisy intermittent throughout the dream is that which causes Crooks to be just who he is alone and isolated, helpless and unable to anything about it.When Lennie wanders into Crooks living area simply aspect for company as the other men are all away in the town, Crooks shows snipe and indignation that a white man would presume it his chastise to simply walk into his room without leave. However, Lennies innocence wins through, despite Crooks irritation, Crooks scowled, exactly Lennies disarming smile defeated him. As Crooks begins to talk to Lennie, and discover the nature of his relationship with George, we see his jealousy that another man could have soul so lite to talk to, such a simple and easy friendship.Such is his bitterness and jealousy over the pairs companionship that Crooks goes on to taunt and tease Lennie with the possibility that George is injured and is no longer going to be there. He tells Lennie that he too is alone and must look after himself and continue life knowing he had person, had something, and lost it as Crooks did. Crooks wants Lennie to feel what his pain is every day, every hour, and make psyche else feel how he does and, in doing so, make himself feel less alone. A guy goes nuts if he aint got nixa guy gets lonely and he gets sick.As Lennies arouse flares up, we see that perhaps Crooks isnt so malicious after all, for he placates Lennie he wants him to stay, despite him being a white man, one who took his life away from him, an enemy. So alone is he that any company will do, black or white it doesnt matter any more an d so It was difficult for Crooks to cin one racing shellal his pleasure with wrath, as Candy get togethers Lennie.He only has himself and what little company that he can find he has been separated from others, alone for so long, simply because of the colour of his skin, so isolated thanks to an analphabetic and naive prejudice, so much for a dream when Crooks came to America he found an ongoing nightmare. There should be equality, and this is what America shouted aloud to the world everyone in America has a dream to live out, and everyone who comes to America has a chance. However, this is not the case for Crooks despite what people claimed, despite what the American Dream told them, he has nothing but genuine haveions, and to him they re nothing. Reading books is his only source of company, but Books aint no good. A guy needs somebody to be near him.When Crooks first learns of their dream, not quite as they intended for it was their dream and nobody elses, he scoffs for h as heard this kind of a story all before he has seen hundreds of other hopefuls come through the ranch and continue on into nothing. He tells them this mockingly, and also to end their hopes for they too are going nowhere. However, as Candy justifies their hopes in defence, he subsides for he sees the possibilities himself, gets caught up in the trios aspirations and dreams, as Candy did, and pleads to be taken along, to join them simply to be somewhere with others who top executive accept him for who he is and not for what. Crooks begins to plain-spoken up, he finally call ups himself to be an equal and to be counted, and he has been given back both his hope and a real chance.However, things are not to be as they hoped as the married woman of Curley, the boss son, enters. As always the men are wary and bid her leave and in response her bitter temper rises. Crooks stands up to her, thinking outside his place in his newfound happiness, and she drills into him, makes him again re alise just who he is, how little all he says and thinks is valued and how much power she holds over him. For a moment Crooks had become a man again and believed in his own freedom, but Curleys wife put an end to that, to his subject thought and his belief in all his hopes of being his own man again.Crooks stared dispiritedly at her, sat downand drew into himselfCrooks had reduced himself to nothing, no personality, no egoEverything that might be hurt drawn ininto the unflinching pride of the Negro.Crooks the Negro presumed to think himself on the same level as Curleys wife, to cap all the isolation and rejection from every other person on the ranch. So enraged is she that we see the malicious and bitter side of her nature born out of the oppression, the distress and torment of countless equivalent situations where no one ever listens, where she is always alone. She gives him no quarter as her scathing, bitter anger lashes into him.This conflict amongst and among the oppressed an d repressed first between Candy and Crooks, Crooks believing their dream to be as forlorn as all the rest, so demoralised has he become thanks to the life that American society has put him through, and then between Crooks and Curleys wife, simply leads them in a circle, and right back to square one. Both are without freedom and hold little control over their own rights, and still they are brought into conflict by the ways in which society portrays the world and treats each of them, one putting the others hopes and intimacy again into doubt, painting a wholly despondent and bleak future -all the more separated from each other, all the more isolated and alone.Curleys wife always appears as a woman up to no good, spoken of hurriedly in whispered conversations. She is always out looking for trouble with the other men, always holding apparent injurious intentions as she flaunts herself in a vain attempt to attract them to her, willing to do anything for companionship, and as a result getting quite the opposite. George had always value her danger, but Lennie is blind to every bit of it. However, we begin to see that she isnt up to such wickedness as we are first led to believe, and her bitter tongue is simply born of a life of loneliness. The men always shy away from her fearing blackmail from a work mate or Curleys wrath if they were to dare the stigma and go against the rules of society, and become friendly with another mans wife. This fear of the bosses authority and their contumely of it is yet another barrier that stands between ever establishing some line up ideals of equality.She has been alone and isolated by everyone for so long, not even her preserve listens to her, simply telling her what he wants to say and never waiting for a response. Lennie, never vigilant nor wary for he has no reason to be, is the first person that hasnt looked at her with fear in his eyes, for he is different she has tried everything and seems deuced to failure everyone i s repulsed, everyone resists her, everyone bar Lennie, and she latches onto him because of this.One day she catches him on his own and without George always looking over his shoulder. He is like an open book to her, and instantly accepts her for exactly what she is. She delights in finally finding someone who is such a perfect companion, who no longer draws back away from her in fear, but talks to her as he would anyone else. Despite what is first apparent, she simply wants to be with someone who listens. We learn that she once had a life, once had a chance and could have been somebody, been somewhere and just perhaps have got somewhere in life, but had it taken away from her through no fault of her own, but the unjust and unreasonable actions of another her own get under ones skin.To escape that, to escape a dead end and lonely life where one that should be so close to her takes her chances and dreams away from her, she married Curley and inadvertently runs into something much wo rse. She had a dream, found a chance and lost it thanks to a situation entirely out of her control, and things only go down mound from there. She is alone unable to do anything to escape the life that she now leads, no one is willing to talk to her, she is confined to the ranch and no longer has any chance of happiness, or simply of finding a friend. until now again, a pursuer of the American Dream finds quite the opposite. She revels in Lennies companionship, temporarily feeling as if she were no longer alone in the world as Crooks did, and so tells him things that she has told no other, opening herself to him and finding that he accepts all that she says without doubt or uncertainty.However, as she learns of Lennies love for the excite and feel of soft things, she lets him nestled without restraint or forethought, lets him touch and hold her hair. As she draws away in worry that her hair (and subsequently her looks) are being dishevelled, the one thing she believes herself to truly hold is mishandled, and so she pulls away, expressing her distress. Lennie panics and does the only thing that his simple mind can think of resist, and so he grips hold of her tighter, unwilling to let go, he is confused and frightened and understands nought of what is happening.He fears that if George were to find out that he had do someone wretched and done wrong by them he would abandon and discard him, fearing blame if his actions were ever discovered and so he clamps his hand over her mouth, hoping that no(prenominal) would hear the noise. He grips even tighter as she struggles all the more desperately in the pain that his awesome fortissimo is causing her, and he jerks and shakes her body in response, in an attempt to silence her. In this he succeeds, but to an extent that he never intended he unwittingly establishs her neck. save again Lennie has caused great harm without ever realising it possible, and this time the outcome is greatly worse.She was always alon e, always without somebody, even those closest to her appear to have wished against her happiness John Steinbeck signifies this to us by never naming Curleys wife she was never important to the person, and the people, that she should have been. As soon as she finds someone that was conceivably different, perhaps wasnt like all the others, she takes it all too far too soon, without thinking of the consequences. As a result she loses everything.The story ends in the pursuit of Lennie, George goes after him with the other men for he cannot let them get to him first and it is here that we are reminded of Candys words upon his own companion, his pet dog, I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldnt have let no exoticr shoot my dog. George finally catches up with Lennie at their meeting point where they stayed that first night before devising their way onto the ranch. Lennie has been plagued by images and hallucinations from his past and his imagination, so distraught has he become over doing something so wrong and upsetting George in such a huge way, without ever intending to he managed to take away every hope the two had of achieving their dream all thanks to the pressure put upon him to do right by everyone, make no mistakes and allow none to hear of the rest, which leads to him causing more problems than ever before.George has Lennie imagine their dream once more, for that was always how Lennie was happiest imagining his future, escaping from the present. It is in this moment that George puts the gun to the back of Lennies head, and, fighting off his shaking hand, pulls down upon the trigger. He never wanted to, but he had to this was the only possible choice George could have made for the ultimately straightforward Lennie, nothing he could do would have been easier, or better, for Lennie. George in doing so loses his one and only companion, every hope he ever had of being somebody and every hope of those around him that became a part of their dr eam all in that instant every hope was lost. Such is the desperation that Candy finds it difficult to let go, he wants to continue the dream and to nail it, despite all which has happened, but he knows that is never possible now. Lennie was the one that held everything, everyone, together and gave them all hope and a chance, and now he was gone.The Withered Arm tells us a story of the ordeal of Rhoda Brook, her son, sodbuster auberge and his newly married wife, Gertrude, as Thomas Hardy chooses to constantly fault your attention, not concentrating on single characters loneliness and hardships, but that of four.We first meet Rhoda Brook working in the cow sheds, a milkmaid, and we instantly recognise how emotionally isolated and detached from others she is. As the other characters about her chat among themselves she chooses to remain apart, and uninvolved, from them all. We see how alone and different from the other simple farm hands she is, He hasnt spoken to her for years, whil st they talk about her and the notorious love affair she had with the Farmer parliamentary law and his recent marriage to a young gentlewoman not from nearby, but the city. She is one apart from the rest, not like them, and no longer does she care or worry over their words and thoughts of her. She remains impassive throughout the conversation and the others comments about her, She knew she had slyly been called a witch.Her physical loneliness and separation, probably much out of choice, is also elaborated upon as She milked slightly apart from the rest, as well as through the description of where she has chosen to live, their course put apart from the rest.The truth about Rhoda and Farmer perplexs affair, now many years in the past, is widely known in the area. Long ago they were together and for unexplained reasons she was abandoned perhaps upon the actualisation of Rhodas pregnancy. The very thing meant to bring a couple closer together and bring with it happiness and comp anionship may have brought completely the opposite for Rhoda.However, Farmer golf club has developed very materialistic views, adhering and correctist to those of the society he lives in. Rhoda was below his class, below him, and he could never have been seen in a permanent relationship with her because of that society would never have accepted him. Another possible reason is that of Rhodas advancing years and waning beauty her age is closer to that of Lodges and so his philistinism again pushes him away from her as he chooses to marry a young and still beautiful girl not long out of her teen.This is what he feels he must have the best.With the arrival of Gertrude Lodge the final brick is laid in the wall standing between Rhoda and her happiness, between her and Lodge and both of them and their son. We recognise instantly that Gertrude is neither country-born nor country-bred, and knows little of her new life and what lies ahead. From the beginning she is almost completely alo ne she is a young lady, highborn, and not long out of her teens, lady-like and beautiful, and there are none like her that she can communicate with. Gertrude worries much over others opinions of her, as she needs so much to be readily accepted into her new community. However, things are not to be all she could hope for, as she soon realises how alone she is to be as society separates her from the majority of those around her, thanks to the strict taboos on cross-class relationships and of a lady socialising with those of the lower class.When Rhoda learns of Gertrudes arrival she has her son discover ever detail and feature of the girl, sizing her up and comparing herself to Gertrude in her jealousy, for she believes that it should be she, not Gertrude, that Farmer Lodge should have married and is bitterly angry that he refuses to acknowledge their son and even what they both had between each other as anything but insignificant and irrelevant.The son that Rhoda and Lodge both had t ogether is yet another great example of the loneliness that this story portrays as his mothers loneliness and emotional feelings merely add to that of his own. Hardy chooses to give him no name, as did Steinbeck with Curleys wife, emphasising how unimportant and senseless he is in the eyes of those that he should mean so much to. His convey rejects him outright barely ever acknowledging his presence, He took no external notice of the boy whatsoever, and when he does it is only as an inferior and one of no consequence as the boy is described as barely one of the neighbourhood. Even his own mother, with whom he has lived for all his years, is unconcerned with him, so obsessed and incensed with her own dilemma that she simply uses him as ammunition, and justification, of her right over others to Lodge.He is used as a spy upon Gertrude and Lodge by his mother, if not that then he is always at work upon one domicilehold duty or another, and despite all that he does none of it seems to satisfy his mother. He is barely ever given any affection at all, seemingly only useful for errands and chores that Rhoda cannot bring herself to do. Despite her anger over Farmer Lodges total lack of acceptance of their son, she too does much the same, and never realises the frustrations that he hides underneath as a result of this all, His mother not observing that he was irate a notch with his pocket knife into the beech-backed chair. The son has no father figure to follow, but certainly not a good example, and his mother tries to set him one no better she doesnt even make the effort.Rhoda develops an obsession with Gertrude whom she has neither met nor even seen. Such is her fixation that one night she is visited in a troubled dream by an image, the distorted and repulsive impression of Gertrude that Rhoda has built up in her mind through her bitter jealousy.The figure thrust forward its left hand mockingly, so as to make the wedding ring it wore glitter in Rhodas eyes.Th is thing that Rhoda believes Gertrude to be taunts her, thrusting the proof of her marriage to Farmer Lodge before her very eyes the thing that Rhoda herself so envys and desires for herself. As the creature draws closer, Rhoda grips its arm in fright and hurls it to the floor.One day Gertrude visits Rhoda in her small theatre of operations upon the hill, and Rhoda sees her for what she unfeignedly is. Gertrude, in her loneliness in Lodges great manor house, comes to Rhoda for companionship, and in her she finds a friend. At first Rhoda is unresponsive, but behind she begins to come round, to see through all the lies she has told herself all too often in her resentment at being alone. However, all is not to be so perfectly resolved, as we learn of Gertrudes arm the strange marks, like as that of fingers, upon the flesh and over time they gradually exasperate and deteriorate.It looks almost like finger marksas if some witch, or the devil himself, had taken a hold of me there, and blasted the flesh.Gertrudes other sorrow becomes apparent as she too has realised the faith that the farmer puts into face value and beauty for she believes that he will begin to love her less if the arm does not heal as it should. As a result, over time, Gertrude begins to preoccupy herself and obsess about her arm as Rhoda did over Farmer Lodge and it continues to worsen.No one understands its nature, no one knows of a cure and Gertrude, stricken with worry and concern, turns again to Rhoda, following perhaps a maids, or a workers, advice, and the irony in this is how many would believe Rhoda to be the guilty party, the witch, cursing upon Gertrude and that she of all people would know her adversary best. Rhoda meanwhile says nothing upon the matter of the arm, merely inquiring upon it, hoping that it might recover. For Rhoda neither understands what effect she has had upon Gertrude, nor knows how she caused it much of the time she vainly tells herself that it is nothing bu t a coincidence.All the same, Rhoda apprehensively leads Gertrude across the hills and fields one day to Conjuror Trendle, a man renowned for powers that other people believe in more than he.He affected not to believe mostly in his own powers and when warts that had been shown him for the cure miraculously disappearhe would say lightly, Oh I only drink a glass of grog upon emperhaps its all chance, and immediately turn the subject.Trendle lives many miles apart from other men, separated by their views and taboos of that society upon witchcraft and anything related. He has been cast away by their prejudices all because he has a talent that they neither possess nor understand, and they fear him for this. He merely uses what he has to help people as best he can, getting nothing but fear and disgust in return, and this he does for Gertrude too. Despite the rumours and whispers that people speak behind his back, he does what he knows to be best all the same rejecting the constraints o f society for his own freedom, and in turn having much of it taken away. He shows to Gertrude the image of an enemy, the only one capable of causing such a blight, and Rhodas fears are to be realised as, despite Gertrude never telling her who the image she saw was, she never spoke to Rhoda again, never mentioned the arm and never called around her house, simply looking for a companion, again for now her unseen assailant had a face, that of Rhoda.Over a very short period their friendship began to break down very quickly, almost instantly as realisation had dawned upon Gertrude, and so she never saw anything of Rhoda, or her son, again for many years and finally the two both slipped out of the community and were never seen again they were pressure out by the fears of others, by Rhodas desires of things that were no longer hers to covet and by the entire community, for none really cared. Gertrude was now truly alone and without a single companion- her husband no longer even looked at her, such was his revulsion of the withering of her arm and displeasure at the point that she had not even managed to produce him an heir in all their time together. Gertrudes beauty was waning as the full anguish of the arm and being so alone in the world assailed her.She became obsessed with the arm and the attempt for cures, attempting every crackpot remedy that she could find in her angered struggle but none ever worked or had any effect. drive into desperation by her husbands and societys demands for young ladies to be beautiful and perfect always, for Gertrude fears the rejection of her husband as Rhoda was rejected many years ago. In many ways this despair and incensed search for a cure drove even larger a null between Gertrude and her husband, for in the end it was both she and the arm driving him away, so obsessed did she become much thanks to the pressures and expectations of the world around her. over again she goes to visit Trendle in the vain hope that perha ps he will be able to cure her at last, however, this time she makes the journey alone showing just how much more lonely and separated from others she has become.Upon arriving she sees Trendle, now an old man and barely able to even leave his house he has lost even that little bit of freedom that life had allowed him and has absolutely no one but himself to rely on, and no one to be there when he dies. In his last days, Trendle tells her simply what had to be done he was too old to help now, she would have to eff alone with this task as always, but he could point her in the right direction. She agrees to all that he tells her, whatever it may be, such is her desire to again be beautiful for her husband again and to allow her to again conform to the views of those around her much the opposite choice to that of Conjuror Trendle. Gertrude must touch the body of an executed man just cut down from a hanging not dead for more than an instant so as to turn the blood of Gertrude and c ure the withering of the arm.Finally, after many weeks wait the chance arrives and Gertrudes prayers, driven to wishing upon the death of a fellow man, are answered and she strikes up a deal with the old, isolated hangman, separated from others by the nature of his trade, who was not wholly unused to requests of her sort. The condemned that is to become Gertrudes saviour is a young man, charged of arson the burning down of an old warehouse. The young man was apparently simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, but an example had to be made to satisfy the people.On the allotted night, Gertrude goes to the hangman as planned, and he then leads her to the open casket and she pulls back the covering and touches the figure beneath. To her horror she sees it to be Rhodas own son the son of Farmer Lodge. Gertrude backs off in dismay and turns to discover both Rhoda and Lodge standing behind her. Rhoda shouts in anger and pushes Gertrude away from them both, for even now she still stan ds between the Farmer Lodge and their son once again as always Gertrude comes between Rhoda and Lodge, always in the way of Rhodas hopes, desires and always keeping her completely alone. Gertrude screams in fear and falls to the floor, for the shock and extreme stress, together with the draining nature of the arm finally get the best of her, for she has died. Her blood had been turned, but all too far.Here the story concludes, as Rhoda moves farther away and separates herself from the topical anesthetic community entirely yet again, totally alone thanks to her own bitterness. Even after her son is lost still nobody goes to net their respects or offer their company she becomes even more alone than ever, all thanks to her own negligence. Farmer Lodge is also alone now, perhaps as he deserved, for his uncaring and selfish ways led to the grief of many and his dishonesty to the death of his wife for he skint his marriage vows that he made before God In unhealthiness and in health. His wife is dead and his son is lost forever and with him any chance of ever having an heir to all his estate. In his despair Lodge sells all his farm and land and moves away only now do we realise how truly alone he has become, and all thanks to him, his materialism and conforming to what society dictates as to how he should live his life. He offers Rhoda an yearly income, as an attempt at a final reconciliation but she never accepts it and none see her again. He loses everything and is doomed to die alone, exit us later to discover that he has left all that is his to a reformatory for boys, showing how he did have thoughts and feelings regarding his son, but never had the strength to show them which is perhaps his greatest sin.Both Lodge and Rhoda isolated themselves from others and both are now even lonelier as a result of this. Gertrudes vanity may have played a part in her own undoing, represented by the extremes to which she was willing to go as she even wished for the death of a fellow man, guilty or innocent alike, but it was Lodge, and those around her, that drove her to such desperation and in the end she dies alone, in a higher place all emotionally, as her husband stands apart from her with Rhoda. The young son meanwhile, brought to his end by Gertrudes desperate wishing is always portrayed in Hardys sassy as the innocent throughout, trapped between his two parents never being truly loved or cared for always alone and always innocent.Towards the end we assume that perhaps he has got involved in a youth gang. This leads to his later arrest at the law-breaking scene showing that no father figure and role good example at all would have perhaps been better than that of a bad and unloving one who rejects him outright, he may have been innocent but he never had anyone who would stand up for him. This rejection by his father and ignorant negligence on his mothers part leads to his tragic death, similar to that of Candys wife who also remains unnam ed as they are never important to those that they should be, leaving both of them completely alone and dim.The unfortunate tragedy that we see at the end of each novel is but one of the many similarities between these two novels. As we begin, each story features two central characters, George and Lennie, Rhoda and Gertrude, around which the story unfolds. As they live their lives we are introduced to many others, each with their own individual problems and dilemmas besetting them. These unlikely friendships between our central characters ultimately end in a tragedy, first with one unknowingly causing great problems for the other and finally one must put the other out of their misery, and at the same time condemn themselves to loneliness and hopelessness yet again.In Of Mice and Men we see at the root of everyones problems the desperation to achieve and become somebody to find the American Dream. The society in which they have lived tells them that they are nothing without achievem ent, and they all agree for much of their sadness originates from this feeling of worthlessness. In George and Lennies case it drives them onwards, in search of their dream, but the others do not have the friendship that they each possess and have no hope of getting anywhere. Candy is old, crippled, with no hope of being able to work for something anymore and no hope of ever actually finding a companion as everyone forsake him each day. Crooks has nobody, he lost everything thanks to American society and the fact that the dream doesnt work if you are black, he is hopeless for all time.Curleys wife, a seemingly dangerous character of this story is isolated for just that. She has nobody bar her husband, who neither loves her nor listens, separated from others by both him and other peoples fear of the stigma that would ensure should they become her friend. She had her one chance at achieving something taken away from her many years ago. For Lennie the necessity to conform and do right by people is too much for him he can never understand and in the end this leads to his death. His fear of dislike forces him to take a life without ever intending to. It is upon Georges shoulders to end the story, for there is only one possibility he must end all his hopes, condemn himself to being alone with his guilt, every chance that they had together and those around them found upon their arrival for he must take Lennies life to save him from misery.This pressure from American society and the unbending rules on what people should and shouldnt be causes so much dissatisfaction and unrest, leaving everyone feeling hopeless and alone, that they have been brought up to believe. They thought they had a chance, and they found nothing.The Withered Arm, on the other hand, is set in a world of tradition, of British society and its harsh social structure. In everyones mind there is desperation to conform to the rules and agree that unless you are upper class, or in the case of the wo men married, you are no one.Rhoda isolates herself from all others in her desperation to become someone, Farmer Lodges wife, and be counted and in doing so sentences herself to a life of loneliness, and starts much more for many others. For Gertrude there is a desperation to be what the materialistic views of those around her tell her to be, and in her search for this she ends up isolate her self even more than before. The young son, who nobody ever really looks to care for, there is isolation of a different kind and through no fault of his own. His parents never truly acknowledge him as their son and this ultimately ends in his tragic death. For Farmer Lodge, it is his materialistic conformism that causes many problems, and he isolates himself from all others in this story until the end, where it is he and Rhoda left and doomed to each be utterly alone for their sins.