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Gender stereotyping in of mice and men
Gender ineqaulity of mice and men
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Gender stereotyping in of mice and men
Gender ineqaulity of mice and men
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In such time of the Great Depression and gender equality, this novel presents the character of sexism, Curley’s wife, to show how her dreams has been achieved through death. During her talk with Lennie, she tells him that she “‘[...]never get[s] to talk to nobody [and that she] get[s] awfully lonely’” (Steinbeck 86). Even though she is depicted as a flirtatious, “‘[...]purty [...] bitch’”, her true life was lonely and segregated from the male ranchers (Steinbeck 32). Steinbeck applies this paradox in the story to picture the reader about how a character’s identity can either encourage or ruin his or her reasons to live and achieve a future.
John Steinbeck’s presents Curley’s wife in a way that comes off as she is being abused. In Of Men and Mice Steinbeck clearly portrays Curley’s wife as a victim and not a villain, as others would see her. She is abused by Curley, mistreated by the other men on the ranch, and she is treated like she does not exist with no respect or value. Curley’s wife is a victim because Curley her husband, abuses and mistreats her.
This shows that men and women should be equally treated, regardless of your gender. One example of a person who is treated unequally because of their gender is Curley’s wife, a character in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Curley’s wife is the only woman on the ranch and is isolated. Her husband, Curley, is never with her and does not respect her. No one wants to talk to her or be around her since she is a woman.
The Marginalized: Curley's Wife Have you ever felt the extreme sexist challenges of being a woman? The irrational fear of differing from your peers and being judged on the basis of what sex you were born as, as "the bard of femininity," is on your shoulders, you are being objectified solely for the fact that you are female. In John Steinbeck’s 1937 novella Of Mice and Men, the author uses the themes of loneliness, isolation, and sexism to explore the theme of the marginalization of women in this time and how it leads to extreme dissociation, self-harm, and pain. Steinbeck's character Curley's Wife in Of Mice and Men exclusively represent women's marginalization because she is depicted as a tramp, and most people back then wouldn't
Often, one’s social climate, including but not limited to the relationships that may exist in it, heavily influence one’s behavior. In John Steinbeck’s historical fiction novel, Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife’s relationship with her husband impacts her behavior around employees of the ranch. Examples of this include her flaunting, arrogance, and sensitivity and these qualities offer insight about Steinbeck’s beliefs and opinions relating to women. Firstly, Curley’s wife often flaunts around the employees because of her relationship with Curley.
Prejudice against women and gender equality are common controversies exhibited through various forms, such as in literature, everyday society, and multimedia, regardless of the time period. In literature, misogyny is often a topic that is discussed or incorporated. In the novella, Of Mice and Men, the author, John Steinbeck, portrays misogyny in the 1930’s through the creation of a character named Curley’s wife. When the male ranch workers converse about Curley’s wife, George warns Lennie, “I don’t care what she says or what she does. I seen ‘em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jailbait worse than her.
In Steinbeck’s book, Of Mice and Men, Curley's wife didn’t receive a name, or a title other than “Curley’s wife”. This shows that John Steinbeck thought of her as less than Curley and the other characters, who mostly were male, not only dominating the world of work, but literature as well. Curley’s wife was left vulnerable not only due to her gender, but her poverty level. Some people explain misogyny as a term that it is difficult to spell and effortlessly easy to practice. Steinbeck demonstrated and verified this quote, as he was a fantastic author, yet he used incorrect grammar, which some discredit him for, and he was seen as sexist.
Of mice and men is a novella written by John Steinbeck and published in 1937. It follows 2 migrant workers, George Milton and Lennie Small as they begin working as farm hands on a ranch close to a small town called Soledad durning the great depression. Of mice and men is a novella set almost 100 years ago, but some of the problems that are faced in the story are still an issue today. This essay will focus on the misogyny and victim blaming shown in Of mice and men and how it still relates to today. Misogyny is extremely prevalent in this book.
People need to take responsibility for the issues that they or someone else may have caused. If no one takes responsibility for issues then the issue will get worse. Even if the person does not have an affect on the issue, it may affect them in the long run. Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men, and sexism in the work place are both affected by the responsibility someone takes for certain issues. If we do not take responsibility for issues bigger than ourselves, then it may turn into a more serious issue or it may not get accomplished.
One way writers get readers to understand their points is by use of symbols. The author John Steinbeck in his book Of Mice and Men used two characters, Curley’s wife and Crook to symbolise sexism and racism. In the story one of the workers at the ranch is called Curley and he has a wife. In the novel she is always called by Curley’s wife and we never know her name. “ Looking in was Curley’s wife” (87)
Therefore, when the men say that, they are basically calling a her a “slut”. Throughout the novel of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the author reveals that there were false expectations based on gender through the character of Curley’s Wife. The amount of sexism and discrimination of women was explicit. Curley’s wife just wanted to fit in without being judged.
World of Sexism Due to the Great Depression, women’s rights took a back seat to employment and poverty. It was believed that women shouldn’t work but stay at home, clean, cook, and raise their children. The prejudice against women in the society was great back in the 1930s for they were degraded and underestimated. All the rights they had gained in the 1920s were neglected and the women were once again maltreated. In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the victim of sexism is Curley’s wife who is so insignifact that even a name was not provided for her.
From Sexism to Social Reformation Many actions and ideologies of the characters in The Taming of the Shrew create an overarching conflict between comedy and sexism for most readers. Specifically, the relationships between the men and women introduce controversial topics such as obedience and love which must be questioned thoroughly. The conditions of Petruchio and Katherine’s marriage was more “traditional” in the sense that it was primarily patriarchal, and that Kate was expected to be subservient and obedient. While this is sexist, on the surface, this was not the intended meaning behind the works.
In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck portrayed a political statement by looking at mental and physical disabilities through different characters such as Curley's Wife, Crooks, and Lennie. Curley's wife is used to represent how women were treated during the 1930’s and almost treated with a disability. Women were portrayed as the help and they were supposed to stay home and work while the strong brave men went out and got money to support the family. By Steinbeck not giving Curley's wife a name he is showing how she is connected to Curly with an Invisible rope.
Aforementioned, Curley 's wife represents discrimination towards women, she is constantly looked down upon and isn 't treated with respect. However, when she is talking to Crooks, “‘Well, you keep your place then, n*****. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain 't even funny,’”(OMAM 81). Crooks and Curley 's wife go through something similar. They are both discriminated based on a difference that the other men on the farm don’t have.