The Victims in Of Mice and Men

2658 Words6 Pages

MOST, IF NOT ALL, OF THE CHARACTERS IN OF MICE AND MEN CAN BE SEEN AS

VICTIMS IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER DISCUSS.

It was a time of great hardship, a time of extreme poverty during

which people struggled to survive. They struggled to put food on the

table let alone get some enjoyment from life. They were trapped in a

time where little hope existed. Migrant workers had to travel great

distances to find work, often there was too little work for too many

people. People became victims of these hard times known as The Great

Depression.

The Great Depression caused a major economic slump in North America.

People lost their jobs, many farming and businesses were made

bankrupt. By 1933 millions of Americans were out of work. Bread

lines were a common sight in most cities. Hundreds of thousands

roamed the country in search of food, work and shelter. Many ended up

competing for seasonal work picking crops at very low wages and in

extremely poor living conditions. It is against this background that

‘Of Mice and Men’ is set, the characters being victims of a desperate

social and economic situation created out of a time of great

disruption to their lives.

The characters of ‘Of Mice and Men’ are all victims in ways that are

different but sometimes there are similarities. John Steinbeck, the

author, portrays the way each individual character is a victim.

George is a victim in various ways; he is a victim of a social

situation. He is trapped with looking after Lennie, who is, according

to Curley’s wife, ‘jus’ like a big baby’. George made a promise to

Lennie’s Aunt Clara to stick with him and look after him. Lennie is a

liability in that he makes various mistakes which result in both of

them losing jobs and having to leave the area. However, having Lennie

for a companion has a benefit for George as they are company for each

other. In those times many people were victims of isolation and

loneliness. As George and Lennie have each other they avoid this

situation as they are there for each other.

George is also seen as a victim of financial hardship as good,

well-paying jobs were hard to come by. It was a struggle for him to

get the bare necessities such as food as he lacked the money to make

purchases. George tells Candy: “We got ten bucks between us.” Living

like that can be very frustrating, especially when you have a grown

man beside you who is forever asking for things you cannot have such

as tomato sauce. Lennie says ‘I like ‘em with ketchup’.

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