Of Mice And Men Power Analysis

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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 …show more content…

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

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