Prejudice 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.

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

There are some aspects of a person’s life which can’t be reversed. Race, gender, appearance are all interchangeable, and prejudice counteracts this life certainty. In the novel “Of Mice and Men”, John Steinbeck expresses prejudice abundantly through the characters, Crooks and Curley’s wife, by revealing how it can cause a person to feel meaningless, lonely and abandoned.

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.

Back in the day, around the 50s and 60s, racism was an enormous issue all over the world. Decades ago and to this day, racism may have been thought of as one person being less than another. For example, a human may have been considered less because of his/her skin color, religion and beliefs, or language. Despite the reality, none of those ideas show whom that person really is. In “Of Mice and Men,” Steinbeck has the characters use very racist actions toward the stable-buck, Crooks. It is evident that the men in this story are extremely racist because of the racial slurs used towards the black man, no one seems to care what he has to say or what he does, and Crooks is being separated from everyone else in the bunkhouse.

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.

Do you really think people in our society today accepts everyone even after they have met them? The book "Of Mice and Men" shows society does not accept anyone they are unfamiliar with. Most people do not accept different, but there are others here in our society that actually accept these unfamiliar people. Some people are here to help you through life and some are not.

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

As well as Lennie, Crooks receives much discrimination because of his skin color. Crooks is not allowed to be in the bunkhouse because he's black and everybody else is white. Crooks has to sleep in

“The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.”- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In the book, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck there is many examples of stereotyping and labeling. George and Lennie are the two main characters of the book and they both are stereotyped. George watches and takes care of lennie, so he is labeled as a parent figure. On the other hand, Lennie is dependant on George so he is labeled as immature. However, there's much more to the characters than what they are labeled as. Even though the other characters in the book will learn more about George and Lennie throughout the story, they will forever be known for their stereotypes. Steinbeck shows that with stereotyping people look at the world with more judgement.

In a room right off the side of a barn sits a crippled colored man. A big, kind, mentally disabled man sits on a nail keg. An old, one-armed man leans against one of the walls. A lonely wife looking for company stands in the middle of the doorway. They are the outsiders and prime examples for a theme that is the backbone of the story. Discrimination not only affects the story’s characters, but it also impacts the story itself. Discrimination greatly affects the outcome of the story and its characters’ actions and thoughts in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Although each character faces discrimination in various ways, Lennie, Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife are all viewed as outsiders and share the common key theme of discrimination in their lives.

“Want me to tell ya what’ll happen? They’ll take ya to the booby hatch. They’ll tie ya up with a collar, like a dog” (Steinbeck 72). Discrimination plays a large role to feeling lonely. In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, characters endure attempts by society to make them “invisible.” These include racism, ageism, sexism, and isolation. More specifically, three of these characters experience loneliness from acts of discrimination. Factors contributing to their loneliness include ageism, disability discrimination, and racism. Each of these characters are migrant workers during the Great Depression who are discriminated against in different ways. Thus, through Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife, Steinbeck reveals the powerful

Lennie is definitely not the brightest so, when others see George around him they start to think that George might not be as bright as everyone thought. George talks about how his life is not good and wishes he was alone,George states “I wisht I could put you in a cage with about a million mice an let you have fun” (11). George never gets the chance to have fun because he is always protecting Lennie. Others might think George is not bright because most people think that if you are going to hang out around Lennie then you are pretty dumb yourself. George feels attacked because there is nothing that he can really do about taking Lennie into his own hands and just learns to deal with whatever harsh comments come his

“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.