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How are women portrayed through literature
John steinbeck writing features
Women's role in literature
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More handpicked essays just for you.
How are women portrayed through literature
John steinbeck writing features
Women's role in literature
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
America is often perceived as a country that values human rights. But on many occasions, this has been invalidated through the objectification of people of all genders, races, and backgrounds. Objectification is the act of treating a person as though they are not human but much rather an object or thing. For instance, Frederick Douglass’s aunt Hester in Narrative of the Life of a Slave by Frederick Douglass and Curley’s wife in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Objectification has caused human suffering, not just in the past but today as well.
Curley’s wife is the only woman on the ranch. She is very pretty, wears short dresses, and likes to watch the men on the ranch. She often times flirts and tries to talk to the men. During the conversation between Lennie, Crooks, and Candy when George left to go into town with the rest of the men, Curley’s wife shows up and notices that there were only three men left on the ranch. Candy tells her that she shouldn’t be talking to them.
The novel Of Mice and Men would change drastically if Lennie and George were to change genders. As a women, Curley’s wife didn’t pay much attention to Lennie. She is known as a person who would “feel right aroun’ there an’ see how soft it is.” (Steinbeck, 90)
In the socially realistic novella, ”Of Mice and Men '', by John Steincbeck, the author constructs the character of Curley's wife to explore the brutal reality women had to go through in the harsh environment of America during the Great Depression. Steinbeck, hence, creates a critique on society by delivering several examples of the treatment women in 1930s America received. Steinbeck portrays the misogynistic view of society all throughout the novel. The character of Curely´s wife gives the reader a clue of the lack of authority and importance women had during the Great Depression , this is because Steinbeck uses the possessive noun Curely´s wife to refer back to the character, the use of the possessive pronoun implies how women were seen
1930’s the Depression of Women From physical and mental abuse to injustice, females regardless of any race or color became one of the main groups in society considered divergent and negligible--much like the discrimination that has segrated African Americans from the rest of society. In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck stresses how much men and civilization both negalted women. By using serveral senerios within the novel to show how most of the men felt and thought about Curley’s wife. Even though Curley’s wife was only a minor female character in the novel, her role as a woman was not only important to both the reader but also women. In order to show and represent the role of women Steinbeck purposely left out Curley’s
During the early 1930s, after a series of unfortunate events that caused the Great Depression, the United States economy plummeted. This, in turn, caused difficulties from severe unemployment to widespread poverty in the US. Racial discrimination was not uncommon because tensions between opposing races skyrocketed after the abolishment of slavery. Prejudice because of gender was a usual everyday thing; women recently received the right to vote along with working paying jobs. However, women were still treated similar too property.
Before the novel begins, Lennie and George were fired from their old job because Lennie was touching a girl’s dress the same way he would pet a mouse. As the story progresses, the bus driver dropped them off four miles away from the ranch where their new job is located. While walking towards the ranch they find a spot to spend the night. This spot is in the middle of the woods where there is a river, wildlife, and trees everywhere. Compared to all the ranches and fields this feels like an ideal place to stay the night.
“She’s gonna make a mess, they’s gonna be a bad mess about her. She’s a jailbait all set on the trigger”. Of Mice and Men show’s George and Lennie’s path to their American dream. They are starting off as laborers in California in the Salina’s Valley and live in a hand-to-mouth lifestyle on a ranch. The novel portrays many male characters than female.
Imagine that everyone was doing hard tasks that prove to be risky and dangerous, and challenges soon rose around these difficult tasks. These tasks would be devastating and generate life decisions, such as the question: who would you save, who are you going to save, Do I have to save this person or can I run away from reality? What are the costs of these questions and what would everyone’s challenges be? Challenges are everywhere-they are significantly the hardest element everyone must go through.
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.
In 1920 when the 19th amendment was passed allowing women to vote, many women thought that Gender Inequality was coming to an end. Soon after, the Great Depression happened, and everyone was focused on that. Life for women was especially hard then because they had to live in a world full of poverty and discrimination. Throughout Of Mice and Men we see this through Curley’s Wife. She just wants to fit in and talk to the men without thinking she wants something, or being called rude names.
Of Mice and Men Literary Analysis Essay 2017 The famous author, Harry Nilsson writes, “Dreams are nothing more than wishes and a wish is just a dream you wish to come true.” In John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, he develops a story of people living through the Great Depression. During the Great Depression, a very heartbreaking event happened, which was the Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl destroyed families and homes.
When the ranchers went to town and left the outcasts behind, Crooks’s character and role in society are developed through the dialogue between the people who are left behind along with him. Soon after Lennie walks into Crooks’s room, Candy joins the men in the stable which Crooks protests as he tries ”to conceal his pleasure with anger” (Steinbeck 75). Being African American has given Crooks a hard life, as he does not get to take part in the activities of the other ranchers like heading to town or playing cards. At the time, many African Americans suffered from the same problems of isolation from society, for there was no civil rights movement to give them equal respect, pay, or authority as other people. Even today, racism is a major issue
World of Sexism Due to the Great Depression, women’s rights took a back seat to employment and poverty. It was believed that women shouldn’t work but stay at home, clean, cook, and raise their children. The prejudice against women in the society was great back in the 1930s for they were degraded and underestimated. All the rights they had gained in the 1920s were neglected and the women were once again maltreated. In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the victim of sexism is Curley’s wife who is so insignifact that even a name was not provided for her.
The book “Of Mice and Men“, written by American author John Steinbeck and published in 1937, revolves around two migrant workers named George and Lennie in the 1920s who have a very special relationship which includes a common dream of owning a farm. Lennie is a mentally handicapped, strong man who is advised and lead by his friend George. At a new farm they have to face trouble concerning Lennie and his disability. The book starts with the two main characters Lennie and George who sleep at a river on the way to a new farm and talk about their dream of owning their own land.