Examples Of Allegory In Of Mice And Men

During the 1930s, the United States was ravaged by the Great Depression, a time of economic downfall. The entire population was an uneven social pyramid, the higher class citizens strived, while the lower class citizens were left to struggle, and the competition was fierce. Fifty percent of African Americans were unemployed, and those who were employed had wages 30% less than those of white people. People with disabilities were considered second class citizens and were given practically no rights. Some were just left alone to die. This was a time where the only way to succeed was the survival of the fittest. In the book, Of Mice and Men, migrant workers, George and Lennie, receive a sample of society in the 1930s and how the superior reign above the inferior. The author, John Steinbeck’s, use of allegory represents the constant struggle during the great depression, the reader will notice that the lower class citizens get, abused, pushed around and are taken advantage of by those who

Crooks would say things like, “S’pose George don’t come back no more. S’pose he took a powder and just ain’t coming back.” and, “ They’ll take ya to the booby hatch. They’ll tie ya up with a collar, like a dog”(72). In the quotations, Crooks is just playing a little joke on Lennie because he knows that he won’t know how to respond because he is mentally disabled. Even Crooks feels that he is more superior than Lennie, so he mocks him with his dependence for George. Lennie is treated with such disrespect just like most of the mentally disabled in the 1930s. Crooks, along with most people, consider Lennie a second class citizen, which apparently gives them the right to ridicule and bully him. Lennie, although having a lot of challenges, isn’t the only character who is disabled in a way. Candy, the swamper, is also handicapped and doesn’t have it easy because of