ipl-logo

Great Depression In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

733 Words3 Pages

In Of Mice and Men explores the economical and social problems people faced during the period of the Great Depression. The novel consist of two main protagonist who travel together throughout California helping each other and escaping out of bad situations. The main focus is about how dreams alter and deeply affect the perspective of reality. The idea of reality is also joined by gender and racial dynamics that affect to situation greatly. Steinbeck portrays how the social status of women is held below everyone during the Great Depression. Considering the semi-large array of characters women are held at the end of the spectrum and are not likely to be taken into consideration. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck discredits women and displays unhealthy …show more content…

Curley's wife then speaks to the men, "An' what am I doin'? Standing' here talkin' to a bunch of bindle stiffs-a nigger an' a dum-dum and a lousy ol' sheep-an' likin' it because they ain't nobody else." (77Steinbeck) Steinbeck shows how Curley's wife was set below any character in the book by showing the relationship with Crooks, Lennie, and Candy. It is significant because Crooks is a minority who is separated from everyone, Lennie has a mental handicap, and Candy who has a physical handicap and is an elder. They are all given roles on the farm and are held with even more respect than Curley's wife who is in her right minds and is physically healthy. Curley inquires about the beings of her wife Carlson then responds with, " Why'n't you tell her to stay the hell home where she belongs." (61 Steinbeck) Carlson uses a sexist remark of how women should stay at home where they belongs which is understandable to a certain degree because during the Great Depression they did not need any distractions or obstacles during their

Show More
Related

Curley's Wife Victim Essay

744 Words | 3 Pages

(Josselyn) Curley’s Wife can be mistaken for an antagonist in the story because she is only described through the men’s point of view. Workers on the ranch view her in one way: as a cause for trouble. The old sweeper, Candy, sheds his perspective on us when he describes her on page 32, saying, “Jesus, what a tramp. So that’s what Curley picks for a wife” (Steinbeck). As men arrive for work, they are flooded with the opinions of all of the existing others.

Read More

How Is Curley's Wife Presented In Of Mice And Men

445 Words | 2 Pages

She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward. “You’re the new fellas that just come, ain’t ya?”’ (Steinbeck 31). From her excessive kindness towards George and Lennie to her body language, Curley’s wife is clearly looking for attention from the men in the barn. Following her unsubtle entrance, she attempts to strike up a conversation regarding Curley’s whereabouts.

Read More

Comparing The Great Depression In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

741 Words | 3 Pages

As times flies, values change, although some infact stay the same. Furthermore, is what was really considered valuable during the Great Depression era, still valued today? The great depression was a very long economic downfall that brought forth depression, hence the name Great Depression. It started after the Stock Market Crash which resulted in a huge loss of money.

Read More

How Does Steinbeck Use The Power Lens In Of Mice And Men

780 Words | 4 Pages

Steinbeck describes Curley’s wife as followed: “...wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up... she wore a cotton dress and red mules... She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the doorframe so that her body was thrown forward... Lennie’s eyes moved down over her body, and though she did not seem to be looking at Lennie she bridled a little” (31). Curley’s wife knows that her power, her only power, lies in her beauty and her position of actually being Curley’s wife.

Read More

Who Is Curley's Wife A Victim

451 Words | 2 Pages

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck tells a story about the truth about the american dream, he describes a world where the american dream is nothing but an illusion. Steinbeck portrays this theme through his character Curley's Wife The setting of the novella is a ranch in Soledad, California. Steinbeck paints a difficult portrait of america in the 1930s, The Great Depression. Steinbeck reveals the devastating truth about The Great Depression a time when the economy was terrible and people were taken advantage. Of Mice and Men leaves the reader feeling dark and haunted by the heavy ending of the novella.

Read More

Comparing The Great Depression In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

513 Words | 3 Pages

In the realistic fiction novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, matures very distinctively all throughout the book as it allows the reader to show a unique image of how the Depression was like during the 1930’s. This novel shares a peculiar variety of behavior that people don’t see. John Steinbeck shocks the readers by relating this book with the Great Depression to show the struggle those men had to encounter in an economic depression period, and which leads them to becoming miserable and downhearted because of what they had to do in order to survive. Steinbeck uses hyperbole in the novel to shock the reader because he is able to show how the characters were like, such as the setting which engaged in many of them. In the beginning of the

Read More

Comparing The Great Depression In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

866 Words | 4 Pages

The Great Depression was a period of time where people struggled to survive like they did before the stock market crash. It was a time where some people would do insane things for a cause so little or because they were just that desperate. In John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men , the uses of character plans, character actions, and the events the occur allow for us to see how the Great Depression had an effect on the American Dream. One way John Steinbeck shows the American Dream is through the plans of his characters.

Read More

The Depression Of Women In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

146 Words | 1 Pages

1930’s the Depression of Women From physical and mental abuse to injustice, females regardless of any race or color became one of the main groups in society considered divergent and negligible--much like the discrimination that has segrated African Americans from the rest of society. In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck stresses how much men and civilization both negalted women. By using serveral senerios within the novel to show how most of the men felt and thought about Curley’s wife. Even though Curley’s wife was only a minor female character in the novel, her role as a woman was not only important to both the reader but also women. In order to show and represent the role of women Steinbeck purposely left out Curley’s

Read More

The Great Depression In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

544 Words | 3 Pages

All of us have had a time in our life when our only way of making it, the only solace we have, is a dream. Our hopes for the future, sometimes so close, we can almost touch, other times, so far away, we can never reach them. During the great depression it seemed like everyone's dreams could never be achieved, to far away to even try, but some held on to these dreams, as their only way to continue, their only way to continue fighting and living. John Steinbeck, author of the short novel Of Mice and Men made this book to show the hardships of people in the great depression. Lennie and george both have the dream of having their own place.

Read More

Curley's Wife Symbolism

939 Words | 4 Pages

Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, displays many examples of symbolism using many interesting characters. The development of the characters during this novel shows the broader trends during the historical time period of The Great Depression in America. Examples of these trends are racism, sexism, and ableism. Three integral characters for the development of these themes are Crooks, Curley’s Wife, and Candy. Mice and Men uses these characters to explore the effect of effects of systematic oppression on women, African Americans, and people with disabilities.

Read More

An Analysis Of The Great Depression In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

845 Words | 4 Pages

The dreams and aspirations of people during the Great Depression had many different barriers. Everyone during this time had hopes of a better life, but reality would always find a way to make this incredibly difficult or impossible to achieve. The Great Depression era was difficult for everyone. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck illustrates the hardships of the Great Depression through the characters broken dreams. For example, George Milton and Lennie Small's dream is to have their own property.

Read More

Human Condition In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

573 Words | 3 Pages

The book Of Mice and Men is full of puzzling examples of the human condition, from Lennie and his mental disability to Curley only caring about his social appearance. With characters like these two, the book exploits the human condition that concerns circumstances life has given you. John Steinbeck brings to life what being a laborer in the American depression meant to the men and one woman who had enough personality to stand out. Steinbeck shows the human condition of men while they survive in the American depression.

Read More

The Great Depression In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

871 Words | 4 Pages

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men portrays the migrant workers during the Great Depression, telling the downfall of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, working on a ranch, pursuing their American Dream – having their own land with rabbits, in a straightforward style. The author used not only major but also minor characters to bring out themes and reflect social issues during that time, for instance, social hierarchy, social injustice, sexism, the weak against the strong and innocence versus violence, also to foreshadow different events of the plot. First of all, the author uses the boss to illustrate the social hierarchy and injustice in the society during the Great Depression. In the novella, the boss is the one who runs the ranch and is well-dressed. He only appeared in the second chapter, interviewing George and Lennie, and acted quite generously, had a good impression in the workers mind – “he’s a pretty nice fella,” as Candy once said.

Read More

Examples Of Sexism In Of Mice And Men

1644 Words | 7 Pages

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.

Read More

The Role Of Great Depression In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

1187 Words | 5 Pages

In 1937, John Steinbeck wrote the novella Of Mice and Men. In the novella Steinbeck showed the audience how the Great Depression affected people, but in partially two men and the people around them. The Great Depression challenged many families in economic, social, and mental ways. The Depression affected family of all shapes and sizes, the annual yearly income for a family went from being an average 2,300 to being 1,500 yearly. The novella Of Mice and Men, it is about the journey of two men, George and Lennie, and how their lives are affected by the Great Depression.

Read More

More about Great Depression In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Related Topics

Open Document