Prejudices In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Prejudices are unreasonable judgments towards someone due to misunderstandings, ignorance, and fear. It usually makes one’s ability to insert themselves into society’s daily functions more difficult. Oftentimes, prejudices lead someone into isolation, where they feel outcasted from society. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife, being the only woman on the ranch was ignored by everyone, similarly, in The Scarlet Ibis written by James Hurst, Doodle was separated from society and forced to stay inside the house due to his disabilities. Curley’s wife is treated inhumanely due to her gender, as her husband and other ranch workers lack respect for her. Likewise, Doodle forced himself to overcome his disabilities to please Brother’s
In addition to her unhappy marriage to Curley, she was the only woman on the ranch. Curley’s wife desperately tried to gain a connection with anyone, but other ranch workers ignored her knowing the consequences they may receive from Curley for talking to his wife. She is also portrayed as a woman who is trying to draw attention to herself. As a result of her treatment, Curley’s wife felt that she did not even have the “right to talk to nobody”(Steinbeck 87). People on the ranch judged her for the way she dressed, they believed that she was trying to have a relationship with anyone she was talking to. Despite their allegations, Curley’s wife’s only intention was to have a conversation with someone, she wanted someone to empathize and understand her emotions. Due to her gender, Curley’s wife is treated like an object by her husband, as he disregards her feelings by going to Susy’s. In addition to Curley, she faces prejudice from other ranch workers who constantly refer to her by inappropriate names and oversaw that she is also a person who deserves respect, despite her gender. The only women with proper names were women with occupations or roles, such as Susy, it did not matter that her job was exploiting women, as Curley’s wife was looked down upon while she is not judged by the men. Prejudices against Curley’s wife leads her to be physically and
As a woman living in the 1930s, Curley’s wife is not accepted by her society as they degrade her and believe that she is of a lower status than the men. Similarly, Doodle is outcasted due to his disabilities, as it causes him to not fit his society’s mold of normalcy. Prior to their downfalls, their respective society could not understand their uniqueness and respect them as people. After their death it was revealed that “the discontent and the ache for attention were gone...and [their faces] were sweet and young” (Steinbeck 93). Curley’s wife and Doodle were unwelcomed by their respective societies due to their differences, their respective societies were not willing to change in order to understand them more effectively. Curley's wife was viewed down upon and treated with a lack of respect and inhumanely due to her gender, as her society believed that women were incapable to accomplish the same tasks as men. As a result of their ignorance and close-mindedness, she was only able to confide in Lennie, who does not judge her for her gender. Due to his disabilities, he was not able to fully understand Curley’s wife’s emotions and reactions, and his fears caused him to overreact, thus resulting in her tragic death, which could possibly be prevented if her society had been more tolerant towards her. Similarly, Doodle’s society lacks faith in his survival as a result

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