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The Use Of Power In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

698 Words3 Pages

War. What starts a war? The misuse of power. In the realistic fiction novella Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, there are many different ways to show power. The men encounter many minor conflicts because of issues with power. In John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men, he explores some of the different types of power through power in strength, wealth/social class, and knowledge. The novella starts with the setting, on the bank of a river in the Salinas Valley. It is about two men, George and Lennie, whom are migrant workers in Soledad, California during the Great Depression. They are the protagonists, and are working with other men who’ve been there a little while, the antagonists. They all have different characteristics, with some of them …show more content…

He used the boss’ son, Curley, to show this power. “Curley stared levelly at him ‘Well nex’ time you answer when you’re spoke to.’ He turned toward the door and walked out, and his elbows bent out a little.” (26, ch. 2) This shows that Curley thinks he is superior to the workers because he is in a higher social class and has more money than them. He shows this, by the way he talks to them, and by sticking his elbows out. By sticking his elbows out he is making his appearance bigger, to show that he has more power than them(in wealth/social class). Using Curley, Steinbeck portrays power in wealth/social …show more content…

He does this through Crooks, the colored stable buck. “The boss gives him hell when he’s mad. But the stable buck don’t give a damn about that. He reads a lot. Got books in his room.” (20, ch. 2) This shows that Crooks knows better than to react when people get riled up. It also shows that he has a way to get more knowledge that the other workers might not have access to. He said “He reads a lot.” Which makes it seem like it’s not common to do, so it shows that Crooks’ variety of knowledge may be different than that of other migrant workers. Therefore, Crooks has power over the others because he has more, or a different variety, of knowledge. In this way, Steinbeck portrays power in knowledge through

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