Argumentative Essay On Of Mice And Men

People are naturally biased, meaning they are uncomfortable with events that contradict societal norms. This shows very strongly in the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck where the story highlights Lennie who has special needs, and the controversy surrounding how he is being accused of raping a girl in Weed, the town they had to flee, and towards the end Lennie suffocates and kills Curley’s wife. While some critics contend that the novel Of Mice and Men does not exhibit the literary merit that the conclusion of the novel and the general rhetoric of the story elicits a complex discussion and does not end in a cliche. However, the novel Of Mice and Men definitively shows literary merit through the discussion of people with mental disabilities,

For example, Crooks, a black man, is in his own home and is not with the rest of these guys at the pub playing cards. His rationale behind this action is “they stay I stink” and “they play cards… but I can’t play because I’m black” (Steinbeck 68). This discussion of racism in the story brings out a discussion of how a reader reading this passage would naturally find the other white characters' treatment of Crooks revolting. In the majority of the story Of Mice and Men “Lennie’s character is portrayed in a way that evokes strong emotions from the reader” his actions exhibit an “innocent and childlike behavior, coupled with his impulsive actions and tragic consequences” this then creates an “emotional response… and engages the reader on a deeper level than just a simple fictional story” (“Intellectual Disability”). During the course of the story the character Lennie is shown to have the characteristics of a child like impulsive actions and emotional immaturity, this then contributes to the discussion of how people with mental disabilities are portrayed in stories. Over the course of the novel, John Steinbeck, carefully crafts his rhetoric so that it shapes the public to “[have] its sympathies turned towards the perpetrator” in the case of Of Mice and Men the story paints a picture “that is sympathetic to autistic filicide” and shows George “overwhelmed by Lennie” and depicts “murder as an act of mercy” (“Is Lennie a Monster?”). Of Mice and Men also demonstrates a negative tone towards people with mental disabilities when it tries to justify the murder of Lennie at the hands of George. This shows how people thought of people suffering from autism and other intellectual disabilities at the time and evokes a strong emotional response from the reader. Overall, In the story Of