How Does Steinbeck Use Clothing In Of Mice And Men

In the novella Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses the motifs of hands and clothing to illustrate how people personally hierarchize physical and social strength, based on first impressions. When first meeting Candy and Curley’s wife, Steinbeck uses the motif of hands to illustrate their lack of social and physical strength, putting them at the bottom of the hierarchy. Candy is first introduced when sweeping and when “he pointed with his right arm… out of the sleeve came a round stick-like wrist, but no hand” (18). By specifically pointing out that Candy doesn’t have an arm during the first description, Steinbeck identifies his lack of physical strength, which in turn leads to his inability to climb socially. These weaknesses put Candy on the bottom of the hierarchy, causing others to believe he is not a threat, exemplified when George and Lennie let him in on their dream. Similarly, Steinbeck describes Curley’s wife’s “fingernails [as] red…”(31), which implies that fingernails are a symbol for lack of work. In the story, physical strength is based on working in the fields and when

Both characters are described as wearing “high-heeled boots”(25) and for the boss “spurs to prove he was not a laboring man”(20). At the time of the book (1937), high heels were common for people of power, especially those who owned plantations. High-heeled boots are symbols of superiority, as they “raise” people up to levels, especially socially. Additionally, Curley wears “a work glove on his left hand”, which is used to symbolizes protection of societal status, as Curley is elevated in the eyes of others due to his father. However, by only having one hand in a glove, Steinbeck implies that Curley’s power is superficial and without full protection. While they are protected socially, Curley and the boss lack physical power, demonstrated by Lennie crushing Curley’s