In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinback, the theme of unsighted prejudice is illustrated in a number of ways. Steinbeck conveys injustice amongst characters stricken with social disadvantages. He demonstrates the less powerful through people like Curley’s Wife, a nameless woman whose existence is only acknowledged through her husband’s name. Then again through Crooks, a black stable buck isolated from the rest of his coworkers due to his race. Finally through Lennie, a mentally disabled yet strong man accompanied by his friend to help him. Steinbeck uses his writing to convey the flaws of society and the prejudice toward marginalized groups at this time, and how isolating it is.
Unable to have a name for herself, Curley’s Wife is found
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There is a sexist barrier between her and the men on the ranch, because they believe she should not be there. The men on the ranch attempt to keep her in her place, making the barricade for her to feel loved even harder to get over. In the article, “Of Mice and Men (Novel)” by Harold Bloom, it expresses the lack of self expression given to Curley’s Wife. Bloom states,
“He announces that he hears the men returning, and says, ‘You better go home now…If you go right now, we won’t tell Curley you was here’.” Candy’s threat works because Curley’s Wife also knows her word carries little weight, with her husband or anyone else” (Bloom).
Curley’s Wife, alongside remaining nameless, is only talked about whenever her husband is mentioned. Her decisions and actions always lead back to how Curley feels about them, or how it affects him. While perceived as whorish, she only ever wants to feel validated by the people surrounding her. Steinbeck’s portrayal of sexism in of mice and men shows how prejudice towards women can be perpetuated and appear blind by entrenched ideals. Curley’s Wife faces loneliness, as well as Crooks, but for much different
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Faced with loneliness and rejected by those around them, all three share isolating defeats. The novel signifies the hardships that marginalized groups such as women, people of color, and the mentally disabled go through. In conclusion, Steinbeck challenges readers to fight against prejudice and confront their own mistakes and empathize with the oppressed groups. Of Mice and Men is a timeless novel with powerful lessons about humanity and its flaws, while demonstrating the corrosive effects a prejudiced world has on
In the Story of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck wrote Mice and Men as a novella. Written in 1937, it demonstrates the perils of believing in dreams, particularly during the Great Depression, while emphasizing the importance of company and friendship. Through the characters of Crooks, an African American stable buck, Candy, an aging ranch worker, Lennie, a mentally challenged laborer, and Curley's Wife, a woman defined by her relationship with her husband, John Steinbeck shows how the less powerful are discriminated against by society in Of Mice and Men. Crooks, Curley’s wife, and Lennie are the three characters who most experience prejudice towards mice and men. Crooks is forcibly suffering from racism as a result of physical violence, racist
Because Curley’s wife is closely connected to the boss, her engagements towards the men on the ranch will only push her further away from them. Also, when Curley’s wife appears, her loneliness pours out of her with resentment. She describes her isolation at the ranch by stating, “I get lonely...you can talk to people, but I can't talk to nobody but Curley” (87). This shows that shes just a lonely young and naive girl, who uses her sexuality to get noticed on the
John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, depicts race as a critical factor to the dominance of people during this time period. Racism is presented most evidently in chapter four by the treatment of Crooks, the stable buck. Crook’s and his fellow workers discussed ambitions in his quarters, which happened to be separate from the others clearly due to his skin tone. As the men conversed topics regarding the near future, Curley’s wife abruptly barged into the area searching for her husband. Noting the peril with which Curley’s wife is associated with,
Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is an intriguing and captivating piece that captures America’s history. Throughout the text, Steinbeck demonstrates how multiple prejudices can affect contrasting characters in the 1930’s. Lennie Small and George Milton, a pair of bindlestiffs, witness the discrimination throughout the course of the novel. George cares for Lennie, who is mentally challenged, and once Lennie’s onerous actions increase, George makes the formidable decision to abruptly end his life. The characters in the story are faced with internal and external conflicts.
The Marginalized: Curley's Wife Have you ever felt the extreme sexist challenges of being a woman? The irrational fear of differing from your peers and being judged on the basis of what sex you were born as, as "the bard of femininity," is on your shoulders, you are being objectified solely for the fact that you are female. In John Steinbeck’s 1937 novella Of Mice and Men, the author uses the themes of loneliness, isolation, and sexism to explore the theme of the marginalization of women in this time and how it leads to extreme dissociation, self-harm, and pain. Steinbeck's character Curley's Wife in Of Mice and Men exclusively represent women's marginalization because she is depicted as a tramp, and most people back then wouldn't
And because she had confided in him, she moved closer to Lennie and sat beside him”(Steinbeck 89). As a result of this, she is left with a man she doesn’t find attractive or love. So she is trapped in this relationship that she doesn’t like her life at the moment. She believes that her life would be so much better if she did get that note and went up to Hollywood. Overall, Curley’s wife’s gender discrimination against her led her to getting stuck in a relationship that she does not enjoy and losing her chance to be able to go out in the acting
In the novella “Of Mice and Men” one of Steinbeck’s central character is Curley’s Wife. Steinbeck presents her as a dangerous and powerful due to his language techniques like metaphor, simile and structure. However in a misogynistic society she can also be seen as a lonely and vulnerable character. Steinbeck’s use of symbolism especially towards Curley’s wife creates a dangerous and powerful persona.
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.
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is a story about discrimination due to someone being different in any way. The reader learns how people were treated and discriminated in 1930s during the great depression. This is important because this issue continues even to this day. This problem has been around for a very long time. Steinbeck uses Archetypes,Symbolism, and Setting to convey the theme of discrimination.
(87) More specifically, the other men on the ranch refuse to talk to her because Curley’s position of power on the ranch portrays him as having the ability to have any man on the ranch lose their job. Furthermore, when Curley’s wife was conversing with Lennie in the barn and confided in him, she said: “Well, I ain’t
John Steinbeck’s 1937 historical fiction novella, Of Mice and Men, is filled with issues that are still current today, and in the story, he hints at his own belief set. Some topics found in the book, which was set during the United States’ Great Depression, discussed sexism, prejudice, and friendships. These can be and are as difficult to discuss approximately eighty years later. Throughout the story, characters who are prejudice use victims to make themselves feel better about who they are, showing their own insecurities about their position. Steinbeck shows this idea, people’s way of expressing insecurities, throughout the book.
In the novel “Of Mice and Men” the theme of social injustice is presented by John Steinbeck through the characters of Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Crooks. By examining the theme of social injustice one can be taught that treating someone based on their mental capability, gender, or race is wrong. Rather treat them base on the person they are on the
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.
Sexism is shown in the book when Curley’s wife is regarded as a bitch merely owing to the fact that she is flirtatious and wears appealing clothes. People are prejudiced against Curley’s wife because she is a woman and also because she wears makeup and dresses. She is constantly called derogatory terms throughout the book simply because of her appearance and coquettish actions. She is perceived as Curley’s property so she is not to be looked at or spoken to.
John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is a short novel that packs a punch and really looks back at America’s past and mistakes. Steinbeck paints a picture of the late 1920s and early 1930s through two men, George and Lennie. George looks after the mentally challenged Lennie and must take action by soon ending Lennie’s life. The characters in the novel all struggle with heartbreaking conflicts but, no one else suffers more than Lennie and George. These conflicts are often supported imagery in the text.