Prejudice as the Central Theme in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Prejudice as the Central Theme in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

The 1930s were a time of hardship for the American people. The Wall

Street Crash of 1929 and subsequent depression meant that many people

were homeless and unemployed. This led to widespread migration to the

farmlands of California. Migrant workers flocked to the ranches,

desperate for work. When they arrived at a ranch many felt intimidated

and overwhelmed by the situation. Those in positions of power looked

down on the migrant workers and treated them with little or no respect

simply because of their lifestyle and poverty.

There was also a lot of prejudice towards the black population of

America. White people saw themselves as being more important, and thus

treated black people with disrespect. In more extreme cases physical

violence towards the black people displayed the superiority of the

white people. The Klu Klux Klan was the most extreme group opposing

black people; they were fighting for white supremacy in America.

Because they could not get convicted for crimes, they were very

powerful. This led to the increase in prejudice towards black people,

as white Americans were made to believe that they were superior to

black people.

The novel "Of Mice and Men" is centred around the lives of American

migrant workers in the 1930s with particular focus on George and

Lennie, and the prejudice they face whilst working on a ranch. Within

the ranch environment other characters such as Crooks, Curley's wife

and Candy and his dog are subjected to prejudice. The reasons for this

are very varied; being 'big', black, old, female or disabled all make

a character vulnerabl...

... middle of paper ...

...judice. The lifestyle of the migrant workers and the

way they see one another are also affected by prejudice. However,

possibly the most important event in the novel is the death of

Curley's wife, which culminates in the death of Lennie. Both of these

deaths were a direct consequence of prejudice. However, if the

prejudice towards Curley's wife had not existed, Lennie would not have

felt that she had to be silenced, so would probably never have killed

her. Curley's prejudice towards Lennie meant that he was not going to

be lenient. Because he saw Lennie as a threat, he wanted to get rid of

him, and this was the ideal opportunity. The death of Lennie is the

climax to the prejudice that builds up throughout the novel, and the

fact that prejudice was the cause of his death sums up in one event

the main theme of the novel.