Stereotypes In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

It is common knowledge that all stereotypes, both positive and negative, are detrimental to everyone’s self-esteem and confidence, but biases that are ingrained in society are hard to resolve. Often times, people gravitate toward those similar to them because of their bias, which only allows the cycle of ignorance to continue. This cycle of ignorance introduces negativity into the world and people are more likely to judge others and themselves too harshly. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, he discusses how people’s feelings of superiority over others only allow stereotypes to remain. Steinbeck’s story follows two migrant workers, George and Lennie, as they try to make a living during the Great Depression. They are odd, in the eyes of the other workers, because they travel together. They meet Curley’s wife, the daughter-in-law of the owner of the ranch, who happens to be the sole woman on the farm. The workers’ colored views of women portray Curley’s wife as a negative character before her true self is revealed later in the book, as she nears her death. Through the worker’s assumptions and diction, Steinbeck demonstrates how negative stereotypes drive negative behaviors and beliefs.
Because of their own assumptions, the men on the farm have a biased opinion of Curley’s wife before meeting her and result to the use of derogatory language and rumors. The diction by the men leads to original characterization of Curley’s wife as a mean seductress, with little value or brains;