The Status Of Women In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

At the start of the play, “the four Birling’s and Gerald are seated at the table, with Arthur Birling at one end, his wife at the other”, Priestly here is telling us about the status of women, as Mrs Birling is not equal to her husband so she is removed. Nevertheless it might indicates to that the two parents got control in the family where the older generation is against the younger generation.

When Sheila was getting engaged, she spoke about Gerald and his absence from her, Sybil birling tells her “you’ll have to get used to that, just as I had”, as the reader feels shocked about her mother's response! She knows that Gerald is likely to have a fair, however she tells indirectly and non-verbally that it’s just the way things are. Therefore, it appears that this was probably between her and Mr Birling as there is a hint in the novel that suggest he objectifies women where he thinks clothes "make'em look prettier", showing he is sexist.

Curly's wife show discrimination in society. It used to be $2 for a glass of whiskey and $2.50 to buy a sex with a woman, Steinbeck is telling us about how women are valued. He is showing that this is society

treats women with no respect and even worth, they have to put up with it where lots of women have to sell their self’s. This explain why Curly’s wife married Curly when they just met, because, if the alternative is real poverty that she might one day end up having to sell herself, therefore marrying the bosses son on a ranch, in the most fertile state in America, California, suddenly, it doesn’t look so stupid as she will get the best life compared to what she had before.
Curly wear a glove which reminds us of his personality as a boxer where Steinbeck is suggesting, through so many of his male characters that men are essentially violent. His glove is “fulla Vaseline”, as he says he is keeping his hand “soft for his wife”, where this is how a certain type of man who treats women as his wife is only a sex object, that is all she is to him therefore she have no name as Steinbeck is showing how men used to be possessive to women which he shows by never mentioning her name but keeping relating her to her husband or her owner like. Nevertheless, there is the difference of having Vaseline in his glove or telling everybody that he have, suddenly not only she is there for his sexual pleasure, she is there to increase his status which suggest that he is telling the others that I have got something which you doesn’t therefore your status are beneath me as Steinbeck is looking at how women are used in society.
Lennie is described as series of animals so when drinking he is described as a horse and when he refuses to give the dead mouse to George he is described as a terrier both these animal are powerful and subservient obedient to men just like Lennie is obedient to George.

Ultimately, Candy’s Dog and Lennie reflect each other as they both end up having to be shot for their own good. George always plays cards as this possibly represents the role of luck and fate in the story and so at the end George said “I guess I always knew.” That suggest that fate is always leading Lennie to death as George was always going to end up having to kill him which is represented in the card game. Perhaps Steinbeck uses the suit of “diamond”, in the card game as well to point out the reason men behave so brutally towards each other, is there

poverty.
Lennie doesn’t know how serious the violence is as he doesn’t know the implications of what he is doing as he just say “I done another bad thing”. On the other hand when George was just about to kill him, Lennie imagines a conversation with his aunt Clara and then with a giant rabbit as it appear as to be an extraordinary conversation which as the reader understood that he know that he done wrong and finally releases that he have committed a sin. Perhaps Steinbach wants us to think that Lennie deserves to be killed, therefore George is doing the right thing morally. However when George say’s " God a'mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy.” Here it appears to be actually a prayer to be released from Lennie, suddenly it gives a different way of looking at when he kills him. Yes it is for Lennie own good because Curly is going to torture him by shooting him in the gun. Nonetheless, it means George is free from Lennie forever therefore it suggests that God may have answered his prayer. In another point of view, George could be the noble character in the book. If George believe in heaven, hell and God, when he takes Carlson luger and kills his best friend, he is giving up his own hope of heaven yet he is a Christian he knows he is going to send his soul to hell, however he does that to help his friend.