All of us have seen cruelty in some shape or form: the girl crying in the corner with her notes scattered across the ground, or the notification on our phones telling us that another act of terrorism has cost many innocent lives. Cruelty also takes place in the book Of Mice and Men, in which John Steinbeck proves that people are cruel for multiple different reasons. However, none of the reasons make the abuse honest and right. The plot of the book begins during the Great Depression, with two friends, George Milton and Lennie Small. The men are exceptionally different, as Lennie is very innocent, while George is sturdy and practical. Nonetheless, they still spend all their time together, and they both take care of each other. George and Lennie …show more content…
If people want to feel powerful and controlling, they may be cruel to others to acquire more authority. In our world, many wish to have more power in their life, but do not know how to achieve it or are too afraid to obtain it. Those who do succeed, however, may accomplish their power in an unsuitable way. As witnessed in the book, many characters, such as Curley and Crooks, are ridiculed or discriminated for different reasons. Because of this, they both use their desperation for power against Lennie, viciously using him for their needs. Although Curley is the boss’s son, has a gorgeous wife, and is a successful boxer, the other men in the ranch are often unhappy about how he is always looking for his wife. They are also irritated by Curley’s short-temper, as he frequently seems to want to fight over everything. As he once again asks the guys if they have seen his wife, Carlson, Slim and Candy attack him with insults, making Curley feel less powerful. Curley wants to show the other guys that he is tough but realizes that using violence over any of them would only cause trouble. Therefore, he targets the most simple-minded person in the room: Lennie. Lennie is merely