Comparison Between 'Of Mice And Men And Suitcase Lady'

Literature that stimulates the feeling of pity, sympathy and sorrow is Pathos. The two pieces of literature express pathos in different lights, showcasing a rollercoaster of emotions for the reader. John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men and Christie McLaren’s article “Suitcase Lady” both expose heartache and social inequalities to deduce the feeling of commiseration. The bleak hardship of life affirms the heartache through Lennie and the Suitcase Lady. Lennie is loyal to George and is terrified of upsetting his friend. “if George sees me talkin’ to you he’ll give me hell” (87). Lennie doesn’t understand that some of his actions are morally wrong. When George gets upset, Lennie becomes increasingly hard on himself, which causes more damage.

One obstacle is gender equality, the ranch is a “male-dominant” society where women are seen as untrustworthy. The fact that Curly’s wife is the bosses wife is the true cause of her alienation. However, the simple fact that she is a female separates her from interactions with others as seen when the men refer to her as having “the eye” (28). Here the men refer to everything they think women are – a distraction and temptation for men, instead of actual human beings. Candy is also oppressed in a social inequality as he is afraid that when he is too old to work, he will be thrown out of the “ash heap”, a victim of a society that discriminates against the disabled and has no value for age or experience. The “Suitcase Lady” portrays a different social inequality that leaves the reader feeling sympathetic. Financial Burden. “We never got along well because I didn’t bring him up. I was too poor. He never call me mama”. Financial power is alluring in more that one way; ignorance and love - the two extremes, in this case it caused the suitcase lady to loose the only person she had. It is up to others to change the perspective of people in need, rather than listening to what society says. This is seen in both Of Mice and Men with Curly’s wife and Candy and in the “Suitcase Lady”. To get power, people take it from others, this creates