When discussing how the main themes of a book are brought out, minor characters often play an influential role. Their images are carefully crafted, to highlight the message of the book. Of Mice and Men is a novella that tells the story of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, and their aspirations to own a farm. In the novella, the author, Steinbeck, portrays the ingrained social stratum in society during the 1930s through the characterisation of the minor characters in the book, specifically Curley’s wife, Crooks, and the boss. To begin with, through the names given, Steinback portrays the gender discrimination and social immobility women face through Curley’s wife. In Of Mice and Men, she is given multiple nicknames by the men on the ranch. …show more content…
Crooks “Got a crooked back where a horse kicked him,” His deformed back suggests that he was mistreated and exploited with work in his life. Due to his physical handicap, he has to work twice as hard to go half as far. The disability is a great inconvenience to his work, yet along with his race, it acts as a great advantage to his work. He is not allowed any compensation, despite the difficulties he faces. This indicates the inequality and injustice in society. Furthermore, metaphorically, his crooked back also symbolizes how his kind will always be below others, and does not enjoy social mobility. Based on Crooks' appearance, Steinbeck effectively emphasizes the inferiority of black people and the physically disabled. Similarly, Steinbeck brings out the message by demonstrating the treatment Crooks faced. Crooks is heavily mistreated in an inhumane way, he is constantly “given hell” by the boss, used as a tool for venting. Curley’s wife also remarked that she “could get [Crooks] strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny,” in spite of her low social standing. By the distasteful comments and treatment given by others, Steinbeck portrays how black people are vulnerable victims of racial discrimination and are disparaged. In the book, Crooks once had a glimpse of hope in George’s “dream plan”. …show more content…
Using the boss, the highest authority in the ranch, to embody the class with high social status, Steinbeck further shows the power imbalance and the entrenched social pyramid in
The first example of Steinback’s allegorical qualities in his novella is the characters he wrote about. Each of these characters have a similarity to social classes in the 1930’s. Lennie, one of the first introduced characters, represents the treatment of people with mental handicaps. Lennie was not allowed to talk or act on his own will due to others finding out about his disability. He often found himself getting into serious trouble without realizing what he had done to get there. On the other hand, his companion, George, serves as a hard working man with a dream to own a farm. He holds onto that hope, though deep down, he knows it will never become a reality. The only women portrayed in the novella is Curley’s wife, who personifies oppression in women. Steinback didn’t give her a name, showing how lowly those in the 1930’s thought of females. Her husband, Curley, typifies “small”
When Curly’s wife went to Crooks to ask if he has seen Curly around, Curly said that he hasn’t seen him, but still she was standing there and Crooks said, “You got no rights coming in a coloured man’s room. You got no rights messing around in here at all.” Steinbeck’s use of Crook’s dialogue shows that Crooks had enough pride and independence to stand up to Curly’s wife. She turned on him in scorn. “Listen, Nigger,” she said. “You know what I can do to you if you open your trap?” Crooks stared hopelessly at her, and then he sat down on his bunk and drew into himself. Steinbeck uses Curly’s wife’s dialogue to tell the readers that Crooks was always discriminated against. When Lennie was wandering around at the ranch and went into Crook’s room, Crooks said, “You go get outta my rooms. I ain’t wanted in the bunk house and you ain’t wanted in my room.” Steinbeck uses crook’s dialogue, racism and loneliness to demonstrate that Crooks wanted to be left alone, but also from inside he wants to talk to someone. Readers may feel sympathy at Steinbeck’s idea of racism. Crooks was always treated badly and is always discriminated against.
When asked about John Steinbeck’s career, people often refer to Steinbeck as a playwright, journalist, and a well-known novelist. The book Of Mice and Men is a popular novel by John Steinbeck and a required read for most high school students. Most of Steinbeck 's novels have a central theme focusing on the relationship between man and his environment. The American dream for George and Lennie, two of the main characters in Of Mice and Men, is to have a place of their own, to be respected, and to work hard for everything they earn and deserve. In Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, the land and a hope of a better life becomes the talisman of an American dream for Lennie and George that is left unfulfilled.
The microcosm in the novel Of Mice and Men contains within it a collection of characters whose purpose is to underline the narrative theme of weak versus the strong. The peculiar narration by the author introduces the rising of the motif, oppressed victims fighting a powerful and an unjust opposition. The idealistic perspective envelopes the audience and forces it to pity and provide sympathy for the feeble individuals such as Crooks and Candy. The characters’ flirtation with larger ideas such as the American dream and racial inequality serve as the catalyst for the reader to conjecture upon a deeper meaning surrounding the rather simplistic series of struggles. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the deliberate presentation of Crooks, Candy and Curley’s wife as the victims of the oppressive forces allows the author’s narration to convey the underlying theme of weak versus strong within the novel.
In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck explores human relationships through characters who are barely fleshed out beyond the boundary of a stereotype. Many of the minor characters even have names which reflect their status as a symbol of their position rather than thinking, feeling people. Crooks, the African American stable buck, represents the "crooked" thinking of the majority toward other races during the time period while Curley's wife represents only that- the wife of a man. Her character serves to show the place of women in a man's society. Likewise, the two main characters, George and Lennie, each serve as a symbol of psychological and physical traits which complement each other to show how important human relationships are, regardless of the traits a person may possess. All human beings develop relationships with others because those relationships fill particular needs. Those needs may be physical, economic, psychological, or social.
The world in the 1930’s was a very uncaring place. Due to the depression, many families were split up, so loneliness was running ramped. Ranch hands were thought of as the loneliest people in the world “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world” (page 15). Loneliness wasn’t the only kind of sadness and suffering that was endured by the workers. Lost dreams, discrimination and being disabled were only some of the problems faced. But these were not only limited to workers, women also felt these kinds of sadness and suffering a lot. In the book, Crooks, Curley’s wife and Candy are the main examples of these.
Just like in of mice and Men, America currently needs a helping hand. People search for a job day after day, but just never seem to gain stable employment. George and Lennie find that getting a job can be just that difficult where they currently wander. When they arrive at the ranch, they meet people who relate to people who
In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck brings out the themes of Lonliness and companionship, and strengths and weaknesses through the actions, and quotations of the characters. Irony and foreshadowing play a large roll on how the story ends. Lennie and his habit of killing things not on purpose, but he is a victim of his own strength. George trying to pretend that his feelings for Lennie mean nothing. The entire novel is repetitive in themes and expressed views.
The daily struggle of the working class, fear of loneliness and the reality of putting all your energy into plans that fail are the different themes relating to John Steinbeck's novel, "Of Mice and Men". The characters depicted by the author are individuals who are constantly facing one obstacle after another. The book illustrates different conflicts such as man versus society, man versus man, man versus himself and idealism versus reality. The book's backdrop is set in the Salinas, California during the depression. The two main characters include two men, George and Lennie. Supportive characters include a few ranch hands, Candy, Crooks, Curly, Slim and Carlson.
Men and women who are discriminated by society feel alone and afraid because they have nobody to talk or turn to. Of Mice and Men, a novel written by John Steinbeck, conveys the feelings of discriminated farm workers in the 1930’s, and how they yearned for a friend. The marginalized characters in the story were Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife. often found themselves feeling lonely and excluded because the other farm workers thought of them as their inferiors. These characters were beaten, scoffed at, or even avoided entirely. The book follows the lives of two men who travel together and earn their money by farming. The two men, named George and Lennie, went to a new ranch where they witnessed, and even partaken in the cruel judgment of others. Throughout the novel, the author demonstrates how unfair men can be to one another through Crooks’ experience with racism, Candy’s experience with ageism, and Curley’s wife’s experience with sexism.
both want to do with it. Lennie wants to look after rabbits of his own
Throughout Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck displays how isolation through sexism and racism causes one to crave attention, and he helps the reader to understand the problems in society about racism and sexism through portraying Curley’s Wife and Crooks both craving attention in their own ways and experiencing various setbacks. Curley’s Wife, who persistently talked with every man on the ranch besides her husband, displays how sexism is portrayed on the ranch. Steinbeck proves this by showing a differing view towards women in the time period that the book was written, because, as Carleson states, “Why’n’t you tell her to stay the hell home where she belongs?” (Steinbeck, 62).
Curley’s wife has a sense of power over the other workers because she is married to Curley. Despite being female, she is able to do as she wishes and fool around, as even her husband cannot control her. She has the power to intimidate and threaten the male workers, as seen in the quote directed at Crooks, “Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.” Crooks is the only African-American character in the novel. Despite being a male, he possesses less power than Curley’s wife due to his skin colour. The use of tone in this quote highlights her authority over the dark skinned man as a white female. In the novel, Crooks is made to be isolated by his colour, living alone in a separate room with the horses. His room symbolises a jail cell of the repressed. He is not wanted in the bunk house and cannot socialise or play cards with the other workers. He is always called the ‘nigger’ by the men, which shows how racism is taken for granted. This is an example of how defenceless he is in society. Another example is when Steinbeck describes Crooks room. “Crooks had his apple box over his bunk, and in it a range of medicine bottles, both for himself and for the horses,” suggests that he is treated like an animal. Social power and powerlessness are demonstrated throughout the novel in which shows us how different people are treated in
Of Mice and Men is a 1937 published novella by John Steinbeck. It reveals the story of two migrant workers, Lennie, a mentally unstable character, and George, who make their way to a ranch in California, where the novel is set, to find employment during the great economic depression. Steinbeck reveals the theme of loneliness throughout the novel in three characters in particular, Curley’s wife, Candy and Crooks, who all happen to take on the role as misfits in the novel. Using the theme of loneliness, Steinbeck manages to highlight other issues in US-society during the late 20s. As the novel starts and Lennie and George arrive in the ranch, the reader encounters Curley’s wife and realises that she is lonely.
One of Steinbeck’s characters, Candy, is an old man that started as a migrant worker, yet has been on the same ranch longer than many of the other workers, Candy is discriminated against because his increasing age makes him less valuable on the ranch. Crooks’ is another worker on the ranch who is discriminated