Who is the loneliest character in Of Mice and Men?

While it's difficult to say who the loneliest character in the novel is, there are two prime candidates: Curley's wife and Crooks.

In order to show why these two are better candidates for loneliest than the others on the ranch, it's important to look at how Curley's wife and Crooks are different than the others. The most obvious way in which these two are different is the fact that they are not white males. Curley's...

While it's difficult to say who the loneliest character in the novel is, there are two prime candidates: Curley's wife and Crooks.

In order to show why these two are better candidates for loneliest than the others on the ranch, it's important to look at how Curley's wife and Crooks are different than the others. The most obvious way in which these two are different is the fact that they are not white males. Curley's wife is the only woman in the novel, and Crooks, "the negro stable buck," is the only black man in the novel. The others are all able to have at least a little bit of company. Crooks says the major difference between him and the other men perfectly in Chapter 3 of the novel: "They play cards in [the bunkhouse], but I can't play because I'm black. They say I stink."

As the only woman in the book, Curley's wife suffers a similar type of loneliness that Crooks suffers from. While she is married to Curley, the boss's son, she seems to have no relationship with the man. Near the end of the novel, she tells Lennie she doesn't like being around her husband because "He ain't a nice fella."  She is always looking for him while he is always looking for her. There is not one part of the novel when the two are seen together. She deals with her loneliness in looking for comfort from the other men. She goes into the bunkhouse and into Crooks's stable to flirt. The men call her a "tart," but "lonely" seems to be a more appropriate term for her in these instances.

While each of the white men in the novel suffer from a type of loneliness, they all have each other. Even George seems to find friendship with Slim in the few pages that occur after he shoots Lennie. 

Even though the extent to which Crooks and Curley's wife experience loneliness is abundant, I would probably argue that Curley's wife is the loneliest character. While Crooks is not allowed in the bunkhouse with the white men, he is allowed to mingle with them outside. He is needed on the ranch. Curley's wife, however, is not needed. Curley goes to whores instead of going to his wife and the other men on the ranch are afraid to talk to her. Instead, the only person on the ranch who is willing to be around her turns out to be the same person who kills her.