Violence In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

In John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice And Men, violence permeates every character and is rampant throughout the story. For example, Steinbeck uses foreshadowing of death, with the mouse, the dog, and then Curley's wife dying, to show that violence is an issue with the society. However, there are instances of violence that do not involve death. This book takes place during The Great Depression, which is important because segregation also took place. Segregation, which is the separation of white people, and black people with schools, buses, and water fountains, etc. which leads to an uprising of violence. The three major forms of violence in this novella are physical violence, verbal violence, and emotional violence. These three violences had

One example of physical violence in this novella was when Lennie killed Curly’s wife. “‘Now don’t,’ he said. ‘I don’t want you to yell. You gonna get me in trouble jus’ like George says you will. Now don’t you do that.’ And she continued to struggle, and her eyes were wild with terror. He shook her then, and he was angry with her. ‘Don’t you go yellin’,’ he said, and shook her; and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck” (91). This quote depicts physical violence, because someone was killed because of physical abuse. Curly's Wife's death was foreshadowed by Candy’s dog that was shot, because he was too old, and a dead mouse that was found in Lennie’s pocket. Physical violence is a part of everyday life, and common during The Great Depression, and in this

While segregation is not violent in of itself, the actions that are generated from it are. The actions can be all three types of violence, one of which is verbal violence. Segregation played a huge role in this story, as shown in this example: “‘…You go on get outta my room. I ain’t wanted in the bunk house, and you ain’t wanted in my room.’ ‘Why ain’t you wanted?’ Lennie asked. ‘’Cause I’m black…’”(68). That quote shows that Crooks could never leave, because he isn't wanted anywhere else, due to the color of his skin. Crooks possesses quite a bit of things. During Segregation, it was illegal for negroes to own books, for fear that they would become smarter than whites. “Crooks possessed several pairs of shoes, a pair of rubber boots, a big alarm clock, and a single barreled shotgun. And he had books, too; a tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the California civil code for 1905”(67). Crooks had some things that a traditional negro wouldn't have. So, how does segregational violence have to deal with verbal violence, that they couldn't read. The verbal violence that segregation gave rise to, was that negroes weren't allowed to own books, and had no opportunity to learn. Due to this, whites considered negroes below them, and verbally abused them. As a result of this verbal violence, Lennie, Candy, and Curly's wife feel isolated from the world. The end result leads to more violence, and that John