How Does Steinbeck Present The Theme Of Power In Of Mice And Men

In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck power is revealed in multiple ways. Power is shown as an ultimate decider in who is respected and left out. The many different characters show their power and how they gain it, in various ways which is demonstrated throughout the novel. Power can sometimes be visible to the reader and sometimes can be hidden. Ultimately, power can decipher who you are, how much respect you receive, and where you stand among others financially, morally or socially.

A more abstract power that becomes clear is Financial power which is seen throughout the novel, especially through the Boss and Curley. The Boss naturally has this power simply because he is the owner of the ranch and has the power to hire and fire

Social power can relate heavily to the Social hierarchy in several ways. A social hierarchy is; how an individual and group(s) are arranged in a relatively linear ladder. In the novel we can separate the characters into two groups or sections. The “low” characters such as Crooks, Candy, Curley’s wife and Lennie are on the bottom of the pyramid because of their role or respect that is given to them. On the other hand the “high” category include the rest of the characters, Slim, Curley and George. Curley's wife and Crooks hold the lowest part in regards to social order. Crooks is the only colored man in the novel therefore his stand/role automatically puts him at the bottom. When Crooks finds himself lonely, he says it's because of his skin color, "S'pose you didn't have nobody. S'pose you couldn't go into the bunkhouse and play rummy 'cause you was black” (Steinbeck 80). Crooks may seem like the only lonely person, but we also find that Curley's wife feels the same way. She explains that she feels disliked at times and even isolated. This shows that even though she feels this way.may seem as a sympathetic character because of how lonely we see her. This shows that even if she is lonely or