How Does Steinbeck Use Sexism In Of Mice And Men

There are few words more loaded with history and personal connotation than racism or sexism. Whether you are using it to examine the past, explain the present, or predict the future, just using the word often draws out emotion from people of all walks of life. Though it is a sensitive topic, it is an important one. Mice and Men is the story of George and Lennie, two friends that travel from farm to farm, looking for work, in the hopes that one day they will have enough money to buy their own farm. But Mice and Men also contains a supporting cast, all of them with their own fears and desires. There is Crooks, the black stable hand, and Curley’s wife. Both of these characters face discrimination from the other people on the farm due to their race or gender. They choose to deal with this in

In Mice and Men, John Steinbeck demonstrates how racism and sexism can isolate a person and make them act in destructive ways.

Crooks sequesters himself in his room and treats Lennie poorly because of the racism he experiences and the loneliness it brings, which has made him cynical and jaded. When Lennie comes to his room, he immediately tries to throw him out, saying “ ‘You got no right to come in my room...I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain’t wanted in my room’ ” (68). When Lennie asks why, Crooks responds “ ‘Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play ‘cause I’m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, all of you stink to me’ ” (68). Crooks is rather blunt about the fact that he is unable to hang out with the other workers because of his race, which suggests that he is used to it. Being “more permanent than other men” (67) means he has