Xenophobia And Racism 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.

“I ain’t a southern negro,” he said. “I was born right here in California." With these

In chapter 4, Curley’s wife states, “well you keep your place then nigger. I could get you strung up on at so easy, it aint even funny.”(81). this is the type of language we see used towards the only African-American character in this story. The story of mice and Men was about two migrant workers named Lennie and the other was George. These two migrant workers found new work in Soledad, California and once they arrived there were many problems that they encountered. In the end of the story, sadly Lennie who was mentally disabled got killed by his partner George because Lennie killed a lady. The fictional story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck talks about African Americans during this time This shows how Crooks represents racism towards African Americans and loneliness.

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.

Following the terror attacks in The Unites States in 2001, there has been an increase in Islamophobia in the Western World. Following 9/11, respondents indicate that levels of implicit or indirect discrimination in The United States rose by 82,6% and experiences of over discrimination by 76,3% (http://jiv.sagepub.com/content/21/3/317.short). A combination of how Arabs and Muslims are portrayed in the media, with the increase of organized terrorist groups and refugees since the Arabic Spring, makes this a big political challenge today. This bibliography is written to get an overview of why Islamophobia has increased and the challenges that comes with the rise of Islamophobia.

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.

Over the years, the societal norms for people have changed. This is mainly due to the influence of different people’s thinking during that time. The type of thinking in the 1930’s can be seen in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. This book can be defined as a political statement due to it’s insights on people's values during the time. Therefore, Of Mice and Men portrays the stereotypes in society with social commentary on the way women, minorities, and people with mental disabilities were viewed on the 1930’s; as seen through characters: Curley’s Wife, Crooks and Lennie.

“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 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.

In the novella 'Of Mice and Men', by the well-known author, John Steinbeck, the reader is introduced to a various range of different characters on the ranch, within this realm prejudice attitudes and discrimination play a significant role. The characters in this short novel act in a world of their own, having no connections to any other type of society; through this Steinbeck strongly depicts what discrimination was similar to during this period of time. At the ranch are the white-males, who retain power over the lesser groups of people. This inequality causes discrimination against people of color, women, and those that are disabled, either mentally or physically. To add to, discrimination is intensified due to the loneliness of the itinerant lifestyle, where Crooks was even isolated even more than the rest of the workers, and heightened due the time when this novel was produced. During the 1930s, America was in the height of segregation and prejudice attitudes. This resulted in a patriarchal society where women and ethnical groups only has limited opportunities. Particularly, women where viewed by many to either be a housewife or, the polar opposite, a sexual object. In this book Curley's wife was presented as a seductive wife trophy, relevant to how women were treated then. With reference to how Steinbeck presents Crooks and Curley's wife, I will further show how far I agree that they face the most discrimination the novella and conclude which character I believe faces

“Why ain’t you wanted?” Lennie asked. “Cause I’m black.” page 68 “Of Mice and Men”. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, 2 men named George and Lennie have a problem in a place named weed. Later move to another ranch where they plan to have their own farm in the future with a man named candy. While there Lennie gets into trouble and later gets into more trouble because of a similar problem that happened in Weed.In Of Mice and Men ,discrimination exists in the form of racism,sexism, and feeble mindedness.

Discrimination ran deep in the novel but it also is relevant in today's society. If the Woman was not discriminated against she might not have died. If Crooks was not discriminated against he would've been with the other guys and happy. If Lennie was not discriminated against he wouldn’t have crushed Curley's hand. Some people might say that Crooks has a good life. He has the most possessions among everyone else, has an alarm so he wakes up on his own time, and Slim, the leader of the men treats him well. The words, the horrible, un forgettable words echoed through Crooks' head. Rude, nasty things they were, but they had truth. When he invited people in he also invited the torment and hate that he had almost forgotten about. Now in the dark and smelly room, it was once again lonely and quiet. Crooks looked around and then turned off the

Islam is the religion that is followed through Muslims about the teachings through Muhammad by the prophet Allah. Today Islam is considered as one of the most prominent religions followed throughout the world. Though Islam is thought of has one of the most popular religion across the world, many still lack the understanding of what Islam is. Following 9/11, the perception of Muslims changed thus proposing the idea of Islamophobia. Defined by the Oxford English Dictionary Islamophobia is the unfair prejudice or discrimination towards Muslims due to race, religion, or ethnic identity. The idea changed the way that all Muslims were perceived throughout America and the world. Muslims today face discrimination throughout the society. Following 9/11 the Muslim people are being treated unfairly because of their religion by the exclusion of the Muslim culture in American society, Muslims are being targeted and harmed in public, and Muslims are perceived as a terrorist or threat to national security.

Before the September 11, 2001, hatred towards Muslims in the United States started in 1923, when Muslims started migrating to the United States, an unlike increased presence. The hatred towards Muslims, also known as “Islam phobia”, was first featured in The Journal of Theological Studies. Many Muslims were targeted, the religion of Islam, Muslims, or any ethnic group perceived to be Muslim were characterized as having “bad faith and cruelty”, according to prejudice Americans.