A Dissection of Discrimination John F. Kennedy once stated, “If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity… we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air… And we are all mortal”. Despite clear homogeneity among humankind, it is difficult to name a time in which there was little to no prejudice against certain communities. Even today, in a seemingly progressive society, racism, sexism, and ableism are still prevalent. Similarly to Kennedy in his American University commencement speech, Steinbeck suggests working towards improving humanity’s issues by bringing them to light in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, declaring that writers are “charged with exposing our many grievous faults and failures, with dredging up to the light our dark and dangerous dreams for the purpose of improvement”. In his novella Of Mice and Men, the characterization of Crooks, Curley’s wife, and Lennie exposes one of humanity’s most “grievous faults” or “failures” in their discrimination of others, but also provides a new perspective on everyday prejudice for the purpose of improvement. To begin, although Steinbeck’s characterization of Crooks demonstrates everyday racism, Lennie’s view of Crooks portrays common humanity between characters that may not be recognized otherwise. When Crooks demands that Curley’s wife leaves, she enjoins him to “keep [his] place then, n*****” and claims she “could get [him] strung up on a tree so easy”
Crooks himself says, “This is just a nigger talkin’, an’ a busted-back nigger. So it don’t mean nothing, see? You couldn’t remember it anyways. I seen it over an’ over” (Steinbeck 71). His words show the prejudiced and unsympathetic opinions of society towards blacks. Nobody cares about what he says, simply due to his skin color, revealing an external conflict between Crooks and white society. In addition, Crooks further explains his treatment on the farm: "'Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, all of you stink to me'" (Steinbeck 68). He is denied entertainment and the company with the fellow farm workers. "They say I stink" refers to their disapproval of Crooks, likely due to his race. However, Crooks shows his own negative feelings towards others on the farm when Lennie tries to talk to him, saying “‘Well, I got a right to have a light. You go on get outta my room. I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain’t wanted in my room’” (Steinbeck 68). Since the whites on the farm physically isolate Crooks, in return, he dislikes any of their attempts to enter his room. For Crooks, his internal and external conflicts stem from racism, and the suffering that results is described
An orange fish is swimming in the ocean. You can tell it wants to go to the bottom, but it is can’t because it is orange, even though it is the same type of fish as all the others. That doesn't seem fair but that happens in our world today and in the book Of Mice and Men. In author John Steinbeck's book, Of Mice Of men, he promotes a message of how stereotypical behaviors and physical traits put everybody in a group when they are born. These groups are based on race, sex, time period, and abilities, which can result in good or bad judgment. These characteristics cannot be controlled, but will be how people look at you. If you do not fit into a perfect stereotype, then you might be restricted from what you can do because you are looked at as different. Everybody in this world today seems to judge someone as soon as they look at them. The same thing happens to all of us; when someone sees us, they judge us. Over the last few centuries, the stereotypes commonly conceived as “perfect” have not changed much, or even at all. The groups that have the most power and the least amount of restrictions in their daily lives have also stayed the same. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck explains the general stereotypes and how he believes certain groups can be judged and how they are treated differently.
First, Steinbeck utilizes Crooks to show that equality takes a long time to come by. While the guys are out on the town, Crooks and Lennie start talking about their dreams. In this conversation, Crooks says, “If I say something, why it’s just a nigger sayin’ it,” he also says, “A guy needs
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.
Discrimination have been happening everywhere in the world and as long as anyone can remember. Discrimination is still a problem today. America just had protests dealing with Black Lives Matter and African Americans feel they are still discriminated against and treated differently. The time that the novel Of Mice and Men takes place in is important because during the Great Depression it was hard to find money, so Lennie couldn’t just stay at home while George had to work. They both had to make money to support themselves. Lennie, Crooks, and Curley's wife all face discrimination which greatly impacts their lives.
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.
Even though how they use to treat them back then when the story was written,the discrimination of the theme throughout the book,because it illustrated the injustice inflicted upon the moment in the story the discrimination of people with mental and physical disabilities. To prove the discrimination is that some of them have either one hand or a bad back that can't be fixed. Curley's wife is not to do anything because she is married to curley the boss's son that she can only talk to. So there are some examples of the discrimination in the book.
“We do not show the Negro how to overcome segregation, but we teach him how to accept it as final and just” (Carter G. Woodson). John Steinbeck was able to convey this of message of racism in his time- honoured novella, Of Mice And Men. The novella was released in 1937, the setting of the book taking place in California during The Great Depression. During this time, California had an influx of Dust Bowl refugees, who hoped to find employment and create a better life for themselves (CSUN, 2017). From this piece of history, came Of Mice And Men, a novella following the story of Lennie and George, two men travelling during The Great Depression to a ranch in Soledad, California looking for work after their hasty exit from their previous job. Lennie and George, like many of the migrants who have come before them, have their own dreams of buying land however once arriving at the ranch they realize the challenges and the harsh reality of those dreams. Film directors are constantly on the prowl for novels which present potential to be the next movie blockbuster. In fact, over 50% of movies are adapted from novels, however, when turning what’s on paper into a film, a portion of the book is taken out or new scenes are added to either cut down the run time of the film or to satisfy the filmmaker's plans for their interpretation of the novel. So how often are the film director’s attempts to recreate the essence of the ideologies provided by the author of the book successful? And was
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.
Steinbeck illustrates how unfair society is when Crooks confesses to Lennie about how he feels alienated: “ S’pose you couldn't go into the bunkhouse and play rummy ‘cause you was black.” (pg. 72). The significance of the quote is Crooks desires company, but that is unacceptable since he is a black man. We see that Crooks wants company and can’t achieve that, but what is easy to overlook is that society restricts him of other potential opportunities not just being able to have conversations with the other ranchers. The character Crooks may have dreams, but society Crushes them with racial discrimination. Society makes achieving any goal or desire exceedingly difficult if you do not measure up to its requirements. Meaning, that if society privileges something the binary opposition does not receive the equal opportunities or freedom, as many believe. Alike with Curley’s wife society depicts the both of them as inferior to white men, no matter their character. This makes achieving desires difficult for African americans in a society where white is privileged. Society shapes Crooks and others who don’t meet society's expectation, into believing that they don’t belong and this creates tension between the people of this binary opposition of black versus white. Crooks illustrate the idea that society mis-shapes the minds
“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.
Have you ever been discriminated from the other? Think back the history, there were different groups of people being judged based on their differences. The American society in early 20th century had many prejudices, such as racism, sexism, and disability. These discriminations were not manifested in the same way. In the old day, many inequities were addressed to different groups of people and they were not treated equally. Even though slavery was abolished in the USA in 1865, many black Americans still faced poverty and injustice throughout the 20th century. It showed that the racism was still a pervasive problem. The sexism is another obvious problem which women were long considered naturally weaker than men, squeamish, and unable to perform
John Steinbeck's 1937 novel 'Of Mice and Men' presents to the reader many themes of which hold underlying commentary on American society. Set in Salinas valley in the 1930s, the novel explores the trials and tribulations of living in the Great Depression while concurrently discussing the importance of cooperation and how inequalities create harsh negative impacts on those affected by them. The topics in this story all tie into one larger theme, discrimination. Examples of inequality and discrimination occur in the story on multiple occasions, particularly associating with the characters Lennie, with a much lower IQ than average, Candy, who is getting older and has a disabled hand, and Crooks, who has an injured back, and is also African American.
The Of Mice and Men Essay The world is universally filled with injustice, therefore, humanity has dealt with the topic of discrimination. Injustice in our society occurs when it showcases several individuals disrespecting one another about their natural identity. In today’s world, discrimination can be categorized into many different groups, such as ageism, racism, and sexism. In our society every individual has been a victim or an oppressor at some point.
“Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other.” Susan Shillinglaw wrote that men will always treat someone the same way they are being treated. She said that “knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love.” Shillinglaw’s writing is very thorough and in-depth she uses many descriptive words but also gets straight to the point, similar to John Steinbeck’s writing. Both authors write about social injustice which is the unfair situations carried out in our society. The TED talk about injustice explains that people are quick to judge others by their identity. It is unfair that people have to shape their identity so others will accept them. Curley’s and Lennie’s relationship is an example