Social Issues In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

“Wha’s the matter with me?’ she cried. ‘Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am, anyways?” (Steinbeck 87) In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife is discriminated against because she is a woman living in the 1930s when few females could live economically independent of men. By choosing not to name her, Steinbeck reinforces her insignificance on the ranch and her dependence on Curley. While a misfortunate victim of isolation, Curley’s wife exerts unexpected power attempting to mask her pain.

Carlson shot his dog because he was old and stunk. “When they can't use me here I wisht somebody'd shoot me but they won't do nothing like that. I won't have no place to go, and I can't get no more jobs” 1Candy says (222-223). When his dog was shot he was upset and went back to the room, laid back and stared at the ceiling. When George told Candy his plans of leaving and living on the fat of the land, Candy wanted to join him and Lennie, he put a generous amount of money they needed in order to leave. That’s why Candy is seen as a weak character because of how he handled these specific situations.

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.

The characters’ fates in the novel develop individually through separate journeys all controlled by power. The scene depicting Carlson influencing Candy to let him kill his dog represents the idea of power, and the concept of the characters’ journeys with power. Candy is an old man, and because of this, he does not have a powerful position in the social structure on the ranch. Carlson and Slim have power over him because of their younger age and physical abilities. Slim agreed with Carlson’s idea and had the last word on the matter when the book states, “Slim’s opinions were law” (45). Candy knows that he does not have any power over the situations or even himself as he becomes obsolete on the ranch. The dog symbolises Candy and represents the end of Candy’s life journey and the loss of power and worth due to old age when Slim states, “I wisht somebody’ed shoot me if I got old and’ a cripple” (45). The idea that Candy has no power over himself because of his social status and

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.

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.

‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.’ That line is a really funny saying we have all heard. The truth is that words hurt. So, do stereotypes. The book, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, certainly explores characters that are different than what people make them out to be. In the time period, when this book is set, lots of racism, feminism, and not being that nice to people who were different, were very common in this time era. There are many character’s in the author’s book that were and are misjudged. Because, Lennie and Curley’s wife are not how others perceive them, John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men teaches readers not to judge a book by its cover.

“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.

John Steinbeck, an American novelist, is well-known for his familiar themes of depression and loneliness. He uses these themes throughout a majority of his novels. These themes come from his childhood and growing up during the stock market crash. A reader can see his depiction of his childhood era. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows the prominent themes of loneliness, the need for relationships, and the loss of dreams in the 1930s through the novels’ character.

Throughout the history of humankind, inequality has always played a key role in shaping the world. Prejudice has placed certain people at a higher status than others. Due to discrimination, those who are different will suffer the consequences of social inequality. This scenario can be seen throughout the world, from politics to a nation’s justice system. Those who are at a disadvantage, such as living in poverty, being lonely, and having mentally or physically challenges, will succumb to the harassment of social inequality. This is taught in modern age classics such as John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Zara Neale Hurston’s short story, “Sweat.” Powerful symbols and memorable plots portray

The poem “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns clearly reflects the naturalistic themes in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men because a naturalist would state that elements such as survival of the fittest, the struggle against forces beyond our control and individual lives being governed by impersonal natural laws.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is an interesting book that has many different interpretations of its theme. However, I think that the theme is that not everything goes as planned and that John Steinbeck used Lennie to help show this theme. I think that that is the theme because plans did not work multiple times, including George and Lennie’s plan to keep working in Weed, the plan to get the farm, the plan to stay away from Curley’s wife, the plan to keep Lennie out of trouble, and the plan to stay away from Curley, and Lennie is involved in all of these.

Loyalty and friendship play key roles in the lives of those who acknowledge its worth. Living life with whom a person loves greatly increases happiness and trust between those in the relationship. But this unity may come at a cost; true friendship requires sacrifice. Friendship and loyalty in the novella, Of Mice and Men, by expression through John Steinbeck’s interpretation, brings greater understanding to their importance of each.

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

John Steinbeck wrote ‘Of Mice and Men’ to show how hard life was for migrant ranch workers during the time of the Great Depression and how they were often exploited by their employers. In showing how George and Lennie’s dream of owning their own piece of land did not come true, Steinbeck explores a wider theme, criticising the idea of the American Dream. The American Dream tells people that there is ‘opportunity for each... regardless of the fortuitous circumstance of birth and position. Steinbeck criticises this as these ranch workers were given few opportunities. Settings play a very important part in the novel as they pinpoint clear times and places giving a sense of realism to the story, but they are also used to create atmosphere.