Discrimination In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Marguerite Gardiner once stated “Prejudices are the chains forged by ignorance to keep men apart” (Gardiner). This quotation suggests that prejudice is the symbol of ignorance, for men to either recognize or ignore the judgements they hold against others. Prejudice creates barriers for people with different backgrounds, which makes it harder for people to communicate with each other. In these two articles, one titled “Of Mice and Men, Masterplots, Fourth Edition,” by Angela D. Hickey and the other titled “Of Mice and Men, Masterplots II: Juvenile & Young Adult Literature Series, Supplement,” by Lynn C. Munro, the authors explain the way John Steinbeck wrote about prejudice. These authors also demonstrate various kinds of prejudice can make it difficult for many to achieve the American Dream. In the novel “Of Mice and Men”, author John Steinbeck reflects on the prejudice that even still plagues modern times. The novel is set in the rural Salinas valleys of California. The issues in the novel illustrates the routine and frustrations in the lifestyle of a nomadic migrant worker. Steinbeck uses the main characters’ personalities to show how people were affected during the Great Depression. He also incorporates the idea of the American Dream, and how every character has their own vision of it.

Lennie’s mental problems are what get him in trouble and force him to rely on George for the basic necessities of life. Crooks’ skin colour keeps him separated from the rest of society and causes him a great deal of anger. The feelings of loneliness that most of the characters feel makes them intrude onto other people’s relationships in an attempt to find some form of companionship. The hardest part about seeing the struggles that Steinbeck presents us with is that we see people struggle in the same way

Though Crooks is a Black man he is a hell of a good worker, so he says himself. When he talks to Lennie and Candy he feels pleasure mixed with anger. When Curley 's wife comes in and threatens him, he feels small and scared and feels like he lost power and privileges over his room and realizes he is black and shouldn 't have back talked her. He knows what she could do to him for what he did, so she says her self. “She closed on him. “You know what I could do?”.....“Well, you keep your place then....I could get you strung up so easy it ain 't funny. '”(80, 81). Because she was a white female and the boss ' son 's Wife she had superiority over him and so he felt alone at that moment. He didn 't realize the cruelness of white folk when he was younger but as he grew older he did, mainly because of where he slept and the way he was treated. “ 'Why ain 't you wanted?”...“Cause I 'm black. They play cards in there, but I can 't play because I 'm black... '”(68). This

Relating to Crooks as an equal, they share the plan to buy a farm. Race is forgotten, until Curley’s wife appears. Forgetting to remember that he is black, Crooks’s orders her out of his room when she becomes belligerent and insulting. The backlash is immediate. Curley’s wife attacks Crooks in the most despicable display of racism in the novel. Warning him to remember his “place” and stay in it, she reminds Crooks that she can have him “strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny,” implying that she has the power to kill him by accusing him of rape or some other heinous assault. The threat is chilling because Crooks knows it’s true. His word means nothing, and Lennie and Candy’s testimony would not save him from her false

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.

The character of Crooks is used to symbolize the social standing of the black community occurring during the time at which the novel is set. Crooks is a lonely African American on the farm that feels out of place. As George and Lennie explain their dream to Crooks he brushes them off and says that no one around here can implement their dreams. This realism gives the reader an impression that Crooks has absolutely no hope. However, Crooks may be pessimistic, but yet even he has a dream, which is the hope of one day experiencing the joys of his childhood again. Crooks' character is portrayed as very lonely in the novel, this is evident when Crooks explains, "A guy needs someone." (Mice 77). Crooks is telling the reader the need of human interaction. This realism that Steinbeck uses shows the reader the harsh realities of the black community during the time of the depression in the 1930's

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.

In the literary work Of Mice and Men, the reader is introduced to the ranch as a world of its own, within which prejudice plays a significant part. The characters in this novel act as a community in a world of their own, having no connections to any other type of society. A strong point, enforced through many examples in the book, is the constant ability of the stronger to overcome the weaker. The prejudices of the majority towards the minority, at the ranch are the white-males, who retain power over the lesser groups of people. This inequality, as well as the influence of the time period, causes discrimination against people of color, women, and those that are disabled, either mentally or physically.

In the novel, Of Mice & Men by John Steinbeck, he develops a theme that shows racism is a learned trait. He uses Crooks, the black stableman, and presents readers of a flashback of his father telling him, “The white children are you friends now, but as you grow up things will change and they will hate you because you're different”. To most this statement shows racism on a surface level, but as readers start to analyze text they see this theme represented by Lennie. He is stuck in a childlike state, yet he does not discriminate against Crooks, contrasting to how the adults treat him. This helps develop the theme that racism is a learned trait.

The interactions he has with the other workers are kept at a bare minimum and he even sleeps in an area that faces away from the worker’s common room. All of the time he is separated from the workers and has no one to keep him company while he goes about his day. This segregation has made Crooks bitter and when Lennie starts talking to him, he goes on a rant to complain and lament about how unfair it is to be kept from other people because “a guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody” (72). Crooks’ lonely state has made him a key example of isolation in Steinbeck’s

People of color were seen as outcasts, and individuals with mental or physical disabilities were useless (Nishi 54). In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck depicts discrimination and societal issues such as

The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck displays prejudice with many of the characters in the book such as Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s and shows the reader multiple ways people can be discriminated, how it’s wrong, and it hurts people. Steinbeck displays Curley’s wife’s loneliness by “I get lonely, she said. You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley” (Steinbeck 87). This shows the reader that no one is talking to Curley’s wife because she is a married woman so she is isolated from the other men. Crook is the only black character in the book. He is stuck in a little shack by himself separated from the other workers. For example, “I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse and you ain’t wanted in my

As the take on a job at a farm , they come across many different people . Lennie always gets himself in trouble and ruins their chances at getting the land they dream of having. Through Steinbeck's use of characterization in of Mice and Men , he reveals that loneliness causes people to become very bitter. In the novel , the character Crooks is introduced as the only african american man working on the farm which results in him being lonely and hate-filled.

Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny”. At this point Crooks knew he had no case and backed down by replying, “Yes ma’am” to Curley’s wife. Crooks acknowledge that he will always be discriminated because of his skin

The themes of segregation and racism are also evident in other literary works of Steinbeck. The theme of racism is evident throughout the book. Crooks, a stable buck, is treated differently because of his skin color. As an African American, he is segregated and mistreated. This can be seen when Candy says, "They let the nigger in that night.".