How Does Steinbeck Present Social Injustice

Social injustices in literature are often used as a plot device, by which authors utilize in an attempt to convey a deeper message to the reader. By detailing forms of discrimination - against race, against gender - through characters and incidents that develop throughout a story, authors are able to speak volumes about times of societal unrest and injustice. Specifically, the motif of racism during the Great Depression era is portrayed through works of literature, such as Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird, in order to depict the oppression and discrimination that African Americans faced during that era. Through the characters of Tom Robinson and Crooks, authors Harper Lee and John Steinbeck are able to provide an in-depth perspective
This is brought into perspective in Of Mice and Men, where Crooks faces segregation from the other workers on the ranch, due to him being an African American and thus being racially different from the others. For example, he is confined in a room separate from the bunkhouse where the other workers resided, forced to be alone, simply because the others do not want him in the bunkhouse. Steinbeck shows this in chapter 4, when Crooks tells Lennie, “‘You go on get outta my room. I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain’t wanted in my room.’” (Steinbeck 68) When Lennie asked why, Crooks responded, “‘Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink.’” (Steinbeck 68) Since Crooks was a black man and all the other workers were white, he was never given chances to interact with them, because they looked upon him with disdain and regarded him as a lesser human being. This establishes the fact that there was some sort of “social hierarchy” which formed the basis of racism in that time period, where whites determined themselves as “higher” than Negroes. This “social hierarchy” must have been prominent for decades, because even as a child, Crooks faced isolation being part of the only African American family in his hometown. The feelings of loneliness that
As seen in To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson is falsely accused and unfairly discriminated against simply because of his skin color. Like the other African American characters in the novel, he is unable to communicate his feelings due to the complexity of the issue of racism at the time. As soon as the false rape accusation was made against Tom, he was almost certainly done for, since the bigoted view that the town had against African Americans meant that the people were more likely to believe Bob Ewell’s false claim, rather than even bothering to listen to Tom Robinson’s truth. An instance of prejudice is seen during chapter 19 in the trial scene, when it says, “‘You're a mighty good fellow, it seems—did all this for not one penny?’ ‘Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more'n the rest of 'em-’ ‘You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her?’ Mr. Gilmer seemed ready to rise to the ceiling. The witness realized his mistake and shifted uncomfortably in the chair. But the damage was done. Below us, nobody liked Tom Robinson's answer.” (Lee 127) In this scene, the same “social hierarchy” makes an appearance, even though it is not explicitly stated. Tom Robinson is unable to communicate his reasoning and true feelings to the audience without eliciting a