Of Mice And Men Quote Analysis

People often see themselves as being above all other animals. They consider themselves more cultured, more intelligent, and more ethical. To some degree, they are correct. We are more technologically advanced, and we do indeed have a higher intelligence than most animals. However, people can often feel very powerful when we viciously attack other people, ripping their dreams apart like a shark shredding a helpless seal. This message is encrypted in John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men, where two companions take on the struggles of life in pursuit of their dream. Steinbeck suggests that humans are a predatory species who feels strong after attacking someone else. He develops this idea by using other characters, some who have been undermined, and making them attack each other and illustrating the emotions they feel afterwards.

Crooks, named for his crooked back, is an African American who works on the farm. Crooks has a dream of being equals to white people. However, his dream is shot down by the racial prejudice of society. This oppression caused Crooks to have an attitude similar to that of a predator, ripping apart Lennie for both his ‘unreachable’ dream and his dependence on George. It is at this moment that Crooks seems to be most powerful, like the leader of a lion pride towering over a dead elephant. In the book, it states “insert quote here”. What makes this particular case so interesting, however, is how Steinbeck used a member of an oppressed group to demonstrate this message. In the analogy of the predator and the prey, Crooks would be considered as the prey, with the predator being the society of that time period. However, this behavior actually caused the prey to turn into the predator! This use of Crooks really drives home the point more so than simply using another character as the