There are several characters in Of Mice and Men who have power other others. Powers they’ve earned, and powers that they were given.In a time era where everyone abonded one other, most of these powers were used for each own’s selfish advantage. Not all characters gave up on others though, and use their powers for the wellbeing of everyone. Powers like money, authority, and fear control characters, and give other characters power over others.
Money and wealth was a rarity in the 1930’s where Of Mice and Men took place. The depression era was an era where any property that had value, lost it’s value, sending millions of people globally into debt and unemployment. The men on the ranch in Of Mice and Men are mainly made up of migrant workers. Migrant working grew in the 1930’s because people would travel place to place just to find jobs to make ends meet. Money is what controlled and motivated the men on the ranch. The boss and Curley had power over the characters because they controlled the money. The living conditions were awful, but it was better than
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being on the streets. An example of this is when George and Lennie first revive their bunk beds. “Say what the hell is this,” said george. “Says it positively kills lice, roaches and other scourges.” Lennie and George except possibly bug infested bunks which displays the living conditions. Also, some men were willing to do any job on the ranch just to keep a stake. An example of this is Candy, the swamper. His job is similar to a janitor. There was never any intention of hiring for any good job, so he has to do all the dirty work just to make a living Same for the elderly. If someone on the ranch got too old and was of no use anymore, they would be sent off. Slim states, “ Carl’s right, Candy. That dog ain’t no good to himself. I wisht somebody'd shoot me if I got old and’ a cripple.” (45) This quote comes to show that men on the ranch would rather be dead than be old and sent off with no money. They’d rather die then not be able to work, because no one in this world can survive without some money. In addition to wealth, authority over others also gives people power.
A main example is the boss. Like most situations, the boss has authority over his employees. Another example of authority having power over others is with Slim. He has authority due to his reputation and time on the ranch. People listen to what he says because of his reputation. The narrator describes Slim as, “ There was a gravity in his manner and a quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he spoke.” (33) This quote displays how Slim, one of the authoritative people on the ranch, has power over the ranchmen. Another example of this is when the men want to shoot Candy’s dog. They all argue about it and no one can make a decision until Slim steps in. The narrator says, “ Candy looked helplessly at him,, for Slim's opinions were law.” (45) This quote displays that what Slim says, it what is going to happen. He’s a decision and rule
maker.
Contrary to popular belief, power does not give a person everything needed in life. Power gives people an illusion of a perfect, ungrueling life which- news flash!- is probably the total opposite of what power actually bestows upon people. Within The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantes is mistreated with due to abundance of power Monseuir Villefort has, causing Edmond to later seek power to avenge for the mistreatment caused to him. Almost everyone in the book either loses or gives up their power in the end, thanks to Edmond. Viva la Vida, similarly, depicts the story of Louis XVI possessing immense power and then being deprived of the same power he once thought was going to be in his fist forever.
The story Of Mice and Men took place during the 1930’s. That time period was very different from today. Race and gender were very important characteristics that determined whether a person had the opportunity to make money. The 1930’s were also a time where people started questioning life and the American culture. Many people like John Steinbeck thought that life was very unfair and questioned whether if life was even worth living. In Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck demonstrates that mans dream is destined to be destroyed by a cruel reality.
When somebody abuses a great amount of power, that individual can lose all their power. The struggle against someone who abuses power is perfectly depicted in the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey. When someone abuses their power, they can impose certain feelings and actions onto others. If someone tries to conceal their personality, . Finally, if someone abuses power and is constantly challenged by another individual who is trying to take the power abuser’s power away from them, the power abuser will always be frightened of his or her challenger. When someone abuses power and takes full control, they can lose all their power and respect quickly.
In the plot of "Of Mice and Men", all of the ranch workers got very
When you’re in a position of high authority, it comes with a great sum of power. Having a great deal of control can corrupt and can lead to the abuse of it. Abuse of power is using their power for their own benefit even if it may harm others. In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the effects of the abuse shown by Curley and Curley’s wife to the other characters will ultimately lead to a tragic end.
Power helped some people in this novel by helping them do what was right. Like George, he was the new guy, the guys still accepted him because he seemed like a kind and trustworthy person. So he never really had problems with people except Curley but Curley was just that kind of person because he thought he was better than everyone else and bigger. He also had power though since his dad owned the farm he practically could do whatever he wanted so no one really wanted to mess with them because if he wanted to he could get people canned. His dad had power over everything since he owned the farm he controlled who worked there and who did not and what kind of jobs people would do. Slim had power too because he was kind of like a leader and he was a nice guy. He was also very respectful and knew where his place was and did not run into trouble since no one had a reason to mess with him. Carlson had some power to in this book when he took control and killed Candy’s dog, “I’ll put the old devil out of his misery right now and get it over with.” (47)
American author, John Steinbeck once said, “Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts - perhaps the fear of loss of power”. As seen in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, people of authority can feel pressured to go along with actions or make decisions they know are wrong because they fear losing their power and influence in society. They also tend to let to their opinions and motives impact their work and responsibility to make good decisions. The Crucible demonstrates how people of authority, like Parris and Danforth, try to use good judgement to make fair decisions, but are often influenced by their own personal opinions whether they realize it or not.
Power. It is defined as the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. Throughout time, certain individuals have acquired power in their society as a way to govern and keep order among their community. Power is not a new concept; it was used in the past by many emperors, kings, and queens, and is still being used by presidents, prime ministers, and dictators. Although, it has been used to further progress societies into what the world is like today, not all power has been used for the best of mankind. But what goes awry to make power turn corrupt? In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, it is illustrated how power can turn corrupt, when authoritative figures, who possess power, abuse it for their personal gain, rather than for the common good of the society.
Power has been defined as the psychological relations over another to get them to do what you want them to do. We are exposed to forms of power from the time of birth. Our parents exercise power over us to behave in a way they deem appropriate. In school, teachers use their power to help us learn. When we enter the work world the power of our boss motivates us to perform and desire to move up the corporate ladder so that we too can intimidate someone with power one day. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Kurtz had a power over the jungle and its people that was inexplicable.
Scarseth argues that “Readers may object to the book’s presentation of low class characters, vulgar language, scenes suggestive of improper sexual conduct, and an implied criticism of the social system. . . Furthermore, these features are necessary in the book.” Scarseth continues to argue that they are “accurate, precise reporting,” because they represented the time, place and environment of the era in which the novella was penned. Written in 1937, Of Mice and Men is the story of two migrant workers who came to California to fulfill their dreams. While the intentions of these two men seemed noble, they were unable to achieve the goal of purchasing land for a myriad of reasons. The first and most difficult challenge they faced was the effect of The Great Depression. Like many of...
Power allows people to do anything they want. They can use it in different ways, they can tell people to obey them, they can use it to hurt someone they hate, and even rob. They can also use it in a positive way, they can help people and do a lot of good things with it.
Characters have played a large role in setting the theme of abusive power; they gain power over a group of individuals and misguide them. One obvious example from Lord Of the Flies was Jack. Towards the beginning of the novel, when the “elections” for the leader of the group took place Jack tried to get power. “‘I ought to be chief,’ said Jack with simple arrogance, ‘because I’m the chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp’” (Golding 22). After losing the election to Ralph, he became the head of the hunters. Here he abused the miniscule powers given to him over the small group of boys formerly known as the “choir”. Jack’s influence possibly corrupted the minds of the young boys and made them into cold blooded killers going from killing pigs for food to harming humans for enjoyment. “The circle moved round. Robert squealed in mock terror then in real pain… Jack had him by the hair and was brandishing his knife.” (Golding 114). The significance of this was that it was the first major point that lead to the collapse of society on the island. Jack thought that Ralph did not appreciate what he was doing for the group by gett...
Individuals use both obvious and subtle powers to influence the world around them and communities they engage with. Shakespeare’s five act tragedy, Othello portrays traditional forms of power held by Venetian military men, who exercise their influence in the commanding of their subordinates. In the strict hierarchy of the Elizabethan court, parodied in Ben Elton and Richard Curtis’ satirical Blackadder II, subtle powers such as deception and charm are used by characters to assert their individual wishes and influence the behaviour of others. Depending on their status, an individual’s influence over others can stem from obvious or subtle power.
In Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck, there is a lot of evidence to show that the world is designed to prey on the weak. One character in particular, Crooks, is a very good example for this. Not only is he is a black man in the segregated 1930’s, he also has back problems. Because of this, people treat him like a lower class person than everyone else, though in the great depression nobody really had any money. One quote from the book to show this is when Curley’s wife says “I could get you strung up a tree so easy it ain’t even funny” (page 81) She uses her power over Crooks to put him into what society says is his place. He stood up for himself and she made sure that the used her power as one of the “strong” to put him back in line. Even after
When power becomes legitimate, it is then recognized as authority (Denhardt et al, 2001). Power becomes authority when it is accepted and even desired by society. As stated by the course study notes, “authority refers to a situation where a person (or group) has been formally granted a leadership position”. An individual has authority when everyday norms and regulations support the exercising of power by that individual. In an organizational setting, “authority is hierarchal and vested in positions” (Week 9 Study Notes), which are defined by “organizational charts, positions and rules” (Week 9 Study Notes). Generally, power in authority also involves the possibility of rewards such as promotions and good performance reviews.