Examples Of Disobedience In Of Mice And Men

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Throughout our lives, we are faced with difficult decisions all surrounding one issue. Should I listen? Many times the answer will be yes, but sometimes we make the decision to disobey and break rules. This idea of (dis)obedience presents itself many times in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. In this book being obedient is the expected choice, but there are also times where characters make the right decision by going against the rules and by doing that they are making the right choice. First, breaking the rules is okay is when Lennie crushes Curley’s hand during an altercation between the two. Curley always had something against Lennie, but that becomes obvious in chapter 3, when Curley starts a fight with Lennie. Once he realizes what has …show more content…

Another example of disobedience connected with Curley, but this time not directly. This time it is involving Curley’s Wife. Curley is a very jealous man and tries to keep his wife from talking to other men. By chapter five, his wife can’t help herself and goes to talk to Lennie in the barn. “She knelt in the hay beside him. “‘Listen,’ she said. ‘All the guys got a horseshoe tenement goin' on. It's on'y about four o'clock. None of them guys is going' to leave that tenement. Why can't I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.’" Curley’s Wife just couldn’t stand being alone and she felt that she had to talk with someone so she went to go find Lennie. She feels trapped and she needs to talk with anyone she can. This can be proven by looking at the exact language being used. Curley’s Wife says “Why can't I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.” Usually she seems like a strong person, but when she says this, it exposes a more vulnerable and dependent side of her. Generally a married couple gets along pretty well, but it is different with Curley and his wife. Curley is such a jealous man that he can’t handle his wife talking to other people and because of that, he puts restrictions on who she can talk to. Curley’s Wife, though, is generally an independent woman and a rule breaker, but what sets her apart from the some characters in