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Of mice and men steinbeck shows discrimination
Curley's wife: first introduction
Of mice and men steinbeck shows discrimination
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“Defeating racism, tribalism, intolerance, and all forms of discrimination will liberate us all, victim and perpetrator alike” (Ban Ki-Moon). This famous quote from Ban Ki-Moon described different types of discrimination and how they can be overpowered. In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, many forms of discrimination are shown through different characters in their own ways. Discrimination affects characters in Of Mice and Men through Lennie being overprotected by George, Crooks living alone in anger, and Curley’s wife flirting with everyone and being judged for her gender. Firstly, the metal disability Lennie has affects him by doing bad things without knowing the consequences and always being protected by George because of it. …show more content…
Crooks is a black male who works as a slave worker in the bunkhouse. He expresses his anger when he says, “‘Cause i'm black. They play cards in there, but I cannot play because i’m black” (Steinbeck 68). The other workers on the ranch do not let Crooks do anything with them because he is a different race. He lives by himself alone and is constantly angry about the discrimination against his skin color. Since he is black, he is often ignored and never socializes with anyone because they won’t listen to him. The other men don’t let him play cards with them and makes him live alone. Through this, the quote shows his anger and how other men discriminate against his skin color because he is black. Furthermore, Crooks explains, “If I say anything, why it's just a nigger sayin’ it” (Steinbeck 70). Crooks is telling Lennie that everyone ignores him because of the color of his skin. People discriminate against him and continue to nark on Crooks with harmful language for being black. The quote is displaying his sadness and anger about how the other men treat him. They simply do not care what he has to say just because his skin is a different color. As a result of being constantly ignored and discriminated against, Crooks is affected by living alone in
Lennie is broken and incomplete in many ways. He has a mental disability which differentiates him from the others. He depends on George for everything and cannot do things on his own even though he is a grown man.
Crooks, the black stable buck, is isolated from the community of migrant workers because of his racial status. When Lennie goes into the barn to see his puppy, he and Crooks have a conversation. “'Why ain't you wanted?' Lennie asked. 'Cause I'm black. They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black'” (68). Lennie is too kind-hearted and intellectually slow to visualize the apparent racial boundary that sets Crooks aside from Lennie and the rest of the workers. Crooks is so isolated from the rest of the workers that he says he “can't” play cards, not that he isn't allowed to, which means that the racial boundary is like a wall Crooks cannot cross. Because he is black, Crooks believes that he cannot play cards with the white men. He can't get over the racial boundary, and believes he will be forever separated from the white men. In the beginning of chapter 4, Steinbeck describes Crooks' living space. “Crooks, the Negro stable buck, had his bunk in the harness room; a little shed that leaned off the...
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 effects of systemic oppression on women, African-Americans, and people with disabilities.
“’Cause I’m black. They play cards there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They think I stink. Well I tell you, you all stink to me.” (p.68) Crooks is always by himself and working hard, even with a broken back.
George taking care of Lennie affects his life in many ways, for the better and for the worst. Lennie's memory effects his actions because he repeats some things that he forgets that he has done in the past. Lennie’s disability is misinterpreted by others because they see him as more of a burden than a good addition to society, because of his mental disability. But other people may not think about his disability like that, they might think he’s crazy in general. Lennie’s disability affects the way he thinks because it changes what he believes, what things cause him to worry, and what things cause him to
"Crooks is a black man that experiences isolation because the society in which he resides is racist. As a result, the previous quote was his means of finding a personal connection to Lennie. Like Lennie, Crooks has a "relationship" with loneliness. He knows that when people get lonely, they tend to get sick. Crooks is rejected from every group of people and cannot socially interact with others.
Crooks, An African American in Of Mice and Men, who is not able to fit in because of his race, symbolizes racial profiling in society today. Steinbeck clearly makes his point in the novella by concluding that Crooks is not important to them because he is African American. This relates to society today through the Trayvon Martin Case. Trayvon was shot and killed because a Latino thought he was harmful because of his race. Trayvon and Crooks are both victims of racial profiling in society.
“Discrimination is alive and soaring.” (Jonathan Kozol) Discrimination has always been an issue but in the story, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows how discrimination is an issue for a lot of people, even without colored skin. He shows how discrimination plagues society, there are multiple people who are victims of this. Those including Crooks, Lennie, and Curley’s Wife.
He fondly remembers childhood memories of him and his father living on their own chicken ranch together. When he was a child, he used to let the "white kids play at our place, an' sometimes went to play with them." (70) However, only once the white people took away his father's ranch, did he understand his father's discontempt. Yet he dreams of a time when he will be treated equally. The importance of his dream can be seen when he proudly tells Lennie, that he "ain't a southern negro,"(70) which implies that he was born in America and deserves equal rights. Furthermore, Crooks is aware of his civil rights, even when they are violated, as he owns a copy of 1905 California Civil Rights Code. To further this point, Crooks constantly uses the word right in his sentences, for example by telling Lennie, that he "got no right to come in,"(68) which also highlights Crooks bitterness of being excluded by the white men on the ranch. After having dropped his protective cocoon when talking to Lennie and the old swamper, his dream is in part realized. This is due to both of them not seeing him as inferior and sharing their desire of buying a small ranch with him. Again, Steinbeck illustrates dreams' equalizing
In the novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, two men, George and Lennie, find a new job at a ranch and many problems occur while they are there. Being migrant workers, George and Lennie find themselves traveling a lot, looking for new jobs. This pair of men find it even harder that it is to find new jobs because of the disability that Lennie has. Lennie’s disability doesn’t allow him to process ideas and situations in his brain as well as many others. Because of this, many problems happen when the men find new jobs which then causes them to get fired and lose their jobs. At their most recent job, a lot of problems and events occur and many characters there face the problem of discrimination. How do you think it feels to be discriminated
In the book Of Mice and Men, the author,John Steinbeck, uses stereotype characters to convey his message. He wants to empathize with his characters as human beings. He uses stereotype characters such as Lennie, George, Curly, Slim, Candy, Crooks, and Curly's wife. Steinbeck's goal is to inform people how life was like for a migrant worker in the 1920's to 1930's.
This means that Crooks has to be defensive when people speak to him this is shown when he says sharply “You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here but me”. This line of text presents Crooks as being uptight and defensive but also someone who knows their rights and where he can and can’t go. The idea of segregation is supported by this quote because he telling lennie to leave his room, later on crooks says “I ain't wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain't wanted in my room” segregation is clearly shown here by Crooks saying their is a boundary which no-one should cross except him and he won't go in the bunkhouse. How Crooks says “you ain't wanted in my room” shows he is very defencive when it comes to white people coming into his shed because that is a place where he feels safe and won't be discriminated
Throughout Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck displays how isolation through sexism and racism causes one to crave attention, and he helps the reader to understand the problems in society about racism and sexism through portraying Curley’s Wife and Crooks both craving attention in their own ways and experiencing various setbacks.
Discrimination was one of the issues that caused conflict in the novel “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck. One example of discrimination in the novel comes in the form of racial discrimination against Crooks, as he is an African American. Another example of discrimination is gender discrimination against Curley’s wife. Finally, there is discrimination against mentally disabled people, which is evident in Lennie’s character. The ranch hands' actions and conversations demonstrated the racial discrimination against Crooks for his skin colour, gender discrimination against Curley’s wife for her gender, and prejudice against Lennie, who was mentally disabled individual. This prevented the characters from reaching their full potential and causes tragedy.
Discrimination is a problem that plagues those whose qualities are vulnerable. There are many examples of discrimination in the novel, Of Mice and Men. The characters face discrimination in many different ways including racial, age, gender, and disability. Crooks, the black stable buck, is the victim of racial discrimination. Candy, the old swamper, is a victim of the age discrimination. The victim of gender discrimination is Curley's wife because she is a woman. Life of the victims is hard because of the things they have to go through. Lastly, Lennie is mentally handicap so he discriminated against because of that.