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Discrimination In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Discrimination in society is a quotidian issue for citizens in the United States. Instances of discrimination come in many configurations with the most popular being racism. Discrimination does not disclose itself to only one person, but to a whole race and ethnicity group. John Steinbeck's short story, Of Mice and Men, displays the ongoing ideology of discrimination for people who are considered the minority through the life of Crooks with him being a man of color.
Racism has come to be one of the most frequent forms of discrimination in society. During the timeline through civilization, discrimination towards people of color has been in effect in more ways than possible. In the story Of Mice and Men, Crooks was constantly being discriminated …show more content…

This happens in more ways than imaginable. One would think school is a safe place to be for sending your child to learn and grow as an individual, but quick to find out, your child is facing discrimination inside the classroom solely because of the melanin pigmentation they have as their skin type. A mother experienced a heart wrenching reality of the disgust life offers when she found out her child has been a victim of racism and discrimination. Robert E. Lee High School located in San Antonio, Texas was a place where dreams were diminished and people of color were looked down upon such as this mothers child who obtained a darker skin complexion. The teacher found umpteen excuses to kick the child out of their classroom knowing all reasons were figments to their imagination. On a random day, this teacher felt angry towards the student and decided to once again pick on them and this time get the Division of Child Protection and Permanency phoned due to the child’s uniform being a little dirty. When asked why there was hostility and pent up anger towards the student, the teacher replied how “‘[they] don’t want this student back in [their] class ever again’” (Farmer). The school then tried to vindicate the teacher’s background by simply teaching the teacher a lesson of how discrimination is wrong. Silence rested upon this situation for the remainder of the time being. A close related situation happened to another person of color, but in the novel Of Mice and Men. A conversation between Curley’s Wife and Crooks took place which ended with them having an argument with Crooks telling her to not go into a colored man’s room anymore and that he will tell Curley about her activities. Curley’s Wife became filled with anger and called Crooks the “n” word and telling him that she can “‘get [him] strung upon a tree’” in a blink of an eye (Steinbeck 75). This was

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They think they’re on the side of the angels. They think they’re justified” (Smith 158). Lou described how people at school view her as lesser and treat her like she doesn’t belong. She shows how uneducated young minds are and how hurtful they can be. Schools teaching students about cultures and racism would deepen the understanding and such bullying would be prevented.

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In modern society, most men follow the social construct of masculinity. Although men care about other men, social norms force them to repress emotions and feelings. However, in John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, the characters George and Lennie defy this stereotype. Despite typical conventions, both men travel together and care for one another. Steinbeck uses the bond between these characters to reveal that true companionship could endure difficulties and hardships.

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In the book Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, takes place in Soledad California and follows George and Lennie. George and Lennie, who has a cognitive disability had to walk to their new job. They arrived at the Farm and meet all the men, among these people is Candy. He tells them about Curley’s wife and how flirty she is, and George tells Lannie to stay away from her. They also learn that since they were there late the boss took his anger out on an African American man named Crooks.

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Taking place in Of Mice and Men, there is a character by the name of Crooks who is an African American who is repeatedly said the n-word to. During a scene where Lennie, Crooks, and another character, Curley’s wife are having a conversation, Curley’s Wife attacks and threaten Crooks by defiantly saying, “‘Well, you keep your place then n*gger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain 't even funny,’” (OMAN 81). Calling him by the n-word, a racial slur, is the one of the most racist things one could say to an African American.

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Time period is also why Crooks is rejected- as people are racist in this time period and Crooks is black. At this time, conflict is everywhere there is jobs- For

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John Steinbeck uses Crooks, an african american man, as an example of discrimination. An example is, “’Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, all of you stink to me.”

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Also, Crooks makes a dejected call to Candy after getting harsh accusations from Curley's wife, saying, "Remember what I said about hoein' and doin' odd jobs? I wouldn't want to go anywhere similar.” Overall the objectives and dreams of many individuals who are touched by discrimination are destroyed by this powerful cause. A good example of this is the major characters in John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, who have varying physical or mental

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When Lennie, asks Crooks why he isn’t wanted he replies with, “cause I’m black.” (67) Crooks knows that because of his race, he is excluded and discriminated against, “They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black.” (67) Like Curley's wife, Crooks is very rarely called by his name. The men use other, offensive terms when talking about Crooks. They treat him unfairly solely because of his skin colour.

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Next, Curley’s wife has just called Crooks the N-word and called him nothing but a colored man. “Crooks stared hopelessly at her, and he sat down on his bunk and drew into himself” (Steinbeck, 80). Crooks was starting to feel accepted by Candy and Lennie because they were not judging him on the color of his skin, and Crooks began to feel somewhat equal. Crooks was put right back into his isolation when Curley’s wife called him the N-word making him feel discriminated against. Crooks is isolated from the rest of the characters in Of Mice and Men due to discrimination and

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The reader sees an example of this racism when Lennie goes into Crooks's barn. When Lennie went into Crooks's cabin to just talk to him Crooks snapped and said, “You got no right to come into my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in her but me.”(68) Crooks is never

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Every Time I recall these memories, It just makes me feel stronger and satisfied since it helped me to become myself .Finally,discrimination is necessary in order for an individual to achieve one’s goal. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, Discrimination is a tool used to encourage the American dream. This is evident through the character of Crooks since he has the determination to resist bigotry in order to protect his belongings. In addition one can overcome discrimination, if they have a strong support behind them.

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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.

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Executive Order 8802 Executive Order 8802 was the first federal action towards promoting equality and to prohibit employment discrimination in the US and was signed by President, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Congress of Racial Equality founded The Congress of Racial Equality is a US civil rights organisation that played a leading role in the movement and was founded in Chicago on the 20th June 1942. Its a interracial voluntary organisation founded by James Farmer.

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Another example of Crooks getting discriminated because he is black is when he and Curley’s wife are arguing. She completely shuts him down by saying how she could get anyone to lynch him at any time. Crooks can say nothing but “Yes, ma’am”. Even Curley’s wife, who is considered weak, can pick on even weaker people, like Crooks.

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In the novel “Of Mice and Men” the theme of social injustice is presented by John Steinbeck through the characters of Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Crooks. By examining the theme of social injustice one can be taught that treating someone based on their mental capability, gender, or race is wrong. Rather treat them base on the person they are on the

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