Discrimination In Of Mice And Men

The novella, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck in 1937, is centered on the story of Lennie and his best friend, George. After being run off their last job, the pair go off to find another location where they can work on a new plot of land. Lennie and George have always dreamed about saving their money and moving onto a large plot of land where they can raise cattle, grow crops, and live freely. However, this is a continuous struggle for them as Lennie has a hard time coping with everyday life. George describes Lennie as having been kicked on the head by a horse as an explanation for Lennie’s mental disability. Lennie does his best to prove to George that he is able to work hard to make their dreams come true. The reality is that Lennie

He is the only black character we are introduced to, even then he is completely isolated. Crooks is kept away from all the other white people, and he wasn’t allowed to do much of anything simply because of the color of his skin. In An Analysis of John Steinbeck’s Humanistic Concern in Of Mice and Men, The author notes how Crooks can’t help but feel pity for himself whenever the white men on the farm discriminate against him. The text states, “As a black man, he suffered twofold oppression, one being of class discrimination, the other of racial prejudice… He complained that he was not wanted in the bunk house and had no chance to play with the skinners for he was black and people said he stank” (Meng, Liu 42). Crooks explains to Lennie the reasoning behind why he isn't allowed to be near the other white workers, and this quote shows how hurtful the segregation can truly be. Crooks’s character can be seen hurting internally, we notice this when he gains hope of joining Lennie and George on their soon to be dream come true. He tells Lennie that he would be happy to join them on their plot of land and claims he could be of great help. All this later gets shut down by Curley’s wife soon after she enters the room. She came in there and began to cause issues, Crooks steps in and tells her that she doesn’t have any business being in a black man's home. A quote from The Essential Criticism of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men states, “One should immediately hear the repetition of ‘rights’ in Crooks’s statement, which first occurred at the beginning of the scene when he warns Lennie that he had no ‘right’ to enter his room. Curley’s wife responds with the assumption that crooks has no rights-” (Meyer 262-263). This immediately shut Crooks down, which we later see when he tells Lennie to forget about his idea of him joining them on their new plot of land. The hurt of racism and prejudice is taking a toll on