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Misconceptions In Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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As society has become an integral part of the world’s culture, the opinions and misconceptions of others have dominated the way people live. Throughout history, certain groups and ideas have been suppressed by the ones in charge. These actions have sprouted an almost universal indifference to those deemed less than ideal, and therefore created a divide in the way society sees race, age groups and even gender. Coupled with the Great Depression, these beliefs are the driving force for the majority of problems individuals experience in the text. In the novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses the device of conflict to portray the external struggles of characters living in the era of the Great Depression.
In the third decade of the 20th century, …show more content…

More specifically, the workers resent Crooks because of his color, and as a result, he is segregated from the men and their activities. However, Crooks can not just quit his job or move from place to place, as he, similar to Candy, is not likely to get another job. An example in the novel reads, “‘Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black.’” It can be argued that Crooks faces the most isolation out of all the characters in Of Mice and Men, as other people’s struggles do not compare to the issues he deals with everyday. While Candy has a hard time on the work front, he is welcomed wholeheartedly by the other men, and converses with and joins them as if he was still a young man. On the other hand, Crooks is completely shut out from the men and would have a very low chance of finding other work, putting him above anyone else in terms of misfortunes. Overall, the oppression of minorities in the 1930s put them at odds with society, and created a social division that continues to linger …show more content…

The astray behavior of this time has influenced every event, idea, and judgement that has followed it, resulting in a modern day issue unlikely to be resolved any time soon. These conflicts against society, which many of the characters suffer from, shape much of the plot of Of Mice and Men, which details a very different reality then the one most people live in today. However, the thought remains, as the decades continue to pass and the centuries change, the prejudices of those before always seem to live

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Crooks is constantly being discriminated against which is the effect of being colored at this time. During the book talks to Crooks about the farm he desires, Crook says to Lennie, “S'pose you couldn't go into the bunkhouse and play rummy 'cause you was black. How'd you like that?” () Crook is at the bottom of the social hierarchy because of his race. This inequality is the barrier to his dreams of being

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The novella ‘of Mice and Men’ was written by John Steinbeck in the 1930s. It is set in a difficult period of time when America was sunk in deep depression. However, themes of loyalty shine brightly throughout the novella. He shows that even though Americas economy is in tatters, loyalty can still be as prominent. There were also distinct themes of disloyalty, mainly between characters.

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Also, Crooks makes a dejected call to Candy after getting harsh accusations from Curley's wife, saying, "Remember what I said about hoein' and doin' odd jobs? I wouldn't want to go anywhere similar.” Overall the objectives and dreams of many individuals who are touched by discrimination are destroyed by this powerful cause. A good example of this is the major characters in John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, who have varying physical or mental

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In the novella, Of Mice and Men, the author John Steinbeck illustrates a ranch in the 1930’s during the great depression where those who fit into mainstream society run the show, and those deemed “outcasts” are rendered useless. Steinbeck depicts characters with setbacks that diminish their value in the eyes of society, and contrasts them to characters that have no difficulties conforming to the norm. Crooks, being a black man isolated by his race, and Candy, a elderly man limited by his age and missing limb are examples of Steinbeck characters that experience hardships because of the differences. The poor treatment of Crooks and Candy by the other characters, and their chronic unhappiness in a place that doesn’t value them, comments on how

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1071 Words | 5 Pages

Prejudice, it’s something humans all do naturally. Everybody, no matter what race, appearance and family history, have some level of prejudice against others. In the novel Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife, Candy, and Crooks are discriminated against, ‘picked on’ and there are certain degrees of prejudice they are treated with. These characters are crucial in providing the audience or the reader with evidence that prejudice is a human fault and the way in which these characters were treated, is to be expected. Curley’s wife is a prime example of the type and degree of sexism and discrimination that women during that time were treated with.

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In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men. It introduces many characters that many fall under being lonely, some of the ways the characters feel lonely is because they are mentally slow or either mentally brighter than others, their race, attitude, as well as their gender. In Of Mice and Men, crooks seem to stand out as being the most isolated out of everyone in the book, racially and discrimination at work. Of Mice and Men takes place during the Great Depression (1930s), more than 65 years since slavery was abolished, yet is the biggest reason Crooks is mistreated because of his race. Throughout the book Steinbeck has his characters refer to Crooks as stable buck, and derogatory racial slurs creating the idea of the type of time period

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Crooks is often left out from the rest of the ranch men and he explains “They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black.” (Steinbeck 68). Crooks is forced to stay in a shed all by himself, isolated from the others and is prohibited from participating in social activities only because of his differences. When certain characters get discriminated against, like Crooks and Lennie, it will cause them to become isolated in their

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To better understand the novella Of Mice and Men, the background of the story must be elaborated. The setting of the story takes place in the Salinas Valley, California during the The Great Depression in the 1930s. John Steinbeck, the author, tells about the protagonist, George, and the antagonist, Lennie, and their journey of constantly finding new work to pursue George’s dream to own his farm and “live off the fatta the

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The novel contains different themes which help to present Steinbeck’s view of social issues during the Great Depression. From idealism to reality, alienation and loneliness, prejudice and discrimination, “meanness” and class conflict, race and racism, “handiness” in violence and sex, women and sexism. However, the American Dream and loneliness are without doubt the main themes in Of Mice and Men, in parallel with social fitness. How can ageing, weak or physically & mentally disabled humans and animals fit into

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Crook’s character is being discriminated due to his skin color which soon caused him to be disregarded. Although at a certain point, Crooks stood up but no good has come to him. Challenging discrimination is strenuous, however it is necessary in order for an individual to advance. One of the most lousy assumption made during the novel’s time period is the hierarchy between the color of men.

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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.

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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.

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Crooks is a black man who has been given the nickname because of his crooked back. He is another character in the novel that is discriminated against. Similarly, as Lennie and Candy are discriminated because of their weakness, Crooks is discriminated because of his race. For example, he says how he “ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse… can’t play [cards] because I’m black” (68). His race causes him to be separated from everyone else and be isolated in his own room.

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Crooks was forced to sleep in a separate room next to the stable, apart from the bunks where the rest of the ranch workers resided. Crooks was unable to participate in anything that the rest of the ranch workers did. All of this was a result of his ethnicity. “ “Cause I’m black. They play cards, but I can’t play because I’m black.

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The 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.

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