The Significance of Discrimination in Of Mice and Men “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite”, said Nelson Mandela. Oxford Languages defines discrimination as the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of ethnicity, age, sex, or disability. This is evident in John Steinbeck's 1937 novella Of Mice and Men, which narrates the experience of George and Lennie, two displaced migrant ranch workers who migrate from place to place in California in search of a new job during the …show more content…
An example that demonstrates this is when George said “I used to have a hell of a lot of fun with 'im. Used to play jokes on 'im 'cause he was too dumb to take care of 'imself. But he was too dumb even to know he had a joke played on him. I had fun. Made me seem God damn smart alongside of him. Why he'd do any damn thing I tol' hits. If I tol' him to walk over a cliff, over he'd go”(Steinbeck 40). Although George is Lennie’s closest friend he still took advantage of Lennie for his own needs but later stopped, whilst Lennie was unable to comprehend what was happening. Despite the fact that discrimination against him is not as prominent as it is against other characters, it is nonetheless emphasized in several parts throughout the narrative. He is also perceived as a strong and unintelligent guy, for which he is harassed and criticized, notably by Curley, who is the perfect symbol for stereotyped males of this era; who attacks and teases strong, physically, and mentally disabled individuals. As a result of his prejudice towards his physical appearance and mental ability, Lennie feels vulnerable when confronted with people other than
Of Mice and Men is a short novella by John Steinbeck that illustrates the ranchers in the West during the Great Depression. It describes the loneliness, companionship, the impossibilities of the American Dream, and oppression of the ranchers in the state of California. Among them were two migrant workers named Lennie and George. While George is a quick-witted character who is a companion of Lennie and helps to solve a lot of problems in his daily life, Lennie is an ignorant character who can be better understood through looking into his thoughts, his interaction with others, and his actions.
Throughout the novella, Steinbeck writes that George and Lennie cannot sustain a job because of Lennie's impulses. Although George does his best to control Lennie's impulses, he cannot always supervise him to do so. He is lenient when Lennie goes to the barn and pets the puppies, but that decision is proven harmful. In "Harvest Gypsies," Steinbeck claims that lower-class people, specifically migrant workers, are treated like dirt because of their social status and physical appearance. Similarly, in Of Mice and Men, George, a migrant worker, travels with Lennie to find work, only to be mistreated by those with a higher social status.
Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is an intriguing and captivating piece that captures America’s history. Throughout the text, Steinbeck demonstrates how multiple prejudices can affect contrasting characters in the 1930’s. Lennie Small and George Milton, a pair of bindlestiffs, witness the discrimination throughout the course of the novel. George cares for Lennie, who is mentally challenged, and once Lennie’s onerous actions increase, George makes the formidable decision to abruptly end his life. The characters in the story are faced with internal and external conflicts.
In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck conveys prejudice through how people act differently based on their relationships and the setting. Of Mice and Men is based during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, when jobs were scarce, as proven by Lennie, Crooks and Curly’s Wife: They all are rejected for different reasons. This makes people have fewer bonds with each other, as stated from the boss when George and Lennie show up. He says “well I've never seen one guy care so much for another guy.” (Pg 22) Which demonstrates that bonds like these are not common during this time.
Institutionalized Oppression and Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men Of Mice and Men is a novella written by John Steinbeck, and award-winning American novelist. Born in 1902, Steinbeck was raised in California’s Salinas valley which, in later years, greatly influenced his writing. Steinbeck’s seventh published book, Of Mice and Men, follows an unlikely pair of male migrant workers. One man, George, small and logical; the other man, Lennie, large yet lacking wit.
John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice And Men, follows the lives of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, who experience hardships and difficulties due to their status. With the alternate text “The Harvest Gypsies” by John Steinbeck, parallels between the lives of George and Lennie, their peers, and migrant workers are revealed. In Of Mice and Men the two protagonists face challenges while trying to survive, revealing the similarities between real-life migrant workers. After facing many hardships, parallels are highlighted between real-life migrant workers and migrant workers in Of Mice and Men. The difficulties of isolation and the image they are perceived as ultimately reveal how one’s opinion truly affects others, resulting in the unfulfillment
Ella Lipscomb English 9 Dr. Reuter Tuesday March 21st, 2023 Oppression in the novel: Of Mice and Men The realistic fiction novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is about two men, George and Lennie, that work at a ranch with many other men and one woman. Crooks is the only African American in the book and he works in the stable. The only woman is one of the worker’s wives. Lennie has an intellectual disability and Candy, another worker, has a physical disability. In his novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck argues that oppression can come in many forms and impact anyone.
This rank is fairly and justly founded on the basis that many individuals and groups have come out to denounce the book. Even from the beginning, the reader is aware that Lennie, is characterized as not as intellectually apt as the rest of the characters. George, the cohort, friend, and caretaker of Lennie stated that before he and Lennie were friends, he would play cruel jokes and pranks on him; “I used to have a hell of a lot of fun with 'im. Used to play jokes on 'im 'cause he was too dumb to take care of 'imself. But he was too dumb even to know he had a joke played on him” (Steinbeck 19). The pinnacle of his former cruelty is when George inadvertently causes the near death of Lennie by asking him to jump in the river knowing that Lennie would willingly comply.
Mice and men essay Our society tends to disregard the need to have an open mind. This has caused our current perspective to be tainted with discrimination. In the novel Of Mice and Men, Discrimination is present when an individual accepts appearance rather than personality. This present through the character of Crooks, who choose to comply to racism.
His need of someone smart is important for him to function in his everyday life. An example of this would be, “Lennie said, "’I thought you was mad at me, George.’" "’No,’" said George. " ’No, Lennie, I ain't mad. I never been mad, and I ain' now.
But he was too dumb even to know he had a joke played on him.” (40) This shows that George used Lennie’s mental disability to amuse himself, completely disrespecting Lennie as a person and making himself feel more powerful. A third example of this from the book is where Curley’s wife says to Crooks “Well you keep your place then, Nigger.
Natalia Katsiashvili Iris J. Crankfield Honors English 9 4A 23 January 2023 Of Mice And Men Critical Lens Essay Of Mice and Men, a novella by John Steinbeck uses disability as a catalyst so the readers can understand the importance of Ableism during the 1930s. George Milton and Lennie Small, two migrant workers who travel from place to place in California in hopes to find a new job to survive. It’s hard for them to find a job as Lennie is mentally disabled which causes some roadblocks in the process. This story was written during the Great Depression in the 1930's.
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is a story about discrimination due to someone being different in any way. The reader learns how people were treated and discriminated in 1930s during the great depression. This is important because this issue continues even to this day. This problem has been around for a very long time. Steinbeck uses Archetypes,Symbolism, and Setting to convey the theme of discrimination.
With Lennie’s mental disability, fending for himself is not always possible thus he has to rely on George’s help for everyday tasks. “‘What you gonna say tomorrow when the boss asks you questions? … I ain 't gonna… say a word’” (Steinbeck 15). This quote exemplifies Lennie’s dependency on George.
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