Lennie and Curley’s wife are both get treated different by the workers. Curley’s wife as wife of one of the leaders of the ranch doesn't get many respect as it is given to Lennie who is less valued due to his job and condition. In page 48, Whit says “... You’ll see plenty. She ain’t concealin’ nothing. I never seen nobody like her. She got the eye goin’ all the time on everybody… I don’t know what the hell she
Symbolism is used in literature pieces to add dimension and depth to the story that is being told. The symbols that are used are usually subtle and discreet but are mentioned or talked about quite often. This is because in literature if something is mentioned more than once then it will most likely hold a greater significance than it may lead on. The author John Steinbeck uses many symbols in the story Of Mice and Men to add a better understanding on why some characters act the way they do. The way he adds symbolism to this story is through the animals that live with the characters or are talked about frequently. Three of which are Candy’s dog, Lennie’s puppy and the rabbits that are often mentioned by Lennie. These three symbols all have a deeper meaning to the story than they perceive to have. John Steinbeck uses Candy’s dog, Lennie’s
In the novel of mice and men written by John Steinbeck most of the character desire and want to belong and have someone who cares .the main characters George Milton and Lennie small are two migrant workers who in the book are the examples belonging and having someone that 's there for them.once the two meet candy, crooks, and Curley 's wife who don 't desire to belong and for someone.the theme of the novel is that whatever the race, age, gender, etc everyone needs and wants to belong and a friend like some of the workers.
In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men Steinbeck describes the lonely life of migrant workers going from farm to farm. These workers go from farm to farm surviving with nothing except themselves and their dreams of a better life/ While the protagonists of the novel are close friends, most of these migrant workers are quite lonely and are without a friend to lean on when times get hard. Steinbeck explores this isolation as one of the major themes in Of Mice and Men through two stereotypes that were arguably the most discriminated against during this time: the black male, symbolized by the stable buck, Crooks, and the depression-era female, symbolized by the attention-seeking woman, Curley’s wife.
Another form of discrimination Steinbeck portrays is ageism. Ageism is defined as “...stereotyping and discriminating against individuals or groups on the basis of their age.” (“Ageism”). The main victim of ageism in Of Mice and Men is Candy, the Skinner, who is an elderly man who hurt is hand in an accident and is not fit for most jobs on the ranch. Ageism can affect the youth and the elderly, and anyone in between, but during the Great Depression, it mostly affected the elderly. They were seen as useless and as extra mouths to feed. Candy faces the endless fear that the boss will fire him once he loses his worth on the farm. Candy’s fears are portrayed when Carlson shoots his old dog because the dog is too old to be of use. He tells Lennie
Everyone on the ranch fears repercussions from Curley when interacting with her. Everyone goes out of their way to ensure that they don’t interact with Curley’s wife. All the men figure it is in their best interest to avoid Curley’s wife as much as possible. It also does not help that Curley’s wife is extremely flirtatious. Anytime Curley’s wife appears, the men at the ranch immediately believe that she has one thought in mind. This causes her to receive very little respect from the other men at the ranch and gain many derogatory names. Curley’s wife is also very forthcoming with private information, by reason that she has nobody to talk to. Therefore, anytime someone on the ranch will listen to her or give her the time of day, she will tell them everything she needs to get off her chest. She feels no regret in telling complete strangers about her personal life as well as her dreams and aspirations. She was so alienated and lonely on the ranch that no one even noticed when Lennie had broken her neck until they were standing over her dead
John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men contains a multitude of themes through which Steinbeck shows his disgust with society. This story was written during The Great Depression and the American society was struggling to survive. People thought that by isolating themselves, they could protect people they love. Steinbeck portrays this hardship through several characters throughout the book. Three characters in particular stand out as isolated. Crooks, the only black man; Curley’s wife, who is the only woman on the farm and never named; and Candy, an old man who cannot work efficiently. These three people are symbols of the American lifestyle during this time period.
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. Author John Steinbeck explores multiple real life issues in both works, and provides a message of how unfair the world is, as well as show how cruel humans can be to differences.
In the book of Mice and Men, the theme Companionship is essential to life to like shown by Lennie and Crooks conversation, the shooting Candy’s dog, and Curley’s wife talking to the other men.
While Crooks, a victim of racial prejudice, expresses his isolation openly, he also socializes with other workers on the job and while playing horseshoes with them. Curley’s wife, on the other hand, cannot talk to anyone without suffering the consequences of a jealous husband: “ I get so lonely,’ she said. “you can talk to people , but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?” (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
Life isn’t fair for many people, and in the Novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, this is evident through the characters of Crooks, Lennie, Candy, and Curley’s wife. In comparison to the other workers, these four outcasts are more closely related to each other than one may at first realize. Lennie has a lack of mental capacity, Crooks is black and has an injured back, Candy is missing a hand and is also old, and Curley’s wife is isolated by the other men due to being too flirtatious. These qualities, albeit unfortunate at best, gives these characters all one thing in common; they’re neglected and undesired by the other workers on the farm. These characters are all undesirable in their own way, and this is why they are outcasts.
In Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice and Men the main theme is Loneliness and Isolation. Steinbeck really creates an image in your head of the life of the migrated ranch men. He hides the fact the characters are isolated in the language he uses. The town that the ranch is close to is called “Soledad” which means loneliness in spanish. In latin “Solitaire” (the card game the men play) means alone and isolated. Some of the characters in the book have been described as more isolated and lonely than the other character, with the ones in particular ; Crooks, Candy and Curley’s Wife. Crooks is lonely because he is black and has a crooked back which is physically isolating him, Candy is lonely because he is old and only has one hand, Curley’s Wife is lonely because she is the only woman on the ranch. All the people living on the ranch are lonely to some extent. This is proven when Steinbeck describes the bunkhouse where all the workers sleep. "Over each bunk there was nailed an apple box with the opening forward so that it made two shelves for personal belongings of the occupant of the bunk." (p38) The way Steinbeck describes the bunkhouse indicates their lonely lives. Also by only having two shelves for their personal belongings shows their lonely insecure lives. Crooks has a better facility than any of the other ranch workers since he has a desk. Crooks does not appreciate this because he is alone and isolated from the rest, like Curley’s wife and in some way Candy.
Albert Schweitzer once said, “We are all so much together, but we are all dying of loneliness.” Undoubtedly, Albert Schweitzer’s quote can be referred to Curley’s wife in the novel Of Mice and Men, and John Steinbeck’s message about loneliness. Without a doubt, Curley’s wife, from Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is a lonely character who fails to find companionship, and depicts Steinbeck’s message about loneliness.
Imagine if you were working very hard on a ranch and you only got paid $50 a month. Well, this was the life during the Great Depression. In John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, George Milton, a ranch worker and one of the main protagonists, is a small, wiry, quick-witted man. He has to take care of his friend Lennie Small, a mentally disabled man who has the perception and social skills of a 5-year-old. However, Lennie is exceptionally strong and he is very hard-working on the ranch. While working on the ranch, they meet Candy, a swamper who lost one of his hands in a farm accident. He spent most of his life on the ranch living with his dog, who is blind, stinky, and can barely walk. As the novella progresses, the reader will observe
“Keeping our eyes on journey's end is what we need - the place where we see at last the world that is greater than the world, the new creation that cannot be contained in present thought or social order or piety.” Parents tell their kids that dreams come true, but the societal order in the world ends childrens’ dreams early. Societal order plays a big role in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Starting at a lake with the hopes of a decent life, Lennie and George find a job on a nearby ranch. A quick turn in the story brings Lennie and George back to the start, and unfortunately, a fatal blow ends their dream. In Steinbeck’s book, strength dictates the order of society: men superior to women, women superior to African Americans, and African Americans inferior to everyone. This dictates the actions and words of the weak and subjects the powerful to prevail.