A Comparison Of Power In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

“Wha’s the matter with me?’ she cried. ‘Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am, anyways?” (Steinbeck 87) In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife is discriminated against because she is a woman living in the 1930s when few females could live economically independent of men. By choosing not to name her, Steinbeck reinforces her insignificance on the ranch and her dependence on Curley. While a misfortunate victim of isolation, Curley’s wife exerts unexpected power attempting to mask her pain.

John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men follows the journey of two men, George Milton and Lennie Small, who struggle through the navigation of working on a ranch in California and fulfilling their dreams together during a time of financial depression. The novel begins with George and Lennie traveling through the California wilderness to get to a new ranch just south of Soledad where they are going to begin new work. They had to leave their previous jobs in a town called Weed because Lennie had caused trouble with a girl by holding on to her red dress because he wanted to feel it, and this incident spiraled into rape allegations against Lennie. As George and Lennie make their way to the new ranch, Lennie; who is a large, but simple minded man; found a dead mouse and wanted to keep it to pet because he likes soft things. George, who is more serious and protects Lennie, takes the mouse away from him because even though it’s dead, he should not be messing with it. Lennie often does not realize his strength because of his mental incapabilities and as a result, he causes a lot of trouble and harm. George finds taking care of Lennie to be taxing, but he knows that their friendship is an important bond that he does not want to be without. In order to comfort Lennie in the wilderness, George tells the story of their shared dream to own their own ranch where they can follow their own rules and live as they please. When they finally arrive at the ranch the next day, George and Lennie

“So you forgot that awready, did you? I gotta tell you again , do I ? Jesus christ, you're a crazy bastard!” George says (4-5). You can infer that the two characters have some issues with each other. In Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck shows the weaknesses that most of the characters have and the trials they face with those weaknesses. The characters such as Lennie, Crooks and Candy all have something that happens to them in the story that brings out their weaknesses. John Steinbeck portrays the effects that weak people reveal through the characters Lennie, Crooks and Candy.

In the novel Of Mice and Men very few characters have power over others, but the ones that do show it throughout the story. Curley being the bossś son has power over everyone in the ranch and no one dares to cross him. Curleyś wife is automatically given power by branching off of curley's power. She also gains power through her own little tricks. George doesn't have much power, but he does have power over Lennie.

The poem “To a Mouse” says, “The best laid schemes of mice and men go often askew.” This sentence could not be more true for the characters in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Overall, George and Lennie went to a ranch to work because Lennie got them in trouble at their last job. At the ranch, Lennie causes more anxiety after he breaks Curley’s hand, kills a puppy, and kills Curley’s wife. Consequently, this misfortune led to the loss of the dreams of George, Lennie, Candy, and Curley’s wife. Steinbeck’s foreshadowing signaled about the scenes later in the book including the deaths of George and Lennie’s farm dream, Curley’s wife, and Lennie.

Michael Jackson once said, “We have to heal our wounded world. The chaos, despair, and senseless destruction we see today are a result of the alienation that people feel from each other and their environment.” Michael Jackson postulates how our hatred for each other--which is derived from competition to survive--makes a hostile environment. Naturalism is a theory that states that an organism’s survival is based on competition, which can eliminate those with detrimental or unappealing traits. The novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck conveys the idea that competition causes a society to become prejudiced, merciless, and alienated.

“Warren Lee Hill, a man with an IQ of 70, Was put to death Tuesday despite international protests that Georgia was executing a man with a child’s intellect.” Both Warren Hill and Lennie Small from John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, suffered the same fate of death. Both men suffering from Mental Retardation. George Milton murdering Lennie and, Georgia wrongfully “executing” Warren. Some people believe George was justified because he killed Lennie out of love, and it was the right thing to do for that certain moment in time. However, the opposite is true because George was not justified and should be punished for killing Lennie because he didn’t let the police handle the issue, Lennie is like a child in his own way and shouldn’t face death, And they could have just locked him in jail or prison instead of taking a life.

Carlson had three main reason to shoot Candy’s dog it stunk, it was old, and was in pain according to him. The dog stunk up the bunkhouse so the guys couldn't sleep at night. The dog could barely walk and looked terrible and filled with pain. So Carlson said “i'll take him out back and shoot him, won't even feel a thing”. At first candy was not going to let him shoot him but realized it was for the better.

Curly defined himself by his power therefore seeing others as threats loosing influence and power in the process. Slim and Curly were alike in the way that they each have power however the way that they used and viewed it made all the

Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa, once stated that “we owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear.” Mandela’s belief reveals that society has a great influence on the minds of its youth. If children are protected from a life of violence, they will grow up to be a strong, healthy, and ideal representation of our world; in contrast, if the youth are exposed to violence and fear, they themselves will become destructive. Books, for instance, are a common influence on the youth due to their varying content. A case in point of books’ effects on young adults is the controversy over John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men because

As the reader compares and contrasts the relations of power between characters in Of Mice and Men, the reader discovers that power affects the lifestyles of people, which is important because it affects how they treat others of higher and lower powers, their responses to others, and it affects their future. Candy, Curley’s Wife, and Crooks represent victims who are influenced by the power of others in a harmful way. Starting off, Candy represents the low ground of society. The power of others influences his decisions to kill his dog, his responses to those of authority in contrast to Curley’s wife and Crooks, and how he foreshadows his future. When Carlson asks Candy for permission to kill his dog because it struggles to live, Candy’s first

1. Symbolism—choose ONE of the following items…Curley’s boots, Candy’s dog, or Lennie’s puppy…and explain how it serves as a symbol in the story. NO TEXT SUPPORT IS NEEDED.

“‘Guys like us that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake, and the first thing you know they’re poundin their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to’”

In the photograph the caption says that the girl is being resettled on a farm. As you look at the photograph you can tell that the girl is upset and tired of moving from place to place. I can imagine that it must be hard for her to never be in a single place for too long.

In the novella Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck, the relationship between Lennie Small and George Milton is complex. Lennie and George are two companions who look for work and brave the hardships of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression together. Although Lennie and George are both grown men, their relationship resembles more of a child and a single parent, or a boy and his dog. Lennie is portrayed as animalistic and childish through his behavior and Steinbeck’s comparisons. This reveals the crucial power dynamic in George and Lennie’s relationship.