The Outsiders Of Society In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Various themes are demonstrated throughout the novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck. Some themes expressed are friendship, powerlessness, women and femininity, and weak versus strong. One of the most prominent themes in this novel is outsiders of society. Crooks, a discriminated African American man, Lennie, a grown man whose brain as well as his actions are childlike, and Candy, an elderly man with one hand missing and showing his naivety, are three characters that exhibit traits that deem them outsiders and personify the theme of outsiders of society. Due to the characteristics of Crooks, Lennie, and Candy, they are the outsiders of society in this novel. To begin, Crooks is an outsider as he is not of white descent and the only colored man that works on the ranch. Crooks is discriminated upon by the workers on the ranch and sleeps in a room segregated from the others that sleep in the bunkhouse together. Moreover, he is not allowed to play cards with the men who live in the bunkhouse because in their words, he “stinks”; it is not the fact that Crooks stinks, but the fact that he is black. In section four of Of Mice and Men, Crooks’ character says, “‘S’pose you couldn't go into the bunkhouse and play rummy ‘cause you was black,’” (Steinbeck 72). Furthermore, Crooks is lonely and does not have anyone to talk to. When Crooks is

First, Crooks is an African American that is discriminated on the ranch and convinced that he will always be treated differently. Next, Lennie is a grown man that thinks and acts like a child as well as has a habit to want to stroke soft objects. Finally, Candy is an old man with one hand that feels as if he will not be needed on the ranch for much longer which leads to his gullibility. As one can see, Crooks, Lennie, and Candy are the outsiders of society in Of Mice and