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Literary criticism essay of mice and men
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You're not in competition with other women. You're in competition with everyone.” (88). Her ability to interest the reader with comedy, but also deliver important messages to women, is something that contrasts greatly from the typical portrayal of women. For instance, in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife is a perfect example of the typical portrayal of women in literature.
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 words of Richelle E. Goodrich, “Vengeance is a monster of appetite, forever bloodthirsty and never filled.” Arthur Miller recognized this sinful inclination as it commonly circulated during the anti-communist, “Red Scare.” He corresponds this period to the 1692, Salem Witch Trials, another frightening occasion where wicked accusations loomed over civilians. At least 200 people were thought to practice witchcraft and around 20 were executed on account of this. Without a doubt, both incidents prove how quick someone can act upon bitter motives, specifically by spreading unscrupulous lies for the sake of getting even.
Women live their lives under the idea that they do not have the right to express themselves independently. Living on a ranch with her husband, Elisa struggles to free herself from the stereotype that women have little value in society. In John Steinbeck’s short story, “The Chrysanthemums”, he uses symbolism, imagery, and tone to convey that society often puts a strain on women’s roles in a world surrounded by men. Elisa’s daily life includes tending to her prized possession, Chrysanthemums, but throughout the story the deeper meaning behind these flowers comes to life. Through her eager and aggressive hard work, the small Chrysanthemums seemed to “easy for her energy”(Steinbeck 1).
After skimming through Volume 1 of The Norton Anthology Literature by Women, I noticed the reoccurring themes of patriarchy, women subordination, and the strength to be creative despite oppression. During the times that these literary pieces were written, women were constantly battling the patriarchy in order to get basic rights. During the earlier time periods, intelligence was seen as a sign of an evil spirit in a woman, resulting in miniscule amounts of literary works written by women. Women were not provided with equal spaces to creatively express themselves, as mentioned by Virginia Woolf. Moreover, they were not given the same publishing opportunities, many women either went anonymous or by a fake male name to have their works published.
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
Nineteenth century America saw the rise of the Cult of Domesticity, the middle class ideal of “true womanhood” characterized by emphasis on purity, piety, domesticity, and submissiveness. In setting a standard for female behavior, society also set a standard for masculine or “manly” behavior. The imposed definition of true womanhood and its subsequent rejection by feminist leaders aroused in Hawthorne an unease about his own gender and place in society. He saw a system which characterized his means of livelihood as “unmasculine” and aroused in him unease over some of his more “feminine” behaviors. Through a feminist lens, Nathaniel Hawthorne in The Scarlet Letter attempts to convey that the imposition of strict gender roles on an individual
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, is set in the 1960’s, a time when men and women had specific and restrictive roles in society. Men were the ones to work and earn money for their families and women were expected to a caring and obedient homemakers. In many ways, those gender stereotypes are still very present today. The contrasting opinions of Atticus Finch and Aunt Alexandra provide the reader with the different views on how men and women should be raised, which in turn, affects the readers thoughts and opinions on the gender expectations and roles that are present in today’s society.
“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.
“The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men.” - Alice Walker In Chapter 4 of Of Mice and Men race and gender are depicted in different ways symbolizing different character behaviors.
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.
Often, we see a society’s cultural values reflected in its citizens. For example, the United States values equality, a standard that is shared in all facets including gender. The opposite is true of Gilead, a fictional society in Emily Bronte’s The Handmaid’s Tale. The novel’s main character, Offred, is subjected to degrading treatment simply because she is a woman. It becomes apparent that this repeated degradation has affected the protagonist’s mind.
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.
From the outset, literature and all forms of art have been used to express their author’s feelings, opinions, ideas, and believes. Accordingly, many authors have resorted to their writing to express their feminist ideas, but first we must define what feminism is. According to the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, feminism is “the belief that women should be allowed the same rights, power, and opportunities as men and be treated in the same way, or the set of activities intended to achieve this state”. As early as the fifteenth century is possible to find feminist writings. Centuries later, and although she never referred to herself as one, the famous English writer Virginia Woolf became one of the greatest feminist writers of the twentieth
This novel is also autobiographical. Throughout history, women have been locked in a struggle to free themselves from the borderline that separates and differentiate themselves from men. In many circles, it is agreed that the battleground for this struggle and fight exists in literature. In a
