Banned In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

In the novel “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck portrays the theme of social injustice throughout the story in the lives of several characters that include Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and the stable buck, Crooks. All of these characters are mistreated in some way, shape or form. The hardships that these characters faced help guide us to see the social injustice that is prevalent in the story.

“Writers want to talk about creation, and censorship is anti-creation” (The New Yorker). Censorship is defined as the prohibition of a book or a film because of obscene, violent, racist or any other offensive content. Censorship is a threat for many reasons, because it gives authors constraints and limits that they have to respect in order to avoid getting banned. The problem is that society does not appreciate the hidden meaning or reality of these books. For example, Of Mice and Men is a book written by John Steinbeck which is banned because of racial slurs and violence, a normal behavior during the Great Depression, the time when the book takes place. This book is an example of modernism and people have to be open minded to get it and accept the way it is written, just like with any other censored or banned book.

In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the author uses the motif of barriers to show that causes that lead into the failure of these character hopes and dreams. The ability to own your own land is the main dream held by four of the characters in the book. The idea of owning your own land is a simile for a life of happiness. There are two other unattainable dreams which are held by Curley's wife, and Crooks. Curley's wife once had an offer to become an actress in Hollywood, however the person never bequeathed the job to her. She later would go on to marrying a man named Curly who she currently regrets marring. Crooks, who is an African American man who is also crippled, just want to be able to have control over his life. However Crooks has unchangeable barriers in his path for control. All five of these characters have a hope for a new life which evidently turns to nothing due to obstacles. This book takes place on a farm in California.

What could be so terrible about a book, that it has become one of the most frequently banned/challenged books? Of Mice and Men is a fictional book written by John Steinbeck in 1937. The book has been banned in many schools due to racism, profanity, foul language, violence, treatment of women, and for seemingly promoting euthanasia. This book is usually read by high school students around the age fourteen or fifteen, however many parents have gotten upset when hearing about what their kid was reading. Many parents have stated that this book is not age-appropriate and should not be read in school. However, in my opinion this book should not be banned.

Crooks experiences discrimination because he is black, and Lennie is discriminated against because of his mental disability. Curley’s wife, Crooks, and Lennie all have learned to live with discrimination, but they still long to someday be accepted. Curley’s wife experiences a lot of discrimination in the novel Of Mice and Men for being a woman. In the time setting of this novel, women did not have many options or much control over their lives.

Black women are treated less than because of their ascribed traits, their gender and race, and are often dehumanized and belittled throughout the movie. They are treated like slaves and are seen as easily disposable. There are several moments throughout the film that show the racial, gender, and class inequalities. These moments also show exploitation and opportunity hoarding. The Help also explains historical context of the inequality that occurred during that time period.

To Ban Or Not To Ban? That Is The Question? “Although Of Mice and Men is a literary classic, it is also a frequently banned book in many schools and libraries in the United States. This book has been either banned or challenged for over twenty years from a variety of different schools and libraries.

Many African Americans throughout the Gilded Age did not have the same educational status as white women. For the reason being of this is because many women were being mistreated just because the color of their skin. I believe that this was unfairly comparing to white women, all women should have been treated the same during the Gilded Age. During this time period, many colleges did not accept African American woman just for this purpose. They were known to be slaves, to be able to serve their master’s.

The principal claim in “The American Negro in the World War” 1919, is that a colored woman that worked during war time had a lower wage than a man doing the same work and considerable fraction below that of a white woman in the same service, also, they were forced to work in the most unsafe posts but also in the most delicate jobs as well (Doc 4). The author’s purpose was to express to the government how the citizens of the United States are being deprived of their rights, especially the colored men and women during time of war. In 1920 a union called, The American Civil Liberties Union was formed to change the unfairness and to better the American society by protecting the independent rights and liberties that the laws and Constitution of the United States promises everyone. In the photograph “An Appliance Showroom in Louisville, Kentucky” in 1920, it shows woman working in an appliance showroom (Doc 5). The purpose of this photograph was to show how women got the opportunity to work in stores and almost anywhere they desired and it began to change the American society and the social norm of woman just saying at home and only being good to make babies.

The novellas Of Mice and Men and The Pearl are both often noted as social criticisms. The author, John Steinbeck addresses real-life issues that society is facing. Whether through direct statements and comments, or through a fictional characters’ situation, Steinbeck criticizes just some of the problems of society. He shows the way people are discriminated against, and why. He shows the issues society faces.

The blacks did not receive the same luxuries as the whites did. For instance, the colored received less than stellar entertainment where as the whites were able to get anything they wanted, “There, instead of houses and trees, there were fishing wharves, boat docks, nightclubs, and restaurants for whites. There were one or two nightclubs for colored, but they were not very good” (Gaines 25). It was unjust to the blacks that they could not enjoy themselves as much as the whites because of their skin color.

He feels brought down and dehumanized. After Curley’s wife left, Candy tells Crooks that she shouldn’t have said those things. Crooks says, “it wasn’t nothing…you guys comin’ in an’ settin made me forget. What she says is true” (82). This shows that Crooks knows that even though he thought he could get a place with the other guys, he knows is would never happen, because he is black and he will always be treated

It’s hard to look back and see that many people were looked down upon and treated as if they weren’t human. The horrific incident that took place in Money, Mississippi where a young fourteen year old African American boy was brutally killed is just a taste of the things that happened during this time period, it talks about this in chapter three rocking the cradle. This is also just one of the many events that sparked a fire in the hearts of African Americans. Besides the deaths of many African Americans this was part of the reason for the march. Many African Americans were working for little of nothing for their labor, if they could even get a job.

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.

Of Mice & Men John Steinbeck’s Of Mice & Men is a novel packed with racial and gender inequalities. The way it portrayed the character of Curley’s wife is particularly interesting and spoken about, and for good reason. Throughout the novel, Curley’s wife – who, accordingly, was never called anything else – was consistently dehumanized, and forced to fit into certain stereotypes. It’s also worth noting that Curley is an abusive husband towards her. Curley’s wife is a victim of sexism, correctly depicted by Steinbeck’s illustration of how society used to be.