In such time of the Great Depression and gender equality, this novel presents the character of sexism, Curley’s wife, to show how her dreams has been achieved through death. During her talk with Lennie, she tells him that she “‘[...]never get[s] to talk to nobody [and that she] get[s] awfully lonely’” (Steinbeck 86). Even though she is depicted as a flirtatious, “‘[...]purty [...] bitch’”, her true life was lonely and segregated from the male ranchers (Steinbeck 32). Steinbeck applies this paradox in the story to picture the reader about how a character’s identity can either encourage or ruin his or her reasons to live and achieve a future.
In the 1930s, African Americans were casted away from all white people, leading them to loneliness. This topic is explored in John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men. The story takes place in California during the 1930s, a time when black people were hated by the majority of white people. Crooks, a black ranch worker lives in his own bunkhouse because most of the white ranch workers do not want to live with a black ranch worker. Most ranch workers dislike Crooks, and Crooks despises all of the ranch workers.
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is a story about discrimination due to someone being different in any way. The reader learns how people were treated and discriminated in 1930s during the great depression. This is important because this issue continues even to this day. This problem has been around for a very long time. Steinbeck uses Archetypes,Symbolism, and Setting to convey the theme of discrimination.
In the story, “Of Mice and Men” and the article, “Working Women in the 1930s”, introduces that, literature plays as evidences that everyone believes in social justice. In “Of Mice and Men”, Whit says,”Seems like she can’t keep away from guys,” which reveal that Whit thinks that Curley’s wife shouldn’t be hanging out with the men. (Pg. 51) It tells the audience that Curley’s wife wasn’t accepted as a person from the men. In “Working Women in the 19230s”, the text says,”According to the Social Security Administration, women’s average annual pay in 1937 was $525, compared with $1,027 for men,” it demonstrates that women were treated differently than men.
In the mid to late 1920s, white men lived their most fulfilling lives wondering how anyone could view this country as anything less than great. Of course, it's easy for the oppressors to wonder how anyone could feel oppressed. Black folks and women in the 1930s were living lives under the control of white men in America, and they demanded change. Pieces by John Steinbeck and Judy Brady outline some of the issues women faced and still face in their writings; Of Mice and Men and "I Want a Wife". Characters such as Curley's Wife and the women in the cathouses in Of Mice and Men are purposefully written as they are to show how men truly thought of women at the time.
In the novella, Of Mice and Men, the author John Steinbeck illustrates a ranch in the 1930’s during the great depression where those who fit into mainstream society run the show, and those deemed “outcasts” are rendered useless. Steinbeck depicts characters with setbacks that diminish their value in the eyes of society, and contrasts them to characters that have no difficulties conforming to the norm. Crooks, being a black man isolated by his race, and Candy, a elderly man limited by his age and missing limb are examples of Steinbeck characters that experience hardships because of the differences. The poor treatment of Crooks and Candy by the other characters, and their chronic unhappiness in a place that doesn’t value them, comments on how
Because of his skin color, he couldn’t live with the others. "Why ain’t you wanted?” Lennie asked. “ Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play Because I’m black”(Steinbeck 67) his skin color forced him to live in the barn alone.
In the novel Of MIce and Men John Steninbeck creates empathy for the character of Curley’s wife, centered around her being the only woman living on a ranch during the 1930s, in order to help the reader prepare for, and deal with, the novel’s tragic ending. Through the chapters in the novel, the author Steinbeck creates sympathy by making the character Curley’s wife feel needed and being around cruel people, it is shown that it is hard to be a woman living in the 1930s. This can be shown in the novel Of Mice and Men as the character Curley’s wife is constantly being insulted by the men on the ranch behind her back for what she wears and what she looks like. All the character Curley’s wife wants is someone to talk to but is neglected by the
In the novel “Of Mice and Men” the theme of social injustice is presented by John Steinbeck through the characters of Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Crooks. By examining the theme of social injustice one can be taught that treating someone based on their mental capability, gender, or race is wrong. Rather treat them base on the person they are on the
1 Civil Rights Act of 1964 Professor Jasso Benjamin Luong Bus 102: Ethics and Law SID: 861052449 Section 022 3 December 2015 2 Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..................... 3 History of the Act…………………………………………………………………………..................... 4 Trace its Implementation………………………………………………………………........................ 6 Impact on Business and Society…………………………………………………………..................... 7 Policy Analysis………………………………………………………………………..…......................
OMAM Essay Yay John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, is a story of struggle in the hope of achieving The American Dream. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck creates a social hierarchy with rules and expectations, creating a world where some have more opportunities than others. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses Crooks’, Lennie's, and Curley's Wife’s position on the social hierarchy to show that not everyone can achieve the American Dream due to their race, intellectual capacity or gender in comparison to other characters in the novel. Race, gender, and intellectual ability are important because in the time period of the book, they are all disadvantages to achieving the American Dream. All of the characters are treated unfairly, but Crooks is despised since he is African American.
John Steinbeck’s novella "Of Mice and Men" explores various forms of discrimination during the Great Depression. The story follows two migrant workers, George and Lennie, as they search for work in California. Throughout the book, Steinbeck highlights the racial, gender, and disability discrimination that was common during that time. One of the most prominent examples of discrimination in the book is racial discrimination.
The novellas Of Mice and Men and The Pearl are both often noted as social criticisms. The author, John Steinbeck addresses real-life issues that society is facing. Whether through direct statements and comments, or through a fictional characters’ situation, Steinbeck criticizes just some of the problems of society. He shows the way people are discriminated against, and why. He shows the issues society faces.
John Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men, is a compelling story that has captured and embodied the struggle and loneliness felt by many during the Great Depression. While desire for the American Dream is prominent in the novel, Steinbeck is able to demonstrate the wants from different social classes through the construction of characters such as George Milton and Curley’s wife. With these characters, Steinbeck successfully displays the difference in ideas, values and attitudes of certain social classes in the 1930’s and the illustrates the rarity of achieving the American Dream. Steinbeck wrote this novel during the Great Depression, when America was suffering greatly by the disastrous crash of the stock market. From this point in time, separation of the different classes became
Ajit Gill English 10 Mrs. Vincent 02/28/23 Systemic Discrimination and Racial Prejudice in "Of Mice and Men" During the Great Depression, social inequality and discrimination were unrestrained in the United States. John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" explores the experiences of migrant workers during this period, including the character of Crooks, a black stable hand. This essay analyzes Crooks' character and argues that his experience as a black migrant worker in a white-dominated society reveals how systemic discrimination and racial prejudices preserves the exclusion of marginalized individuals from the American Dream, highlighting the devastating consequences of social inequality during the Great Depression.
