ipl-logo

How Does Steinbeck Present The Abuse Of Power In Of Mice Of Men

680 Words3 Pages

Khoder Ali El-Hallani English11 Harseny August 23, 2023 Mice of Men Of mice of men, a novel written by John Steinbeck, tells the story of two migrant workers, George Milton and Lennie small, and their journey for a better life during the great depression. The book explores several themes, including the need for companionship, the corrupt nature of power, and the struggle for survival; Steinbeck's use of characterization and symbolism helps to bring these themes to life. One of the most important themes in the book is the need for companionship: George and Lennie's relationship, which is a tight friendship, is the centerpiece of the story, and throughout the story it is 100% clear that they rely on each other for emotional support, which …show more content…

Curley's position of power over all of the other characters gives him a sense of control/entitlement, which he abuses throughout the novel. The way Curley treats his wife, who is never named throughout the story and is only ever called “Curley's wife,” is a clear example of his abuse of power: he is possessive and jealous of her, and he uses his power of authority to separate her from all of the other characters during the story. This lack of communication with the other characters and her husband's authority, leads her to her death. The fact that she is never given a name during this whole story just adds on to help highlight the sexist attitudes during the time period of the Great …show more content…

For example, Candy, who is an old swamper, fears being fired from his job because of his age and his injury; he tells George, “I wont have no place to go, an’ I can't get no more jobs” (Steinbeck, 60). This line demonstrates the harsh reality of the time period and the constant threat of unemployment faced by all of the characters. The fact that Candy is willing to sacrifice his life savings to be a part of George and Lennies dream farm shows how desperate he is to hold on to a sense of purpose and hope. Steinbeck uses characterization and symbolism to bring all of these themes to life. For example, the character of Crooks, the stable hand, is excluded because of his race; he tells Lennie, “S'pose you didn't have nobody… S’pose you couldn't go into the bunkhouse and play rummy cause you was black” (Steinbeck, 72). This line right here highlights the racism going on during the time period of the Great Depression. The fact that Crooks is literate and has a copy of the California civil code demonstrates his intellect and education, which makes the whole situation he is in even more

Show More
Related
1142 Words | 5 Pages

The relationship between George and Lennie is like a big brother little brother situation where George protects and takes care of lennie. They both share a dream of not being the loneliest guys in the world. George is more like a caretaker for Lennie and must be like his protector, Because when George told Lennie

Read More
52 Words | 1 Pages

Steinbeck characterizes each of them through loneliness which can be seen as a neutral emotion in each of them. Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife express the outcast of privilege and power throughout the novel. Although they all share similar experiences, Crooks and Curley’s wife will suffer way more discrimination in the

Read More
578 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel Of Mice And Men by John Stienbeck, the hierarchy of the characters in Crooks’ room is Curley’s wife, Candy, Lennie, and Crooks. This is shown by the way each of these characters interact with each other. Crooks is shown to have the least power because he lost his battle with Lennie. Crooks tried to get into Lennie’s head, which worked, until Lennie became violent. Crooks, seeing that he couldn’t compete, backed off, showing that Lennie had power over him.

Read More
336 Words | 2 Pages

In the classic American novel Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, power is a recurring theme. Most of the characters have direct ties to power, whether it is physical, social, economic, or intellectual. But the author balances their powers with flaws. Lennie, a main character, has a lot of physical power. Yet due to his mental disability, he does not understand the consequences of his actions.

Read More
1160 Words | 5 Pages

Power in the Powerless The realistic fiction novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck tells the story of George and Lennie, to migrant workers trying to find work during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, and how they try to achieve their dream of a small farm. Along the way they meet intriguing characters and run into some difficulties. In the book Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows different rates of power throughout the farm, and displays these ranks through the characters George, Curley, and Crooks.

Read More
726 Words | 3 Pages

In the world there are some people who have more advantages than others because of their spot in society. Such as people with no disability have more power than disabled people. Furthermore, that is why everyone is treated differently by the outside world. In the novel, Of Mice And Men, by John Steinbeck, the characters George, Lennie, and Curley all show the use of some sort of power.

Read More
846 Words | 4 Pages

Through leadership there are always two ways to use this kind of power, the right or wrong way. Steinbeck shows this in the book called Of Mice and Men, he uses his characters to show how people can use this power and what will happen to them. But Steinbeck wants to teach the readers, that there are things which people have to worry about while using this kind of power. If the person uses this power for the wrong way, it never ends well for them. But if the person use this kind of power for good, it will end well for them.

Read More
882 Words | 4 Pages

For centuries, people have been afraid or feared of a person who has more power. While our society is not quite there yet, Mice and Men story allows readers to imagine how fear of someone who has power has been a problem with this society. It shows how a small and smart man called George and his disabled, big and huge friend Lennie and how they feared and suffered a lot with Lennies ́s disability to face other people and find a job to buy their own dream ranch. Steinbeck's message about power is that people react differently in positions of power because in Of Mice and Men readers see characters with little to no power, who responsibly use their power, and those who abuse their power.

Read More
999 Words | 4 Pages

Since I know George to be his caretaker, he handles the way he acts and how he behaves. If Lennie stuck along with George despite all of this, then George would also be seen as a criminal and many would believe that he was just as bad as Lennie. In one line in the story George says that he took Lennie in with him after the passing of his aunt, "It ain't so funny, him an' me goin' aroun' together - Him and me was both born in Auburn. I knew his Aunt Clara. She took him when he was a baby and raised him up.

Read More
1506 Words | 7 Pages

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power”. Power has the ability to test the way people behave. Power doesn’t just affect one person, it influences the behavior of others. Power has a toll on people that can affect them in a negative or positive way. John Steinbeck wrote a fictional novel, Of Mice and Men which takes place on a farm.

Read More
996 Words | 4 Pages

Steinbeck purposely chooses to present Candy’s powerlessness by describing him in a way that incites sympathy from the reader. The author depicts Candy in this particular chapter as “looking for help from face to face”, and repeats the desperation to the reader again with “Candy looked helplessly at him, for Slim’s opinions were law” (“Of Mice and Men” 45) which further depicts the relationship between the powerful and powerless, with him being the powerless. Steinbeck depicts Candy through a lens of hopelessness to help show the reader the struggle he is facing in everyday life, even within their group of migrant workers. The description of the character’s struggle is significant in helping the reader fully understand the conflict he faces in having no one to be a voice for him. By having no one that can stand up for him and being surrounded by people who believe in the social hierarchy of the workplace, he is completely defenseless against the things that happen to him, and this in turn continues Steinbeck’s desire to encourage people to be a voice for the voiceless in their times of

Read More
715 Words | 3 Pages

In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the era of the Great Depression in the 1930’s is revealed through a simple story of ranch workers who hope to improve their lives. Migrant workers, George and Lennie, have a friendship that is based on trust and protection. The other workers lack the companionship and bond that these two men have. In the novel, the absence and presence of friendship is the motivation for the characters’ actions.

Read More
977 Words | 4 Pages

Furthermore, one of the most interesting roles in the ensemble of characters is Curley’s wife: her name is never mentioned in the book, as a reminder that she feels completely anonymous and useless, since her role is not recognised by none of the other characters. Her self-obsession probably originates from her desperate and unfulfilled need of validation. Someone may argue that her character is designed only as a tool for the development of the story, but her strong personality goes beyond this function. The moment of her death is in fact the highest moment of the novella and the culmination of an ascendant climax that goes throughout the whole narration.

Read More
745 Words | 3 Pages

Does power affect your relationships? If so, is it healthy? In the realistic fiction novella Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck writes about about itinerant workers in the Great Depression in the Salinas Valley in California. There are relationships in the novella that reflect the theme power, and he writes how power plays a role in these relationships. The theme power, shown in competence, gender, and race, affects relationships.

Read More
790 Words | 4 Pages

Within the realm of mankind, it can often become difficult to escape, whether in mind or body, the bonds of cultural normalcy. Different cultures surround everyone on earth, with each managing to become ingrained into the thoughts and actions of its people. Eventually, many of these cultural aspects can become so integral to a person’s identity that it becomes difficult for them to imagine anything different. However, as demonstrated in Margaret Cavendish’s "To the Reader" section of "The Blazing World,” literature provides a path of liberation. The “Blazing World,” as she calls it, is a “world of [her] own creating,” which serves to “divert [her] studious thoughts…and to divert the reader with variety” ().

Read More

More about How Does Steinbeck Present The Abuse Of Power In Of Mice Of Men

Related Topics

Open Document