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Stereotypes In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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John Steinbeck is an author famously known for his work in books such as The Grapes Of Wrath, Cannery Row, East Of Eden, and others. John became well-recognized for his extreme social realism and his naturalism which allowed his work to reach a new more profound meaning. In John’s most famous novella Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck depicted life as one of seclusion and stereotype. In particular, the author views Curley's wife's life as one of temptation and insignificance. These views can be attributed to her being a female, which causes her to already be naturally isolated because of the marginalization of women. Although most men believe in gender equality, women are still not represented fairly in a just society. Of Mice and Men accurately …show more content…

Especially when in the context of Curley's Wife. According to Kevin Atell, she is seen as a “purely menacing figure—an ominous portent…”(Atell) Steinbeck characterizes her this way with intent in order to show the inequitable social norms that are occurring in everyday life. While modern society may have these inequitable sex roles they are still not as apparent as they were in the past. For example, throughout the novella, Curley's Wife is allowed no interaction with anybody outside of Curly. The reason for this being is due to the fact that men on the ranch believe her to be a distraction to their work and they believe if they are tempted she will destroy and ruin their American Dream. This causes her to be segregated and leads her to want attention from …show more content…

In the excerpt The Harvest Gypsies by John Steinbeck, he says “The migrants are hated for the following reasons, that they are ignorant and dirty people, that they are carriers of disease…”(“Gypsies Harvest”) Steinbeck's progression of ideas in this excerpt contributes to the theme that although migrant workers are needed in society they are not generally accepted as a person and are seen as inferior to the rest of society. This theme is revealing because it directly relates to how Curley's wife was treated in the novella Of Mice and Men. The author portrays Curley's wife as a distraction and is objectified by the men around her. Steinbeck does this in two ways: by not allowing her to speak to anyone except curly, which causes her to be isolated. He also does this by not mentioning her name during the novella, making her appear only as a non-important character and making her more forgetful to the audience. According to Kevin Atell, The author does this because of unjust social norms that are caused by customs throughout our history that make women be seen as less dominant and submissive to men. This common theme throughout the novella and with the migrant workers reveals a dark truth, we all may think we are individuals that are just and would not judge one just because of origin, but because of society's

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Stereotypes In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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I've chosen to do my essay on "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck. Written in 1937 this work of literature displays many different stereotypes that help to achieve the author's purpose. Some examples of this are Curley and his temper, Lennie's and his intelligence level, and Curley's wife and her appearance. In this essay I hope to show you how their character helps to successfully accomplish the goals that make this a work of classical literature.

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How Is Curley's Wife Sexualized

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The novella Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, tells of the story of how individuals were alienated during the Great Depression, including an unnamed farm wife married to a man named Curley. She is simply identified as “Curley’s wife.” Being the only woman on the farm has caused her to be a sexualized object, have a great sense of loneliness, and feel that she will never live up to her dreams. The characterization, actions, and treatment of Curley’s wife depicts how women were kept from achieving their own American Dream in the sexist society of the 1930s. Through the characterization of Curley’s wife a reader can see that she is sexualized, desires to be dominant, and has suffered throughout her life.

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In the 1930’s Steinbeck had spent many nights at home researching all about the lives of a specific group of people. The important group of people were the migrant workers, especially those who were white. He learned all about them and the life of working on a farm in California. He also looked backed at his own experiences and his life when he was younger. Steinbeck used this knowledge of the life of bindlestiffs and others on the farm, the Spreckels Ranches, and his early life as his inspiration to write one of his best known novellas, Of Mice and Men.

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How Is Curley's Wife Marginalized In Of Mice And Men

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The Marginalized: Curley's Wife Have you ever felt the extreme sexist challenges of being a woman? The irrational fear of differing from your peers and being judged on the basis of what sex you were born as, as "the bard of femininity," is on your shoulders, you are being objectified solely for the fact that you are female. In John Steinbeck’s 1937 novella Of Mice and Men, the author uses the themes of loneliness, isolation, and sexism to explore the theme of the marginalization of women in this time and how it leads to extreme dissociation, self-harm, and pain. Steinbeck's character Curley's Wife in Of Mice and Men exclusively represent women's marginalization because she is depicted as a tramp, and most people back then wouldn't

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Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife Sympathy Quotes

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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

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Examples Of Sexism In Of Mice And Men

553 Words | 3 Pages

Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, is a classic demonstration of sexism, as well as misogyny. Set in the 1930s, when these views were “normalized”, the author relates these issues primarily in the description of Curley's wife. You can identify the sexism Curley's wife faces daily by analyzing the words of George, one of the main characters of the book. He says “ranch with a bunch a’ guys on it ain't no place for a girl” (Steinbeck), George means this in a clearly offensive way, by using the word “girl” instead of “woman”, this could mean he doesn't respect her, or find her on the same level as himself, and belittles her.

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

1748 Words | 7 Pages

While perceived as whorish, she only ever wants to feel validated by the people surrounding her. Steinbeck’s portrayal of sexism in of mice and men shows how prejudice towards women can be perpetuated and appear blind by entrenched ideals. Curley’s Wife faces loneliness, as well as Crooks, but for much different

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Discrimination In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

650 Words | 3 Pages

Because Curley’s wife is a girl, everyone on the ranch doesn’t like her. “What kinda harm am i doin’ to you? Seems like they ain’t none of them cares how I gotta live. I tell you I ain’t used to livin’ like this. I coulda made somethin’ of myself” (88).

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Examples Of Sexism In Of Mice And Men

651 Words | 3 Pages

This eventually led to her feeling lonely. Furthermore, rather than one specific character enabling the sexism throughout the story, all of the men on the ranch contributed to the sexism shown towards Curley’s Wife. One such way was that they dismissed everything that Curley’s Wife said, especially regarding her loneliness. Instead of preventing her marginalization, they continued to marginalize her because of their own marginalization and insecurities. This is clearly shown when Curley’s Wife tells Lennie, Candy, and Crooks that “I ain’t giving you no trouble.

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Sexism In Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

973 Words | 4 Pages

Sexism is shown in the book when Curley’s wife is regarded as a bitch merely owing to the fact that she is flirtatious and wears appealing clothes. People are prejudiced against Curley’s wife because she is a woman and also because she wears makeup and dresses. She is constantly called derogatory terms throughout the book simply because of her appearance and coquettish actions. She is perceived as Curley’s property so she is not to be looked at or spoken to.

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Curley's Wife Symbolism

972 Words | 4 Pages

In the novella, Curley’s wife is referred to as “jailbait” who is defined as “a young woman, or young women collectively, considered in sexual terms but under the age of consent.” (In the oxford dictionary) she always has a ton of makeup on and is always trying to flirt with the men that work in the ranch. If we deeply look into the reason why she does all this, why does she put so much make up on? Why is she always flirting with the men? We can see that she is seeking attention; she is seeking the attention that she is not receiving from her husband.

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1644 Words | 7 Pages

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.

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The Theme Of Adversity In Of Mice And Men

971 Words | 4 Pages

Curley’s Wife dealt with adversity throughout the novel, specifically discrimination based on gender bias. She did not overcome the subjugation, and it wasn't possible for her to do so in the world that she lived in because women were viewed as less than men as well as property in that world. In the novel George asserted, “Don’t you even take a look at that bitch… I seen ‘em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her.” (Steinbeck 32) Steinbeck used this quote to express the discrimination against Curley's Wife, indicating that people thought poorly of her because she was a woman. Lennie is another character that Steinbeck wrote to deal with discrimination, but instead of gender bias he dealt with disability discrimination.

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Gender In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

607 Words | 3 Pages

Curley’s wife, the only main female presented in the novella, is depicted as a harlot. The only other time females are mentioned is when they are mentioned as being ladies in whore houses. This depiction sets the tone for all females presented in the novella. Instead of being seen as a worker, women were mainly seen as man’s companion, and as a symbol for love, lust, and desire. In the novella Curley’s wife’s appearance is described as, “Her face heavily made up.

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