Examples Of Institutionalized Oppression In Of Mice And Men

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. Together, they work to make the American Dream a reality. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses Lennie and his disability, Curley’s wife and her sex, and Crooks and the color of his skin to prove there is institutionalized oppression in American society. To begin, Lennie and his disability prove there is institutionalized oppression in American society. Lennie is depicted as a large man, capable of doing manual labor, but not capable of thinking for himself. Thus, George, his closest companion,

Disabled people, particularly the mentally disabled, were locked up in cages and treated as if they were dogs. The normalization of putting people in cages established, and made it okay, for the disabled to be oppressed in American society. When people with a disability are regarded as burdens and treated inhumanely by society, a system of institutionalized oppression is put into place and made okay by American society. To continue, Curley’s wife and her sex are used to prove there is institutionalized oppression in American society. Curley’s wife is the only woman on the ranch in Of Mice and Men and she is often shunned since the men consider her to be a tart. Soon after Lennie and George arrive on the ranch, Curley’s wife comes to where they are staying to see if Curley is there. After she is dismissed, the men feel the need to gossip about her nature. George says, “‘Jesus, what a tramp,” he said… “She’s purty,” said Lennie