John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, depicts race as a critical factor to the dominance of people during this time period. Racism is presented most evidently in chapter four by the treatment of Crooks, the stable buck. Crook’s and his fellow workers discussed ambitions in his quarters, which happened to be separate from the others clearly due to his skin tone. As the men conversed topics regarding the near future, Curley’s wife abruptly barged into the area searching for her husband. Noting the peril with which Curley’s wife is associated with,
In the novel Of Mice And Men by John Stienbeck, the hierarchy of the characters in Crooks’ room is Curley’s wife, Candy, Lennie, and Crooks. This is shown by the way each of these characters interact with each other. Crooks is shown to have the least power because he lost his battle with Lennie. Crooks tried to get into Lennie’s head, which worked, until Lennie became violent. Crooks, seeing that he couldn’t compete, backed off, showing that Lennie had power over him.
Power is more than having control of other. It’s also about respect for both oneself and for others. It must be earned and not just expected. Throughout the novella “Of Mice and Men,” by John Steinbeck, the main characters face hardships and adventures that may stand in the way of their ambition to own their own ranch house. This novella shows the all ‘American Dream,’ sacrifice, loneliness, and the struggle for them to find out their way through life.
Of Mice and Men “listen, nigger,” she said. “you know what I can do to you if you open your trap?” (pg.80). This shows how the word “nigger” is used to control a black person. In the book of Mice and Men the word “nigger” is used quite often but towards crooks, since he is the only black person in the book.
Sydney Votino Mrs. Daquelente English 2 12 May 2023 Formal Outline: Cause-and-Effect Essay Thesis: Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and Crooks are characters from John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men who struggles with mental issues, being used, and racism leading to broken dreams that negatively impacted their lives. Body Topic A: To begin, Lennie’s experience with mental issues ruined his dream and drastically changed his hopes for the future. Direct Quote
Power is a force that can be used to benefit or hurt others. In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, each character has a different status at the ranch where they live and work. Power is the most important theme of the novella because it affects how the characters act and the decisions they make everyday. The characters Curley, Slim, and Curley’s wife each have a certain type of power and they all use it differently.
Of Blacks and Whites “It is not what an author says, but what he or she whispers, that is important.” -- Logan Pershall Smith (adapted) Authors have the power to influence readers not only with what they say but with what they imply. Authors can, and often will, use this power to bring light to darker times. John Steinbeck wields this power in his novella, Of Mice and Men to tell the public of the cruelty and prejudices that were directed towards minorities during the 1930s.
There is a conflict between the weak and the strong in Of Mice and Men. This conflict can differ among physical, emotional and intellectual strength and weakness. Characters that often represent this conflict are Lennie, Crooks, Curley, and George. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows that the weak will often try to appear strong in order to benefit themselves and gain power over others.
Abraham Lincoln once said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power”. Power has the ability to test the way people behave. Power doesn’t just affect one person, it influences the behavior of others. Power has a toll on people that can affect them in a negative or positive way. John Steinbeck wrote a fictional novel, Of Mice and Men which takes place on a farm.
In Of Mice and Men, the author, John Steinbeck suggests that power has a negative and corrupting affect on humans. After Lennie’s Aunt Clara dies, George and Lennie go out to find work together, and George is very mean to Lennie, taking advantage of Lennie’s mental disability. When George and Lennie start traveling together, George has “a hell of a lot of fun with ‘im [….] play[s] jokes on ‘im ‘cause he [is] too dumb” (40) and the jokes “make [him] seem God damn smart alongside him” (40). The usage of the word “fun” to describe George’s tormenting of Lennie indicates that his jokes were meant for his own pleasure. Even the usage of the word fun in this context makes the joking seem almost sadistic and cruel.
In Of Mice and Men the characters demonstrates that those who obtain more privilege, possess more power than those who do not fit within the ideal standards of the American society. Firstly, those who are born into a life with privilege are those who dominate with power and control. Those who lack privilege due to the standards of society can not be powerful without fear of consequence. The workers on the ranch do not show power as they are afraid of what might happen if they do speak up. “Don't tell Curley
In the novel of “Of Mice and Men” power and friendship is the very bases of the story. There are many people with power in the book but I specifically was interested in Curley’s power. Curley is the son of the Ranch’s boss and he is very spoiled. He does not listen to rules and usually gets away with any trouble he makes or gets into.
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.
¨Pick on someone your own size ¨. This remark refers to the bigger picking on the weaker and smaller. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, author John Steinbeck illustrates multiple different ways that the weak are often at the mercy of the strong and powerful . He illustrates this topic through not only one but many characters in the novel such as Lennie, Curley's wife, and Crooks. He also shows that those who are not only physical weaker but mentally are also often at the mercy of the strong and powerful.
Crooks was required to be reclusive because he was not wanted around. Racism was an extreme issue in the world in the 1930s and in America alone. All in all, power has important roles in the relationships in Of Mice and Men. Power is shown through the relationships of Lennie and George, Curley and his wife, and crooks and society. This bias power is determined by competence, gender and race.
