ipl-logo

The Role Of Poverty In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

212 Words1 Page

John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men argues that poverty is necessary for a society to continue functioning, despite its harsh and psychologically damaging effects on its victims. The wealthy are the ones exploiting the poor individual’s labor and other tasks for their own benefit and success. Steinbeck uses the experiences of the characters to develop the feeling of empathy for the characters’ unfortunate encounters. In both Curley and the boss’ case, they seemingly looking out for their own cause and ignoring the position their workers are put under. George even states how if he and “Lennie work a month…[they’ll] have a hundred bucks” (30). A short and sincere statement reveal how difficult it was for migrant workers after the Great Depression

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Powerlessness On The Ranch

    968 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ranch workers barely make any money at the end of the month, even after having to work for countless hours every day. George dreams about moving to his own farm, but he is economically powerless. He hardly has any money between himself and Lennie. As George and Candy discuss moving onto their own farm, George states, “We got ten bucks between us” (Steinbeck 59). As ranch workers, it is not uncommon to not have much money.

    Read More

  • Adversity In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    264 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” says Abraham Lincoln. I personally agree with this idea, for many reasons which include the following. The first reason I agree with this idea, because it shows in Of Mice and Men, when Curley's wife knows she has power so, she presents her real character by using racism on Crooks, calling Candy old, and calling Lenny stupid. Without power she would be absent, fearful, and desperate, which would tuck away her real character. The second reason I agree with this belief, is that I have even experienced this with my siblings.

    Read More

  • The Consequences Of Power In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    336 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the classic American novel Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, power is a recurring theme. Most of the characters have direct ties to power, whether it is physical, social, economic, or intellectual. But the author balances their powers with flaws. Lennie, a main character, has a lot of physical power. Yet due to his mental disability, he does not understand the consequences of his actions.

    Read More

  • Privilege In Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    1218 Words  | 5 Pages

    Although the Great Depression was a difficult time for most of the country, some people thrived. This was mostly caused by the privilege and power some had over others. In The Great Gatsby written in 1925 by Fitzgerald and in Of Mice and Men written by Steinbeck in 1937, the female and/or poor characters are portrayed very differently than the rich male characters to show the effects that privilege had on this time. Both Fitzgerald and Steinbeck criticized privilege and power through characterization. Both Fitzgerald and Steinbeck gave the women in The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men harsh and sexualized deaths through characterization and diction which shows that they had less privilege and power than the men in the stories.

    Read More

  • Outcasts In Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck

    776 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Power In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    745 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Social Injustice In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    513 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 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.

    Read More

  • Human Condition In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    573 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men: Analysis

    955 Words  | 4 Pages

    Anyway, this research will focus only on three aspects - conscience crisis, violence, and fate and destiny. These aspects will be discussed in three separate chapters under the umbrella of the selected novels of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men(1937) , The Grapes of Wrath(1939) , and The Pearl (1947) and Cormac McCarthy ’s Blood Meridian (1985) , No country for old men( 2005) , and The Road (2006) . The investigator has adopted the sociological methodology throughout the thesis. Furthermore , the second chapter - conscience crisis, will be divided into two parts ( man’s inhumanity to man and greed ). “The phrase (Man 's inhumanity to man) is first documented in the Robert Burns poem called Man Was Made to Mourn, Samuel Von Pufendorf also wrote in 1673, More inhumanity has been done by man himself than any other of nature 's causes.”

    Read More

  • Friendship In Of Mice And Men

    715 Words  | 3 Pages

    In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the era of the Great Depression in the 1930’s is revealed through a simple story of ranch workers who hope to improve their lives. Migrant workers, George and Lennie, have a friendship that is based on trust and protection. The other workers lack the companionship and bond that these two men have. In the novel, the absence and presence of friendship is the motivation for the characters’ actions.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Money In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    1650 Words  | 7 Pages

    Money can cause many problems in the our lives and relationships, such as isolation and depression. Also, people tend to look more of what they, themselves, are able to get out of people instead of looking at people for who they are. In John Steinbeck’s three novels Of Mice and Men, Tortilla Flat, and In Dubious Battle , he addresses the problems that money can create. This is what, in the end, causes most of the problems for the different characters. Of Mice and Men is about two men who look for jobs after the Great Depression.

    Read More

  • Social Classes In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    833 Words  | 4 Pages

    John Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men, is a compelling story that has captured and embodied the struggle and loneliness felt by many during the Great Depression. While desire for the American Dream is prominent in the novel, Steinbeck is able to demonstrate the wants from different social classes through the construction of characters such as George Milton and Curley’s wife. With these characters, Steinbeck successfully displays the difference in ideas, values and attitudes of certain social classes in the 1930’s and the illustrates the rarity of achieving the American Dream. Steinbeck wrote this novel during the Great Depression, when America was suffering greatly by the disastrous crash of the stock market. From this point in time, separation of the different classes became

    Read More

  • Gender Inequality In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    913 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 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.

    Read More

  • Social Criticism Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    1262 Words  | 6 Pages

    Of Mice and Men is John Steinbeck’s most successful early novel containing elements of social criticism shaped by this real life experience. Steinbeck drew his inspiration for the work from his experience living and working as a “bindlestiff” during the 1920’s. Instead of graduating from Stanford University, Steinbeck chose to support himself through manual labour whilst writing. His experience amongst the working classes in California lent authenticity to his depiction of the lives of the workers - who are the central characters of this novel; and the social issues that ensue. To further emphasize the loneliness of the itinerant worker Steinbeck then decides to set the novel near Soledad, California, a town name that means “Solitude” in Spanish.

    Read More

  • The Role Of The American Dream In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    610 Words  | 3 Pages

    Of mice and men is a prominent book read by most high school students for a long time. Of mice and men is a book written by John Steinbeck. In the book George and Lennie had to run out of weed, so they looked for a ranch to work on. Lennie had issues with liking soft things that lead to him killing Curley's’ Wife and a puppy. To express that the american dream is impossible to achieve Steinbeck uses conversations, conflicts, and events.

    Read More

More about The Role Of Poverty In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Open Document