Historical And Cultural Elements In John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice And Men'
Emma Siu
English 9
Ms. Mueller
April 19, 2017
Two Truths, One Lie:
Steinbeck’s attempt in displaying historical and cultural elements through Of Mice and Men
Picture, constantly living in fear that someone could come barging in the middle of the night, coming to lynch you. Picture, not living at all, being cooped up in a house all day, not being able to do anything and living a life of boredom. In the early 1930’s, the Great Depression is in its mits and racial minorities are fearful for their lives, women’ role in society is miniscule and the mentally challenged are being institutionalized. Throughout John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men, he accurately represents the historical and cultural elements presented in the 1930’s, including:
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One example of this was seen through Curley’s wife, when she was in Crook’s cabin and her attitude towards racial minorities, “Well, you keep your place then, nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny” (Steinbeck 81). Through Curley’s wife’s characterization of her being white and racially “superior”, she can easily lynch Crooks without any reason why. This is cultural, and historical events have been seen in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s through, “Mobs exacted vengeance for real or imagined crimes at their own discretion, not waiting for legal justice to take its course, and such lynchings were usually represented of racial tensions in society” (Law, order, and vigilante justice 1). Mob justice is mentioned in Of Mice and Men in an exchange between Curley’s wife and Crooks. She tells him that she could have him lynched whenever she wanted. As well was when Curley found his wife dead, it was determined by Curley and the other migrant workers, that the misfit has killed the woman, there is no thought of legal justice to kill Lennie. The isolation and size of the ranches allowed frontier justice to prevail and influence many that thought otherwise. Not only were there mass amounts of vigilante justice, the historical events of women’s role in society were displayed throughout the
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The Central Theme And Motifs In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
308 Words | 2 Pagesb) The impossibility of the American dream The majority of characters from Of Mice and Men at one point during the story, dreamt of a better life. For Crooks, it was in the barn when he imagined himself hoeing on George and Lennie's farm. For Curley’s wife, it was to become a hollywood movie star. George, Lennie and Candy all fantasized a farm. What makes these dreams American is that they wished for unconditional happiness and freedom.
Examples Of Oppression In Of Mice And Men
805 Words | 4 PagesSteinbeck claims that in society women are oppressed in many ways. Towards the beginning of the book, in order to discourage Lennie from showing interest in Curley’s wife, George yells,“I seen 'em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her,” (Steinbeck 34). George refers to Curley’s wife as a piece
What Are The Similarities Between Of Mice And Men
350 Words | 2 PagesJohn Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California on February 27, 1902 he grown up in middle class home where his father was a multiple job holding to feed the family and his mother was a schoolteacher. Steinbeck only went to college in pursuit to please his parents because he drifted in and out for six years and still came out with no degree. (Biography.com) Now that you have some background information about john I’m now give you information into where he got the idea of writing Of Mice and Men in an interview with New York Times John said “Lennie was a real person. I worked alongside him for many weeks. He didn’t kill a girl.
John Steinbeck Influence On Of Mice And Men
260 Words | 2 PagesThe author of one of the best selling novels including Of Mice and Men, the third child of Olive Hamilton and a hard working boy in the “Salad Bowl of the Nation”, John Steinbeck. Steinbeck was brought up in Salinas, California during the Great Depression. This might have influenced his setting for Of Mice and Men. As well as George and Lennie life as a farm worker, since Steinbeck also grew up in a farm setting. Born on February 27, 1902, this renowned author created Of Mice and Men from the edges of his childhood.
Of Mice And Men Written Response Essay
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The Role Of Power In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
745 Words | 3 PagesCrooks was required to be reclusive because he was not wanted around. Racism was an extreme issue in the world in the 1930s and in America alone. All in all, power has important roles in the relationships in Of Mice and Men. Power is shown through the relationships of Lennie and George, Curley and his wife, and crooks and society. This bias power is determined by competence, gender and race.
Examples Of Archetypes In Of Mice And Men
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Research Paper On John Steinbeck's Inspiration For Of Mice And Men
825 Words | 4 PagesJohn Steinbeck’s Inspiration for Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck brings his books to life through his first hand experience in Salinas, California. Born in Salinas, he became very familiar with the people that live and work there (Of Mice and Men 241). During Steinbeck’s life, he gains first hand experience with migrant laborers and a number of different events that influence his writing (Steinbeck, John 230). John Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men because he was inspired by the ranch he worked on, the events happening during his life, and the people in his everyday life.
Human Condition In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
573 Words | 3 PagesThe book Of Mice and Men is full of puzzling examples of the human condition, from Lennie and his mental disability to Curley only caring about his social appearance. With characters like these two, the book exploits the human condition that concerns circumstances life has given you. John Steinbeck brings to life what being a laborer in the American depression meant to the men and one woman who had enough personality to stand out. Steinbeck shows the human condition of men while they survive in the American depression.
The Archetypes In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
768 Words | 4 PagesArchetypes are a manifestation of how our minds envision the roles of characters, these characters come in the form of the hero, villain, temptress, damsel, monster, and mentor. In the book Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, we follow the story of two men who struggle to pull through, on their journey they come across other characters that fulfill the roles of the archetypes. One character in particular that fills the archetype of the villain is Curley. Curley has an aura of evil that resonates from his attitude and his actions, which triggers people to act defensively around him for self-preservation.
Dehumanization Of Women In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
1447 Words | 6 PagesJohn Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, takes place during the Great Depression in the 1930’s, in the Salinas Valley, California. It establishes the prospect of the American Dream, discrimination,loneliness, and disenfranchisement through its characters. George and Lennie provided the value of the American Dream, to which the leading female role, Curley’s wife, represents how women are exempt from the American Dream, and appeared as less than equal to men. She developed a form of loneliness throughout the course of the novel. The novella seeks to demonstrate the way of which life was like for the characters of all different statuses and backgrounds.
Social Classes In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
833 Words | 4 PagesJohn Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men, is a compelling story that has captured and embodied the struggle and loneliness felt by many during the Great Depression. While desire for the American Dream is prominent in the novel, Steinbeck is able to demonstrate the wants from different social classes through the construction of characters such as George Milton and Curley’s wife. With these characters, Steinbeck successfully displays the difference in ideas, values and attitudes of certain social classes in the 1930’s and the illustrates the rarity of achieving the American Dream. Steinbeck wrote this novel during the Great Depression, when America was suffering greatly by the disastrous crash of the stock market. From this point in time, separation of the different classes became
Social Criticism Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
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Character Development In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
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