Of Mice And Men Sexism Analysis
Sexism Kills the American Dream
In the novella Of Mice and Men, the author John Steinbeck, creates the character of Curley’s Wife, a strongly objectified 1930’s farmers wife in California. He molds her character to show her seemingly ‘natural’, yet terrible, struggles. By demonstrating the crushing blows of sexism on Curley’s Wife, Steinbeck exemplifies how a woman of the rough times, and hardships of the Great Depression in the 1930’s stood no chance to obtain the American Dream.
The brutal sexism on the ranch directly correlates to Curley’s wife being dehumanized. In the chapter two scene, George tells Lennie to stay away from her. This is clear dehumanization. George seems to know what a woman like Curley’s wife will do to Lennie. He makes this claim without knowing her at all. Georges declaration to Lennie, “Don’t even look at that bit**. I don’t care what she says, or what she does. I seen ‘em poison before, but I never seen no piece of Jailbait worse than her,” (pg. 32) this creates a sense of how much less she is viewed by men. The impoverished little man, has to tell the mentally handicapped psycho to stay away from a woman they haven’t even met yet, because she is worse than them.
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They care because equal rights matter, and that is not what women are often times receiving. We should care because it impacts our lives today, and can help us reflect on times back then, to see our improvement as a whole. Citizens of all types need to stop viewing the world from their own eyes, as it obstructs your daily view on topics like sexism. Instead we need to concede to the fact that we are all created equal, but we just have different starting points. Sexism is a major setback for Curley’s wife, and a lot of women. Sexism can, and will eliminate a women's odds of landing the American
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1074 Words | 5 PagesIn the early and mid 1900s, the roles of women in a society were clearly portrayed when they fought for their liberties. Similarly, Curley’s wife does not have a significant
Sexism By Marilyn Frye Analysis
1181 Words | 5 PagesI would say that it’s true that sexism plays an important role when someone is trying to a get a job or not in this world. For example, when employees have a male manager, they start to think that he’s a leader for telling them do. However, if those same employees had a female manager who was telling tell them what to do then the employees would think she’s bossy instead of a leader. Additionally, for the most part that example is usually not criticized by people because sexism has entered their brain in a subconscious way so they don’t think it’s a problem for employees to think that a male manger is a leader while thinking a female manager is bossy. Moreover, Frye states, “For every type of occasion there are distinct clothes, gear, and accessories, hair-dos, cosmetics and scents, labeled as “ladies” or “men’s” and labeling us as females or males, and most of the time most of us choose, use, wear or bear the paraphernalia associated with our sex” (Frye, p.847).
Of Mice And Men Rhetorical Devices
931 Words | 4 PagesIn 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.
Taming Of The Shrew Sexism Analysis
815 Words | 4 PagesFrom Sexism to Social Reformation Many actions and ideologies of the characters in The Taming of the Shrew create an overarching conflict between comedy and sexism for most readers. Specifically, the relationships between the men and women introduce controversial topics such as obedience and love which must be questioned thoroughly. The conditions of Petruchio and Katherine’s marriage was more “traditional” in the sense that it was primarily patriarchal, and that Kate was expected to be subservient and obedient. While this is sexist, on the surface, this was not the intended meaning behind the works.
Comparison Of Characters In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
1725 Words | 7 PagesIn 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
A Raisin In The Sun Sexism Analysis
779 Words | 4 PagesIn the play, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, there are many examples of sexism throughout its entirety. The character, Walter, demonstrates the acts of a sexist human being. Walter is sexist to not only women in general, but to the women in his family. Not taking into consideration of other people’s sayings and their feelings, Walter generally only thinks about himself, says what he believes, and truly only cares about money. Walter constantly is fighting with all of the women in the family as well.
Social Injustice In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
513 Words | 3 PagesIn 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. Lennie is a victim of social injustice due to the fact that he is mentally disabled. He is not treated fairly when he was accused of rape.
Examples Of Sexism In Of Mice And Men
1644 Words | 7 PagesAforementioned, Curley 's wife represents discrimination towards women, she is constantly looked down upon and isn 't treated with respect. However, when she is talking to Crooks, “‘Well, you keep your place then, n*****. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain 't even funny,’”(OMAM 81). Crooks and Curley 's wife go through something similar. They are both discriminated based on a difference that the other men on the farm don’t have.
Sexism In Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
973 Words | 4 PagesWorld 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.
Social Classes In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
833 Words | 4 PagesThe reader is positioned to view her negatively as she uses her beauty as power to seduce the workers on the farm and make her husband jealous. The men often complain about her throughout the novel, calling her names that no woman would ever appreciate. Candy tells George and Lennie his honest opinion of Curley’s wife, “You know what I think?” George did not answer. “Well, I think Curley’s married…a tart.”
Gender Inequality In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
913 Words | 4 PagesIn 1920 when the 19th amendment was passed allowing women to vote, many women thought that Gender Inequality was coming to an end. Soon after, the Great Depression happened, and everyone was focused on that. Life for women was especially hard then because they had to live in a world full of poverty and discrimination. Throughout Of Mice and Men we see this through Curley’s Wife. She just wants to fit in and talk to the men without thinking she wants something, or being called rude names.
Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife Essay
1173 Words | 5 PagesIt doesn't matter if they have money. It doesn't matter if they can vote. It doesn't matter if they graduate college and end up teaching high schoolers that may or may not take the advice. There is a feeling of dissatisfaction that lives with women, and in the case of Curley’s wife, dies with women. Women will live their lives in distaste, or forever attempt to grasp the idea of The American Dream for themselves until it simply
Effects Of Sexism In Of Mice And Men
1324 Words | 6 PagesThe spouse of the boss’s son, Curley’s wife is seen a seen as a sl*t by the transient workers at the ranch. Shortly after settling in, George is relaxing in his accommodations with some of the other laborers when over a game euchre, Whit expresses his disgust for Curley’s wife. George agrees, stating “She’s jail bait all set on the trigger. That Curley got his work counted out for him. Ranch with a bunch of guys on it ain’t no place for a girl, ’specially like her’”(51).
How Does Steinbeck Present The American Dream In Of Mice And Men
1723 Words | 7 PagesSince 1931 when James Truslow Adams first created the phrase “the American Dream”, people believed that America continuously offered everyone an equal opportunity to be successful. John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, was set during the Great Depression. Farms were struck hard during the Depression, and the two main characters George and Lennie were farm hands during this time. They had experienced the misunderstandings of other farm hands in terms of Lennie’s mental disability, but they were trying to earn enough money to buy their own farm. The idea of this farm drove Lennie and George to keep working, and like many others during this time they hoped to achieve this dream.
Of Mice And Men Dream Analysis
1699 Words | 7 PagesWomen during the Great Depression were seen as weak and were treated unfairly men were the only ones who even had a slight chance of attaining the American Dream. For women achieving the American Dream was very difficult, they had to give up everything so that their husbands could achieve their dream (Loranger). Like in Of Mice and Men Curley’s wife had to give up her dream of becoming an actress because she was too young and a women, “If I’d went, I wouldn’t be livin’ like this, you bet” (Steinbeck 88). Curley’s wife is saying that she would have lived a much happier life is she went with her dream of becoming an actress. Since she was a women her dream was unattainable and if she wanted to get an opportunity to become an actress again she would have to work very hard to do so.
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