Social Hierarchies In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Societies vary depending on region and culture, but. But all societies have the characteristics of strict conformity, intolerance for the unique, as well as perfect functionality. The society shown in Harrison Bergeron is as follows: “Everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal in every which way. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General” (Last name 1). This is the dream of society: perfect conformity and functionality. “Everybody was finally equal” (1) shows that society had finally achieved its goal of conformity.

In Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, power struggles are an evident topic in social groups, racial groups and between individuals. Lennie struggles against his ill-equipped mind’s way of viewing the world, Crooks faces discrimination because of the colour of his skin, and three separate people all experience feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Imagine if you had almost no money, only had 1 true friend, and one goal that you will do anything to achieve. That's the life of George and Lennie, two farm hands who are about to start working on a ranch in Salinas, California. It seemed like everything was going well for the two of them, or at least they thought it was. Steinbeck argues, throughout Of Mice and Men, that we as humans need to be able to comprehend the fact that the American dream is impossible, so when we fail at that, we won't fall as hard as we might if we had full faith in it, and he develops this stance using diction choices, imagery, and characterization.

The main conflict involved all characters that struggling for survival during the Great depression due to the insecurity of jobs, uncertainty about future and no enough money. One of the conflicts was man vs. society in the story. Crooks, who was a black man with crippled back, segregated from other farm workers. He did not allow sleeping in the bunkhouse with the rest of people. Crooks consistently discriminated and considered as a second class citizen which lived separately in the stable with horses. Furthermore, He had called names and abused by others. He had not even given respect to having name and society will stay the same which he could not attain American Dream.

In the story Of Mice and Men, it follows a disabled man and his crafty caretaker looking for work on a farm. The few characters that are shown in the book possess very diverse personalities that fit into different archetypes, many of them challenge the stereotypes that surrounded them during the early twentieth century. Archetypes are characteristics that are commonly seen in literature and real life. In the book Of Mice and Men there are seven distinct archetypes that all have different characteristics in them. One thing that all the characters have in common, though, is loneliness. Throughout the book the theme of loneliness is constantly there, and one of the loneliest characters is Crooks. Crooks fits the archetype of an outcast

The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck emphasizes the division in social classes and social structure based on power. The novel and its themes are based around the characters’ interactions and decisions. Their motivations come directly from other characters, and the social construct on the ranch that controls the characters within the novel. Each character has their own journey of giving into the powers that control their society and lives which leads to each of their own inescapable demises.

Lennie Smalls is a very immature, simple, strong and caring guy. Since he has a mental disability he does not know his own strength. He can sometimes man handle animals or people because to him he does not see anything wrong with it. The archetype I am giving Lennie is innocent. Archetypes are characteristics of easy or well-known traits from children’s literature, pop culture, or even everyday life, they help the readers connect with the characters quickly and accurately. Lennie’s archetype is innocent because he is always so caring to others. He is also taken advantage of a lot. Lennie is always so positive even when the hardest situations are thrown at him. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men novel Lennie Smalls archetype is portrayed

In the 1930s, discrimination, gender roles and physical properties is what employers and everyday people would judge each other on. African-Americans were enslaved and looked down on till 1965 and so the prejudices of the people were still very much alive. The picture that Steinbeck created by writing Of Mice and Men shows the social injustices of the 1930s, showing the cruelty of slavery, oppression of women and their family roles, and the treatment of the mentally ill.

In the novella Of Mice and Men, the author John Steinbeck argues that earned power is more respected than inherited power. Throughout the story, a power hierarchy is established among the characters. The top of the hierarchy is mostly made up of characters with inherited power, like Curley. Curley is the boss’s son, and gets his power because his father owns the ranch: “Don’t tell Curley I said none of this. He’d slough me. He just don’t give a dam. Won’t ever get canned ‘cause his old man’s the boss” (27). Since Curley has direct power from the most important figure on the ranch, he has the ability to boss around the workers with no consequences. He takes advantage of this power, and the workers cannot retaliate otherwise, they will get

“Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty,” said Mother Teresa. Humanity has struggled against being left alone and being lonely for a long time. As a result, humans formed a society where they could be together. On the other hand, there are still people who are left out of the society. In other words, there are still people out there who are marginalized, not accepted fairly to the society. John Steinbeck shows the marginalized people’s lives in his novel, Of Mice and Men. In his novel, characters such as Lennie, George, Candy, Curley’s wife, Crooks, and even the ranch workers, are marginalized from the society. Ranch workers like George, Candy, and Lennie have nowhere to go, and they do not have anybody to care for them. Especially for Lennie, he is mentally challenged, too. Crooks, being the colored man, suffers from discrimination. Curley’s wife is constantly surrounded with loneliness. In Of Mice and Men, marginalized people who are neglected from the society, create a society of their own; they share their dreams and help each other out although they are all different from each other.

Traveling around California are two best friends, George Milton and Lennie Smalls. Their relationship demonstrates the various characteristics that are shown in a community. In the novella “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, there are numerous examples that establish what it means to be part of a community; which proves it exemplifies the important traits shown in a community the best out of other books read. Throughout the novella, there are countless examples that demonstrate what it means to be part of a community; this includes friendships, the American dream, and teamwork.

At the beginning of the novel when the reader is first introduced to George and Lennie, they are first described as in “The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large pale eyes, with wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws”(Steinbeck 2). Together they sat at a bank and drank some water from the not moving green pool. For a long while together they walked four miles from where there bus dropped them off. Lennie's aunt Clara passed away and since he wasn’t smart enough to live in the world they lived in George said “Your Aunt Clara wouldn’t want you running off by yourself, even if she is dead”(Steinbeck 13). When candy got his dog put down he regretted not doing it himself. After Lennie killed Curley’s wife and ran off, George knew that moment, when he saw her dead, that he was going to kill Lennie himself because he was his best friend. George came quickly out of a bush to find

The Great Depression broke down security and belief in American society during the early 20th century and brought out hidden prejudices. The once optimistic mood during the Roaring 20’s turned to pain. The dire economic situation caused Americans to return to past social stigmas where certain groups of people were seen as inferior; as a result, the American Dream, where everyone could seek their ideal of success, was reduced to merely a dream. John Steinbeck observed these changes in social behavior and witnessed the plight of many Americans during the Great Depression. Like in his later work, The Grapes of Wrath, he was inspired by his environment to expose the lives of people during the Great Depression using Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck observed these changes in social behavior and witnessed the plight of many Americans during the Great Depression. Steinbeck demonstrates in Of Mice and Men through the characters that the American Dream was naturally discriminatory towards certain groups of people because of common perceptions held during that period.

Social interaction is important, but for some, in this case it deals with a character named Curley, he has an acerbic demeanor, and becomes threatened by every guy he comes across. Moreover, he channels that insecurity of his into anger and hostility, picking fights whenever he can. It becomes apparent when he made the two main characters George and Lennie. Curley is a small guy, and if he meets other guys, he takes into account their stature and compares himself to them, when they are bigger than he is, he’ll toughen up and act like he’s tougher than them, like he’s showing dominance: “Curley stepped over to Lennie like a terrier… Then Curley’s rage exploded… Curley was balanced and poisoned. He slashed at Lennie with his left , and then smashed down his nose with his right.” (62). It very

lead him to a life of worry and lack of security, as he is old and a