Bigotry And Stereotypes In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

The author, Steinbeck, uses his own personal experience to “serve as an inspiration…” (Johnson 1) when writing this particular story. His past experiences also helped him for the future. Lennie, of all characters, is the least dynamic. He undergoes a significant amount of change and develops throughout the story. He has been isolated with George throughout his life. His sole purpose in life is to make George happy and to own a farm with George and take care of the soft rabbits. Lennie is the most innocent and defenseless. He also is the largest and strongest, which does not help in certain situations. Lennie is the protagonist in the story. He gains the readers sympathy by his intellectual disability and helplessness. Lennie murders things by accident such as the mouse in his pocket, the puppy and Curley’s wife. He enjoys the touch of and somehow uses those murders and experiences to scare him from doing it again. George’s opinion means the most to him.

“I ain’t a southern negro,” he said. “I was born right here in California." With these

George and Lennie have very different physical traits and personal characteristics even though they were both migrant workers, dressed in similar clothing and grew up together in the same town. George is small, defined, short tempered, impatient and responsible. “The first man...a thin bony nose..” (Pg. 2 ). George makes sure that they have jobs, controls their money, makes the plans, and stays clear of any trouble that Lennie’s actions may cause. Lennie is the complete opposite and is a much bigger man who has broad shoulders, is a hard worker, with dragging feet, childlike innocence, and acts impulsively. “Behind him walked...but hung loosely.” (Pg. 2). Lennie has a mental impairment that makes him react in an obsessive manner. This often leads to poor decisions or even unintentional

Lennie Small is one of the main characters in the book. He is mentally disabled and has the mind of a child. Lennie is a misunderstood character who has good intentions but doesn’t understand the impact of his actions. The only character Lennie has a close relationship to George, who sees him as a burden blocking the way to his American dream.

Discrimination plays a big role in Of Mice and Men, since it takes place during the Great Depression. Racial segregation, gender rights, and handicap vulnerability are all problems in Of Mice and Men that reflect the society at the time. Curley’s wife, Crooks, and Candy are discriminated against on the ranch just like they would be in society.

Throughout the novel Lennie is heavily discriminated against. He is different than the rest of the men that work on any of the farms. George tells Lennie to be quiet when meeting new bosses because he doesn’t want people to jump to conclusions about Lennie before they get a chance to see the work that he can do.””O.K. Now when we go in to see the boss, what you gonna do?” Lennie thought. His face got tight with thought. “I…. ain’t gonna say nothin’. Jus’ gonna stan’ there.” ”Good boy. That’s swell. You say that over two,three times so you sure won’t forget it,”” (6) George treats Lennie like he is a helpless little kid who can’t think for himself, so George always tells Lennie how to act or what to say. George wants to get the job and if he says the wrong thing about him and Lennie being together or why he won’t let him speak it could cost

The novella, “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck , is set in California in the 1930s. The story revolves around and Lennie and George, two workers who travel together. They find their way to Salinas Valley, where they hope to begin work. They hope to make it big, get rich, and buy some land for themselves. However, they encounter some challenges that could possibly be a roadblock to their dreams. One of these challenges is discrimination because not everybody in the novella is treated equally. Discrimination is displayed in many ways in the book, especially with the characters of Lennie, Crooks, Curley’s wife, and Candy. Lenny is discriminated against because he is mentally disabled, Crooks is black, Curley's wife is a woman, and Candy is old.

The problem with Lennie was that he was mentally disabled, back in the 1930's people did not understand things like that, and had no clue about disabled people. Lennie was sweet and loved thing that were soft. Lennie would put himself in very dangerous situations and with disability he lacked the capacity to control himself physically. Lennie did not understand how strong he was and they damage he would do until after the fact. He also shares the dream of having the small farm and tending to his small rabbit hutch. Since Lennie is mentally disabled he depends on George for almost everything. Lennie is like a small child that has to a have a parent nearby always or he will get into

At first, people see Lennie as a very strong and dumb character. But, Lennie is only child-minded and he doesn’t understand how strong he really is. For example, when George introduces Lennie, he says, “We kinda look after eachother. [...] He ain’t bright. Hell of a good worker, though. Hell of a nice fella, but he ain't bright,” (34). This quote shows that, many people, meeting Lennie at first, think that he is strong but not that smart. Ironically, despite him being a big guy, he can’t grasp on how strong he is. It shows that people think this way about Lennie when they meet him, but, unless they know him, he’s not that dumb. Just childish. Another example, is when Lennie breaks Curley’s hand, “But Lennie watched in terror the flopping little man whom he held. [...] George slapped him

In the novella, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the diverse set of characters individually handle oppression on a daily basis. For these characters, racist, sexist and degrading remarks are normal for the time period (early 1900’s). The story is about two men, Lennie and George, trying to find work in a troubling economic time while also trying to overcome Lennie’s mental handicap. They also meet other people that have to overcome their own “setbacks”. The author shows oppression of the characters through their effect on others, actions, and their dialogue.

His disability prevents Lennie from retaining the information that he receives. Due to this condition Lennie is not perceived as others by smart, but as stupid. Lennie’s inability to remember bits of information makes him feel embarrassed and stereotyped as

In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men characters in the novel are segregated by sex, race, age, physical and mental disabilities. John Steinbeck portrays the intolerance and bigotry of 1930’s America through the separation of his characters based on their handicaps. Lennie, Candy, Candy’s dog, Curley’s wife and Crooks all face social pressure from the other characters on the ranch based on their intelligence, physical disability, age, sex and color. Stereotyping based on ethnic or physical characteristics is typical to the 1930’s depression where civil rights for minority groups had not yet been addressed. Almost all of the characters who, in

People are excluded fromget left out of games and other activities all the time and people say crudemean things everyday, imagine living your entirewhole life like that. That is how minorities felt and some even continue to feel. Throughout the many years of this country, there has always been prejudice against minorities. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck use characters like, Crooks, who represents the minorities and Curley's wife, who represents the hatred and racism. Curley’s wife is extremely mean to Crooks for no particular reason besides the pigment of his skin.

“Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts.” This quote, once said by E. B. White, excellently states what the novel, Of Mice and Men, is trying to clearly state. Of Mice and Men is a profound novel that has many things to teach society. This novel, written by John Steinbeck, reflects many flaws in the world today. It mirrors many of the characteristics that every human possesses. Prejudice is still a common way of thinking in today’s society, and to the people who feel victimized, it can be hard to overcome. Curley’s wife, Lennie, and Crooks all deal with prejudice against themselves different ways.

From black people to white people, to the old and the young, almost every person was discriminated against in some way during the depression and even today. Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men takes place during the Great Depression, 1940s era and describes a very realistic situation about characters who are simply trying to get by and chasing the “American Dream” but struggles with conflict within themselves and the outside world. Discrimination was a common theme of Of Mice and Men and greatly affected the lives of the characters in the novella. Some characters include: Crooks, Curley’s wife, and Candy. The novella is a realistic representation of discrimination in society.