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How Does Steinbeck Present The Theme Of Racism In Of Mice And Men

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INTRODUCTION John Steinbeck, the author of the 1937 classic novella, efficaciously explores the societal dynamics of the 1930’s America by delving into various thematic concerns and ideologies that were relevant to the intolerant society that existed back then. Of Mice and Men tells the tale of two migrant ranch workers, George and Lennie, who move from place to place in search of job opportunities during The Great Depression and the rise of the American Dream. The story details the friendship between the two as well as their experiences at their workplace and hardships they face. Steinbeck’s effective use of literary devices coupled with characterisation helps to establish ideas relating to racism, disability and The American Dream. With …show more content…

PARAGRAPH 1 - Racism Steinbeck’s thematic concern of racism is cleverly presented by the notion that racism is a never ending cycle that continues to have long lasting negative ramifications. With the Jim Crow Laws created to legalise segregation between white and coloured people, America was at its heights of racism. He primarily presents this through the character Crooks, a black stable buck who has to lives by himself because he is not allowed in the bunkhouse due to the colour of his skin. Steinbeck uses Crooks to show the effects of discrimination towards coloured people, for example, In chapter 4, Lennie asks Crooks why he ain’t wanted and Crooks responds, “Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I'm Black. They say say I stink. Well I tell you, you all of you stink to me.” This dialogue is overt in showing the discrimination

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In the 1930s with the Great Depression affecting millions of people in America, it was common to see immigrant’s working on agricultural labor. John Steinbeck, a great writer of the 20s, portrays the suffering of what an immigrant agricultural worker went through better than any other writer of the time. Publish in mid 1930s, Of Mice and Men tells the story of two immigrant workers, Lennie and George, and their experience of working in the fields of Salinas Valley of northern California. Throughout the novel Steinbeck vaguely tells the readers, through the protagonist Lennie and George, an unrealistic American Dream. It comes to the question of how far-fetched was George and Lennie’s American dream?

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Both Of Mice and Men and The Pearl are literary pieces from the author John Steinbeck. One (OMAM) contains two main characters, George and Lennie who are two people living in the Great Depression just trying to make a little money by working on a farm. Lennie is big in stature but due to a mental disability, needs assistance from George just to do basic tasks. On the other hand, George is a small, skinny man who took it upon himself to take care of Lennie after his aunt died.

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Natalia Katsiashvili Iris J. Crankfield Honors English 9 4A 23 January 2023 Of Mice And Men Critical Lens Essay Of Mice and Men, a novella by John Steinbeck uses disability as a catalyst so the readers can understand the importance of Ableism during the 1930s. George Milton and Lennie Small, two migrant workers who travel from place to place in California in hopes to find a new job to survive. It’s hard for them to find a job as Lennie is mentally disabled which causes some roadblocks in the process. This story was written during the Great Depression in the 1930's.

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In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck conveys prejudice through how people act differently based on their relationships and the setting. Of Mice and Men is based during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, when jobs were scarce, as proven by Lennie, Crooks and Curly’s Wife: They all are rejected for different reasons. This makes people have fewer bonds with each other, as stated from the boss when George and Lennie show up. He says “well I've never seen one guy care so much for another guy.” (Pg 22) Which demonstrates that bonds like these are not common during this time.

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John Steinbeck's ‘Of Mice and Men’ is a novella that discovers the ideas of what makes us human and the desire all have for dignity. It also discusses chasing the impossible dream and the consequences of doing so. These characters are timeless with each having a unique identity. This text was set during the Great Depression and discusses the economic/employment crisis as well as the casual racism of this period. This dehumanises the quality of life of those who don’t fit the status quo of wealth or land.

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In the novella, Of Mice and Men, the author John Steinbeck illustrates a ranch in the 1930’s during the great depression where those who fit into mainstream society run the show, and those deemed “outcasts” are rendered useless. Steinbeck depicts characters with setbacks that diminish their value in the eyes of society, and contrasts them to characters that have no difficulties conforming to the norm. Crooks, being a black man isolated by his race, and Candy, a elderly man limited by his age and missing limb are examples of Steinbeck characters that experience hardships because of the differences. The poor treatment of Crooks and Candy by the other characters, and their chronic unhappiness in a place that doesn’t value them, comments on how

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John Steinbeck wrote the novella “Of Mice and Men” in the 1930s and featured hindering social barriers which were prevalent at that time. “Of Mice and Men” entails two migrant ranch workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, moving to their new work in Soledad. Their friendship was unique. George acted as Lennie’s guardian despite not having been educated. George felt the sense of responsibility towards Lennie because Lennie is mentally challenged.

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Black men, women black and white, people with disabilities have been victims of discrimination. For a long time people were even going threw it, it was even going on during the great depression. In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck there are a few examples of how people were discriminated in that time. By examining the characters Lennie,Crooks, and Curleyś wife in of Mice and Men it is clear that there was discrimination on the ranch and it affected many lives negatively.

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For example, when Crooks, a black migrant worker, stands up for himself, he is shot down by Curley’s wife as she says “Well, you keep your place then, N****r. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny” (Steinbeck 81). When Crooks tries to be seen as an individual with his own authority, he is placed down. Curley’s wife sees him as inferior to herself and so do other characters in the novella. This places more emphasis on the hardships migrant workers face, constantly being treated like nothing.

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Have you ever been left out of stuff or pick/bullied because of how you look or your skin color? The reason I’m asking you this question is that i 'm going to be talking about characters that were left out of stuff or can’t really do anything because of their race or skin color. There 's a reason I 'm trying to get to you is that it’s unfair that they 're getting treated this way because of this. The second reason is to prove that there is racial treatment and people getting left out happening even in the in the country. This is a girl called, well, we don’t know her name

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Similarly Steinbeck introduces a character who has a physical disability, but he is judged because he is African American. With this in mind, John Steinbeck introduces Crooks to bring forth the idea that racism was still happening during this time period. Steinbeck provides visual imagery by station, “Crooks' bunk was a long box filled with straw, on which his blankets were flung”(Steinbeck

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1291 Words | 6 Pages

John Steinbeck’s book Of Mice and Men was set during the Great Depression, where it featured two protagonists through their journey to achieve their dreams. However, the minor supporting characters were the ones who suffered from social discrimination because of the historical, economic, and political forces during that period.

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856 Words | 4 Pages

(77) He is angry because the only private thing he has is his room which is in the barn, now that is being invaded by Lennie. Indirectly Steinbeck is saying that Crook can be compared to an animal as his room is the barn, symbolising the stereotyping and inequality of the society. In relation to the history of slavery, when the Great Depression the role of African Americans and women in society had been pushed back to the marginalised ways of the 1700s. In conclusion the statement to be validated is correct as the society has a feudal system where white men are on top and women not considered wise or equal. African Americans considered no more than animals’ life is tremendously difficult, making dreams out of

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John Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men, is a compelling story that has captured and embodied the struggle and loneliness felt by many during the Great Depression. While desire for the American Dream is prominent in the novel, Steinbeck is able to demonstrate the wants from different social classes through the construction of characters such as George Milton and Curley’s wife. With these characters, Steinbeck successfully displays the difference in ideas, values and attitudes of certain social classes in the 1930’s and the illustrates the rarity of achieving the American Dream. Steinbeck wrote this novel during the Great Depression, when America was suffering greatly by the disastrous crash of the stock market. From this point in time, separation of the different classes became

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In the novel “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck portrays the theme of social injustice throughout the story in the lives of several characters that include Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and the stable buck, Crooks. All of these characters are mistreated in some way, shape or form. The hardships that these characters faced help guide us to see the social injustice that is prevalent in the story. Lennie is a victim of social injustice due to the fact that he is mentally disabled. He is not treated fairly when he was accused of rape.

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