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Racial discrimination of mice and men
Racial discrimination of mice and men
Discrimination essay of mice and men
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Anthony Mikolajewski
Ms. Gommermann
English 11
22 February 2017
Limited Hope
John Morley once said, “No man can climb out beyond the limitations of his own character.” He said this to say that humans are not limited by physicality, but by their spirit. In the novella Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck helped the reader to understand that people with limitations tend to have greater potential than others. Steinbeck helped the reader to understand this by providing many characters in the novella with limitations, while showing the reader their dreams and accomplishments.
Claim: One character in the novella that matches this description the most is Candy. Candy is introduced to the reader in Chapter 2 as an elderly man with a crippled hand, and has
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an old dog that matches his likewise description. Establish Evidence: Candy explains,“I ain’t much good with on’y one hand. I lost my hand right here on this ranch. That’s why they give me a job swampin’.” (59). Evidence: This is significant, because it shows how Candy is crippled and that he was compensated for his injury. The writer includes this quote to prove he can help Lennie and George with buying the farm, since Candy has a lot saved. Analysis: I’m using it here to back up the fact that Candy is crippled, yet now has an opportunity to make the most of life. Candy is a very interesting character, because in the beginning we really didn’t get to see what was going in his mind until after the characters [Carlson] killed his dog out of mercy. We then saw the close connection to Candy and his dog, but then in chapter 3, Candy overhears Lennie and George talk about their dream to own land and have a farm. He says he wants to join in, and has the majority of the money they need, since he was compensated for $250.00 when he lost his hand. Link: Overall, tbv his all ties in to show that Candy, although crippled, has the opportunity to have a bright future with both George and Lennie. Another group of characters that had physical limitations is Crooks, and towards the end of the book, Curley.
Crooks is somewhat introduced to the reader as the Stable Buck in chapter 2, but isn’t talked a lot until chapter 4, when Lennie wanders in his room. Crooks then tells Lennie his fear of being alone, and became envious over the goal of Lennie, George, and now Candy. He later does eventually back down however, due to the fact that he is black in a society that rejected people for their skin color. Curley is interesting to look at too, since he “lost face” when his hand is crushed by Lennie in chapter 3. But the reader sees his character build back into the “tempered little guy” late in the book, when Lennie kills his wife. He finds his anger again, when: “Curley came suddenly to life. ‘I know who done it,’ he cried. ‘That big son-of-a-bitch done it. I know he done it.’” (96). This quote shows the ego/confidence gained through rage in Curley. When Lennie crushed his hand, his morale dropped rock bottom. Although we know how insecure Curley is, the author makes a clear statement that his former self is back through this …show more content…
quote. The last character that was interesting to notice was Curley’s wife, who was not limited physically, but limited by society, because she is a woman. Her goals and dreams were crushed, and she was compensated by Curley dominating her for the rest of her life, based off her looks, not her goals. The reader gets more insight into her, and she even begins to have the courage of acting again when she talks to Lennie in the barn in chapter 5, when Steinbeck illustrated her dream for the reader. “‘Nother time I met a guy, an’ he was in pitchers. Went out to the Riverside Dance Palace with him. Says I was a natural. Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it.” (88). I chose this passage because it underlines the majority of Curley’s Wife’s dream. She wanted to be in Hollywood, and this quote emphasizes her dream and frustration of not having that dream. She knows she has wasted the majority of her life with Curley, and has no one but Lennie to talk about this struggle with. Steinbeck helped the reader to realize that people with limitations in their life can see past their limitations, and realize that their goals can still be accomplished.
Candy lost his hand, but because of that he was received $250.00, which with Lennie and George is enough to get their dream of freedom. Curley, whose ego is hampered severely began to regain his superiority when the hunt for Lennie started. Crooks was almost able to join Candy, Lennie, and George for their farm, but couldn’t get over the limitations that racism had brought. Curley’s Wife never tore away from her dream to be in Hollywood, and may have had the courage to go if Lennie didn’t kill her, and if she wasn’t held back by Curley. All of these characters had defining roles in the novella, and even though they were held back with their limitations, they somehow managed to see clearly
ahead.
As we journey through life, we must make difficult decisions, even when few options exist and the situation is grim. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the decision George faces after Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife is complicated, as none of his choices are good. The importance of his relationship with Lennie forces George to look at the big picture and act in Lennie’s best interests, even though the action he must finally take will result in a weight that he will carry forever.
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.
For example, Curley’s wife attempts to interact with Lennie. She convinces Lennie to stay and converse with her after reasoning “what kinda harm am I doin’?” (88). Curley’s wife enjoys talking with Lennie and even lets him pet her prized hair. Additionally, Crooks finds companionship with Lennie. “I thought I could jus’ come in an’ set” (68) Lennie exclaims to Crooks the night the other men were out. He kept him company and both ultimately bonded after having a good time with each other. Also, Candy introduces himself to Lennie and George when they first arrive at the ranch. They develop a trust between each other, leading to the planning of “fixing up an’ little old house an’ go living there” (60). Trusting George, Candy generously donates funds to their future property, as a token for George appreciating him and making him feel important. Throughout the book, failure to interact between other characters happens often. For example, the men on the ranch consistently reject Curley’s wife, even her own husband, Curley. The men yell at her and question “why she doesn’t stay in her home where she belongs?” (62). Lennie tries conversing with her, but it only results with breaking her neck from strangling. Furthermore, Crooks tries talking to the other men, but results in exclusion and bullying. The other men discriminate Crooks from their activities, thinking “cause he’s black, he stinks” (68). Finally, Candy speaks to Carlson in the beginning in his bunker. Unfortunately, the conversation only ends with convincing Candy to have Carlson shoot his sheep dog, “to put the old devil out of his misery” (47). The shooting upsets Candy because his sheep dog was a son to him, followed him everywhere, and kept him company on the ranch. Through trial and error, Curley's wife, Crooks, and Candy interacts with other characters, resulting in successful and
In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses stereotypes and discrimination to convey a message of how the characters feel. A lot of the stereotypes and clichés are just common beliefs of the times, but a few are situational. To quote a quite distinguished reader, "Characters are ‘trapped’- either by what others think of them, or by their situation." A lot of the character’s feelings about themselves and what others think of them will lead to loneliness.
“A writer who does not passionately believe in the perfectibility of man has no dedication nor any membership in literature” is a quote from John Steinbeck himself explaining that if a writer doesn’t think that man is or can be perfect therefore,he has no dedication,no commitment. In the novel “Of Mice and Men”, John Steinbeck writes a nonfiction novel about conflicts within the characters of George and Lennie and their experiences as laborers.Steinbeck’s book “Of Mice and Men”conveys his belief that he pointed out when he received the Nobel Award. Steinbeck conveys this belief within 3 characters that are George, Curley, and Candy.
Several characters in the novel Of Mice and Men are presented with additional obstacles throughout the book. Whether because of color, sex, or disabilities, John Steinbeck purposefully did this to illustrate oppression. Of Mice and Men explores the
Candy?s disability separates him from society, an example of Curley being set aside is when everybody else goes to town he is left in the barn with Crooks, Lennie, and Curley?s wife. Candy?s only friendship was with his old, smelly dog. Candy?s dog was a symbol of himself (old, and useless). When Carlson kills Candy?s dog, he kills Candy on the inside as well. Curley?s wife had the most pathetic and depressing life.
John Steinbeck explores human experience in the novella ‘Of Mice and Men’ in friendship, loneliness and marginalisation. He does this through the characters as explained thought the paragraphs below.
The characters understood this and tried to appear stronger and more powerful than each other to get by. Curly fights larger men, to appear strong. Crook threatens Lennie with the thought that George will leave him, and this is meant to scare him because Lennie has a special relationship with George that is irreplaceable. Carlson shoots Candy’s dog to show masculinity in a way and strips Candy of the one thing he really loves. And Curley's wife threatens to hang crooks to prove that even though she is a woman, she still has a voice on the farm.
This aspect is reflected by use of the time period’s race standards, as revealed in the following quote. Crooks whined in sorrow, “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody.” (Steinbeck 73). This quote suggests that Crooks’ exposure of discrimination has forced his isolation, preventing him from a healthy amount of human interaction and possibly driving mental illness. The indifference to women back then also donates to the effects of isolation and loneliness in the novel, as seen through Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife yells in exasperation, “Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody?” (Steinbeck 87). This quote illustrates Curley’s wife’s frustration and anger of being shunned by the other people on the ranch, and the lack of her actual name, only being referred to as “Curley’s wife”, may also reveal her as being considered Curley’s property rather than spouse. In the novel, the characteristic of inevitability of age contributes to the effects of isolation and need for companionship. After Candy’s dog is shot, it’s revealed that Candy faces age discrimination. Candy comments in a monotone voice: “Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunkhouses they’ll put me on the county,” (Steinbeck 60). This example shows that Candy is aware of how useless he is in the eyes of the other men on the ranch due to his age, and will face adversity of being
There is only one way an author can get their readers to cry, laugh, and love or just enjoy their master pieces. That one way is through the uses of literary devices such as similes, metaphors and personification. These are the small things that brings the author`s thoughts and ideas alive. The author`s ability to use literary devices through the book helps in direct characterization and lets readers get a better understanding of Lennie and George, the two main characters Of Mice and Men. It also helps in keeping readers thinking on their feet and constantly questioning George and Lennie`s next move while in Salinas, California. John Steinbeck, in his novel Of Mice and Men, makes use of similes and foreshadowing to keep readers in touch with the characters and at the edge of their seats throughout the story.
An example of how the men are discriminative towards Crooks is that he is forced to live in a shack away from the bunkhouse and also Crooks says that "They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black. They say "I stink" and "I ain't wanted in the bunkhouse." An example of when Curley's Wife is critical towards Crooks is when she looks into his room to see what Lennie and Crooks are doing and then she states, shaking her head, that they left the weak ones behind. Also, she threatens to have Crooks hanged because a black man should never talk to a white woman the way he just had. As a result of all of these discriminatory acts against him, Crooks feels unwanted and lonely because of his color and placement on the farm.
First and foremost, Crooks is a person who gets treated with discrimination, much more than anyone else. Simply because he is black and has a crooked back, from which he received his name from. People continuously treat him horribly, one person being Curley’s Wife. “Well you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even
In the great work, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck makes clear that George is faced with many struggles. Steinbeck writes of a character that has many internal and external conflicts. Yet, through those conflicts, the reader learns the purpose of the novel; what the true meaning of friendship
...deal with them that together, they could “get a big stake” (63) in order to buy a “little place an’ live on the fatta the lan’” (63). Candy says he would “cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some” (67). However, after Lennie accidently kills Curley’s wife, Candy in “his greatest fear” (107) asks George if they could still “get that little place” (107). But he knew it was no, and right at that moment his American Dream comes to an end. Therefore if Candy would be all by him following his American Dream without depending on George and Lennie, he would have been successful.