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How Does Steinbeck Treat Women In Of Mice And Men

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Our world has a way of defining who and how someone should act or look like. Prejudging is the crucial theme that is portrayed in Of Mice and Men. John Steinbeck shows how women, specifically Curley's wife, was treated and seen through the men's thoughts of what Curely’s wife was like to them. The book Of Mice and Men was written in the early 1900’s, and this was a point in time where women were devalued if they didn’t fit peoples standards. In today’s society, if women dress or look a certain way they will automatically be judged. In an online article it states, “women feel that sexism is so widespread in our today’s society that it affects their lives'', and this ranges from teenagers and adults because they are so used to the expectations …show more content…

In the article “Harvest Gypsies'' by John Steinbeck, he explains how migrant workers are treated terribly because they are seen as “ignorant dirty people and carriers of diseases” (“Harvest"). Furthermore, Steinbeck mentions that even though migrant workers have had a big impact in helping our community, people simply will not bother and still have their judgment towards them. Steinbeck reveals the significance of how people will judge a person based on where they come from or what they portray. Moreover, migrant workers aren’t the only type of people that are solely judged based on what they represent. In the novella “Of Mice and Men '', the bunkhouse men judge Curley’s wife because she represents a “tramp” in their eyes. Her true intention was to find someone to befriend who would listen to her because she felt lonely and isolated, but everytime she tried to befriend one of them it ended in cold nasty …show more content…

The men feel she has the power to end their future or interfere with their jobs since she’s a woman that is married to the boss's kid. At times, she does flaunt her power by using it against some of the barn members to make sure they realize she has the power over them. For example, she would tell Lennie to speak when spoken to or threaten Crooks when he tried speaking up. Although that may seem abusive to use that much power, she uses it as a coping mechanism to get her husband's attention. She is silenced and no one feels the need to listen to what she has to offer, so her power is out of anger not in desire to ruin these men's lives. Steinbeck's deeper meaning demonstrates that Curley’s wife is a major factor in the showcase of loneliness and isolation and that she isn’t a small role in the

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931 Words | 4 Pages

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.

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1254 Words | 6 Pages

John Steinbeck’s 1937 historical fiction novella, Of Mice and Men, is filled with issues that are still current today, and in the story, he hints at his own belief set. Some topics found in the book, which was set during the United States’ Great Depression, discussed sexism, prejudice, and friendships. These can be and are as difficult to discuss approximately eighty years later. Throughout the story, characters who are prejudice use victims to make themselves feel better about who they are, showing their own insecurities about their position. Steinbeck shows this idea, people’s way of expressing insecurities, throughout the book.

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670 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel Of Mice and Men and the 1930s in general people were brutally judged and treated differently because of the color of their skin and what gender they were. John Steinbeck shows elements of how race and gender are obstacles into the American Dream through Curley's wife and Crooks, a colored stable buck. Steinbeck uses the 1930s as a backdrop of a society infiltrated with racism and sexism, obstructing their characters path to achieving the American Dream. Steinbeck’s novel stands as a testament to the societal change present now where racism and sexism has progressed for the better.

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3550 Words | 15 Pages

The Dehumanisation and Mistreatment of Women in the 1930s as Reflected by the Characterisation of Curley’s Wife It is the 1930s, an era of desolation and regression; there is a growing influx of antagonistic archetypes of women represented in media and an even stronger re-emergence of traditional gender roles in real life. John Steinbeck contributes to this phenomenon in his novella, Of Mice and Men. The author offers a range of diverse characters that rely on exaggerated and controversial caricatures of human nature. This is certain for one character who is known only in reference to her husband: Curley’s wife.

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255 Words | 2 Pages

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.

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1216 Words | 5 Pages

It shows how even people who really don’t need to react badly to something, will react bad just because they can. It shows how we as humans always need to be careful about how we react to stuff and who we deal with. A great example of this in the book is when Lennie first grabs the girl's dress in Weed. Really by grabbing it he did nothing to her, but she reacted badly. This, in my opinion, is a different situation than with Curley’s wife.

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1000 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout history women have struggled to find independence and freedom, in Of Mice and Men Curley's Wife is treated as an object. The men on the ranch treat her as

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965 Words | 4 Pages

Lennie, Crooks, and Curley’s wife are characters from John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men whose struggles with his mental disability, racial discrimination and gender discrimination lead to broken dreams

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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

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151 Words | 1 Pages

During the era of The Great Depression, African-Americans and women had major impact on their lives. In Steinbeck’s novel, “Of Mice and Men” he had portrayed discrimination through two characters, Crooks and Curley’s wife. Both characters somehow have a relation with each other. For example, they were discriminated and felt like they did not belong in the ranch. Though Crooks was discriminated because of his skin colour and Curley’s wife was victimize because of her gender.

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913 Words | 4 Pages

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.

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864 Words | 4 Pages

Sometimes, it even overpowers the very structure itself of the novella. Characters such as Candy, Crooks and Curley’s wife are all subjects to it. John Steinbeck himself was largely analysing the lifestyles of migrant workers, and while doing so, found inspiration for ‘Of Mice and Men’. He portrays his knowledge by isolating certain characters in the novella.

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973 Words | 4 Pages

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.

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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.

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513 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel “Of Mice and Men” the theme of social injustice is presented by John Steinbeck through the characters of Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Crooks. By examining the theme of social injustice one can be taught that treating someone based on their mental capability, gender, or race is wrong. Rather treat them base on the person they are on the

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