Inhumanity In Of Mice And Men

The Inhumanity Caused by Weaknesses

The author Dean Koontz once said, “...the most identifying trait of humanity is our ability to be inhumane to one another.” Although there are many hopeful aspects in people, the inhumanity of people is inevitable. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Lennie Small and George Milton discover the hardships and the hope in life as migrant workers during the Depression era. Though their hope for a better life dwindles throughout their journey, Lennie and George’s dream of owning their own farm help to distract them from their harsh reality of despondency. Steinbeck reveals the bitter nature of mankind due to weakness and vulnerability through his use of symbolism, characterization, and imagery.

Carlson complains to Slim about Candy’s dog and suggests, "Whyn't you get Candy to shoot his old dog and give him one of the pups to raise up? I can smell that dog a mile away. Got no teeth, damn near blind, can't eat. Candy feeds him milk. He can't chew nothing else" (Steinbeck 35). The indirect characterization of Carlson’s selfishness and oblivion to Candy’s feelings emphasizes Carlson’s harshness and apathy. Also, the characterization Steinbeck uses to describe Curley creates an ominous image of the savage and insecure nature of men. When George meets Curley, he is taken back by Curley’s brutish behavior towards Lennie. Candy assures George, “Curley’s like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. He’s alla time picking scraps with big guys. Kind of like he’s mad at ‘em because he ain’t a big guy” (Steinbeck 26). Curley is prejudice towards all tall men only because he is insecure about his own height. By abusing his power to be cruel towards Lennie, who is innocent, he believes he is affirming his masculinity. Therefore, the characterization of Carlson and Curley illustrate that selfishness and lack of confidence lead to the cruelty of

When Curley is first introduced to Lennie and George, “He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie. His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. His glance was at once calculating and pugnacious” (Steinbeck 25). Steinbeck develops this image because it portrays how Curley is intimidated by George and Lennie and, therefore, has menacing and bitter actions toward them without knowing them yet. To add on, Crooks finds it fun to make Lennie scared by asking him what if George does not come back from town. The narrator says, “Crooks pressed forward some kind of private victory… Crooks’ face lighted with pleasure in his torture” (Steinbeck 70). By continuing to frighten Lennie about losing George, his only friend, The image Steinbeck creates describes Crooks maliciousness by continuing to frighten Lennie about losing George, the only friend he has. Instead of stopping when he sees the terror he has brought to Lennie, Crooks finds joy in Lennie’s suffering. To summarize, the imagery implemented into the novel helps illustrate the wicked nature of Crooks and Curley.

Throughout the novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck’s use of symbolism, characterization, and imagery demonstrate the cruel instincts of mankind. Man’s cruelty to man is and will be prevalent in society, therefore Steinbeck’s