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Of Mice And Men Discrimination Analysis

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Dealing With Loneliness
If you’re different, best of luck to you. In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, there are many characters who deal with discrimination. Three characters who experience this the most are Curley’s wife, Crooks, and Lennie. Curley’s wife faces discrimination because she is a woman. Crooks experiences discrimination because he is black, and Lennie is discriminated against because of his mental disability. Curley’s wife, Crooks, and Lennie all have learned to live with discrimination, but they still long to someday be accepted. Curley’s wife experiences a lot of discrimination in the novel Of Mice and Men for being a woman. In the time setting of this novel, women did not have many options or much control over their lives. Either they went into the show business or they got married and stayed at home. …show more content…

While he does have his own quarters, he feels shunned because of his color. Many people at this time period thought that blacks were dirty and lower than caucasians. Crooks has gotten used to this way of life, and so he isn’t used to having anyone who treats him as an equal. Having his own place is nice for Crooks; however, he would like nothing more than to get to live in the barracks with the other men and fit in. Sadly, as Crooks says himself to Lennie, “You go on get outta my room. I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain’t wanted in my room. “Why ain’t you wanted?” Lennie asked. “ ‘Cause I’m black” (68). As Crooks explains, his hope of fitting in is not possible, but it remains his greatest hope. Finally, Lennie is discriminated against in Of Mice and Men because he is mentally disabled. Like Crooks who is black, he has no control over this fact, but it separates him from other men and makes him feel a little isolated. It also can get him into a lot of trouble as is shown when they leave

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Lennie has the most obvious handicap, since it greatly affects his ability to function. Lennie has the mental capacity of a child, and he can’t take care of himself. Lennie loves to “pet” things, but he is unaware of his own strength. This results in a dead mouse, puppy, and eventually, woman! Lennie is enthralled by the idea of living on a farm with George, and he uses this picture-perfect image almost as a moral guide.

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459 Words | 2 Pages

Back in the 30’s, segregation was a big problem. People whose skin was colored didn’t have the same rights as white men. Crooks is isolated from the rest of the guys because he is black and he gets put into a broken old shack instead of a real bunkhouse. In this quote, Crooks feels that if the men aren’t letting him in the bunkhouse, why should he let some white man come

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877 Words | 4 Pages

This shows Crooks is treated unfairly since he is the only African American man working in a ranch full of white men. When Crooks tells Curley’s Wife to leave his room and that she doesn’t have a right to be in there, she gets angry and threatens him by saying, “Well, you keep your place then,

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He feels brought down and dehumanized. After Curley’s wife left, Candy tells Crooks that she shouldn’t have said those things. Crooks says, “it wasn’t nothing…you guys comin’ in an’ settin made me forget. What she says is true” (82). This shows that Crooks knows that even though he thought he could get a place with the other guys, he knows is would never happen, because he is black and he will always be treated

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663 Words | 3 Pages

In the Novel Of Mice and Men, there are many characters, all though not all fit in. In this book Lennie’s Mentally ill and he can’t communicate like the adult he is, Crooks is a black crippled men, and Curley’s wife is the wife of the boss is son. Lennie, Crooks, and Curley’s wife are outcast in the book “Of Mice and Men.” Lennies is an outcast in the book “Of Mice and Men,” first of all Lennie’s mentally ill and he is a social outcast.

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809 Words | 4 Pages

On the third night George and the other men go into town leaving Lennie behind with Crooks, an African American stable hand. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary prejudice is the, “an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics.” Prejudice is a major theme of Of Mice and Men, which can be seen through Lennie, Crooks and Curley’s wife. Lennie is assumed to be crazy by the other characters in the novella.

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As Lennie is a mentally slower but physically strong and George is intelligent but physically weaker, they benefit off of each other's strengths and weaknesses. Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men reveals the harmful psychological effects that alienation, whether it is self alienation or forced alienation, may generate through the characterization of Curleyś wife, Crooks, and Candy. Like many of the other characters, Crooks is forced into isolation. Crooks experiences force alienation from his fellow workers on the ranch, causing him to become obscure and astringent.

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708 Words | 3 Pages

Loneliness and Alienation in “Of Mice and Men” In John Steinbeck’s novel, “Of Mice and Men”, many characters were plagued with loneliness and alienation, and most characters were in need of acceptance. The harsh time period of the Great Depression affected three characters in, “Of Mice and Men” greatly. Three characters that are plagued by loneliness and alienation and are in need of acceptance the most include George Milton; the protagonist of the novel, Crooks; the negro stable buck with a crooked back, and Curley’s wife; a young woman who just wants somebody to talk to. In this essay, you will learn why George, Crooks, and Curley’s wife were the loneliest and why other characters were not plagued with loneliness and alienation as much as these three characters. George Milton is the protagonist of the novel.

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661 Words | 3 Pages

In Of Mice and Men Steinbeck portrays Lennie, Candy, and Crooks as outcasts, highlighting themes of isolation and discrimination. Throughout the story, the outcasts are consistently mistreated or separated from others because of their differences. Those outcasts are Lennie Crooks and Candy. Considering how Lennie is one of these outcasts portrayed in the story, it is easy to imagine how the event with Curley’s wife might’ve transpired for him. People treat Lennie differently in the story because of his mental disability, making him an outcast.

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In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, we see Lennie and George during the 1930’s traveling together. Lennie is always causing trouble which results in George having to fix his messes. It also gives us a glimpse of discrimination against basic human rights. Discrimination drastically affects the lives of groups and individuals in society.

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769 Words | 4 Pages

“‘Cause I’m black.” ( John Steinbeck, 68). In the quote since Lennie is quite as not as sharp as the other characters he doesn’t understand racial prejudice, so Crooks describes him that because he is black he is isolated from the other men, Crooks acknowledges that fact he will encounter racism, and that it is the reason he will be isolated and will not be able to change that. Crooks mentions that he isn’t wanted in the bunk house because he is black. The biggest reason we know Crooks is isolated is because of the fact that Crooks is black, he is isolated, he is separated from society, his employees, and has no power to stop or change whatsoever to keep him from being so isolated, he ends up just hallucinating things for himself to not go insane, he also will feel bitter and non-trusting of most because of racism he is dealt with everyday.

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855 Words | 4 Pages

Of Mice and Men: Loneliness “The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved” (Mother Teresa). In the book, Of Mice and Men, loneliness is one of the themes presented. This theme was shown throughout most of the characters in the book. The characters Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife show the effects of loneliness.

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720 Words | 3 Pages

Discrimination in Of Mice and Men is demonstrated by agism against Candy, racism against Crooks, and disability discrimination against Lennie. Throughout the novella Lennie, faces a tremendous amount of discrimination because of his mental disability. Lennie’s disability: It is implied that Lennie has had mental challenges since birth that have affected him throughout his life.

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1128 Words | 5 Pages

He says "S 'pose you didn 't have nobody. S 'pose you couldn 't go in the bunkhouse and play rummy 'cause you was black. " Crooks is explaining to Lennie that unlike him he doesn 't have someone to be there for him like George. He is also saying that he feels lonely that he isn 't allowed in the bunkhouse with the others. The second quote

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In the novel “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck portrays the theme of social injustice throughout the story in the lives of several characters that include Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and the stable buck, Crooks. All of these characters are mistreated in some way, shape or form. The hardships that these characters faced help guide us to see the social injustice that is prevalent in the story. Lennie is a victim of social injustice due to the fact that he is mentally disabled. He is not treated fairly when he was accused of rape.

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