Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
Gender's role in literature
Representation of gender in literature topic
Gender Issues In Literature
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Gender's role in literature
Representation of gender in literature topic
Gender Issues In Literature
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Fours years older than the city of Blythe, Lena Mae Fleming turned 104 on Dec. 9. Born in 1912 in Texarkana, Arkansas, Fleming was later relocated to Oklahoma, as a baby and grew up with a host of siblings. Completing school up until the 8th grade, Fleming began working early to help her mother and saving the money she earned, with hopes of one day leaving the Southwest “The first job I ever had was working as a secretary at a funeral parlor in Guthrie, Oklahoma,” Fleming said. Now residing at the Blythe Nursing Care Center, Fleming reflected back on her 104 years of life and some of the happy moments she’s encountered. Just five days after her 20th birthday, Fleming’s best friend asked her if she wanted to go to California.
Things start off well, but take a turn quickly. George and Lennie are the main characters, but some of the other characters can be deeply examined too, through different literary lenses. Curley’s wife is one of these characters, whom could be identified by many literary lenses. However, we will focus on one lens, the Gender lens.
In the classic American novel Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, power is a recurring theme. Most of the characters have direct ties to power, whether it is physical, social, economic, or intellectual. But the author balances their powers with flaws. Lennie, a main character, has a lot of physical power. Yet due to his mental disability, he does not understand the consequences of his actions.
Change Critical Decsions are made all the time wether your at school or out of school. But in this story a decison will change everything for the worse or good. The book Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck. Is about two men, Lennie and George. They are migrant workers in California.
Much like how the weather and seasons change the atmosphere of a setting, word choice and imagery can also morph and shape the mood of an environment as well. Especially in a world where there are countless numbers of words, choosing a select few to use as a description can illustrate an image in which readers can envision as they read. It can even portray a specific message or theme that the writer has in mind! On that note, authors such as John Steinbeck utilize this method in stories to establish a contrast or change within the plot. In the novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the author begins chapter one in the hot afternoon, introducing us to George and Lennie, who are looking for a fresh start-which they are not looking for when
The battle for equality has been a problem for many years. Many people have strived for many changes throughout history, which directly and indirectly changed how people treat each other. As people strive towards equality, more struggles with reference to sexism, ableism, and racism awaits. The novel takes place in the 1930s, the Great Depression. The Great Depression is the worst economic downfall in U.S. history.
America is often perceived as a country that values human rights. But on many occasions, this has been invalidated through the objectification of people of all genders, races, and backgrounds. Objectification is the act of treating a person as though they are not human but much rather an object or thing. For instance, Frederick Douglass’s aunt Hester in Narrative of the Life of a Slave by Frederick Douglass and Curley’s wife in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Objectification has caused human suffering, not just in the past but today as well.
Throughout Steinbeck’s story, Of Mice and Men Steinbeck introduces two opposite characters, George Milton and Lennie Small. These two characters show a unique friendship that can inspire others. Steinbeck puts their friendship to the test many of times. Somehow these two opposite characters continue would do anything for each other, but somehow enough may not be enough got the unlikely pair. Steinbeck shows that Lennie has some sort of brain disorder but that doesn’t stop George from being his father figure.
“She’s gonna make a mess, they’s gonna be a bad mess about her. She’s a jailbait all set on the trigger”. Of Mice and Men show’s George and Lennie’s path to their American dream. They are starting off as laborers in California in the Salina’s Valley and live in a hand-to-mouth lifestyle on a ranch. The novel portrays many male characters than female.
Of Mice and Men is John Steinbeck’s most successful early novel containing elements of social criticism shaped by this real life experience. Steinbeck drew his inspiration for the work from his experience living and working as a “bindlestiff” during the 1920’s. Instead of graduating from Stanford University, Steinbeck chose to support himself through manual labour whilst writing. His experience amongst the working classes in California lent authenticity to his depiction of the lives of the workers - who are the central characters of this novel; and the social issues that ensue. To further emphasize the loneliness of the itinerant worker Steinbeck then decides to set the novel near Soledad, California, a town name that means “Solitude” in Spanish.
“The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men.” - Alice Walker In Chapter 4 of Of Mice and Men race and gender are depicted in different ways symbolizing different character behaviors.
Therefore, when the men say that, they are basically calling a her a “slut”. Throughout the novel of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the author reveals that there were false expectations based on gender through the character of Curley’s Wife. The amount of sexism and discrimination of women was explicit. Curley’s wife just wanted to fit in without being judged.
SETTING The book Of Mice and Men is set in two different places. It begins beside a stream, near to the Salinas River, which is a few miles south of Soledad, California. It then shifts over to a ranch, where the majority of the story is set. At the end of the novel, the setting comes back to where it began.
World of Sexism Due to the Great Depression, women’s rights took a back seat to employment and poverty. It was believed that women shouldn’t work but stay at home, clean, cook, and raise their children. The prejudice against women in the society was great back in the 1930s for they were degraded and underestimated. All the rights they had gained in the 1920s were neglected and the women were once again maltreated. In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the victim of sexism is Curley’s wife who is so insignifact that even a name was not provided for her.
In the novel “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck portrays the theme of social injustice throughout the story in the lives of several characters that include Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and the stable buck, Crooks. All of these characters are mistreated in some way, shape or form. The hardships that these characters faced help guide us to see the social injustice that is prevalent in the story. Lennie is a victim of social injustice due to the fact that he is mentally disabled. He is not treated fairly when he was accused of rape.