Preview

one pager

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
732 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
one pager
Of Mice and Men is one of Steinbeck's eloquent ways of describing the harsh reality of the world he lives in is and for that reason is banned all over the world. Of mice and Men is one of many popularly banned classics, being censored in places from Ireland to Nebraska. Most of the banning of the book started in the 1970 and has continued for many different reasons. The book is filled with racism, swearing, sexsim, profanity, death and deprecating the american dream. The United States is a country that prides itself on its liberal ideals and lack of censorship, yet it censors Of Mice and Men simply to shield the children of this great nation from the harsh realities of the past.Of Mice and Men takes place in the early 1930’s, a time of great turmoil and depression for the American government and its citizens. During this time jobs were extremely hard to find, the whole country was suffering from debts they could not afford, Americans were giving up their dignity to try and feed their starving families and the ‘American dream’ was just that; a dream.
The text is filled with many controversial topics such as racism and sexism, Steinbeck creates realistic characters true to their (and his) time, unfortunately there was a lot of racism and sexim during the thirtys and as much as it is desired, the past is unchangeable, and facts need to be faced. In the novella the stable hand Crooks is looked down upon for being African American and is kept separate from the rest of the white workers. Even he himself believes he is beneath the white workers and is surprised when Lennie shows him kindness, in response he thwarts it away. Throughout the book Crooks is referred to by ‘nigger’ an outdated and racist term for an African American and a highly controversial word. Steinbeck’s Characters are portrayed as believing that women belong in the house,and when they are not they are unfaithful temptresses, Curleys wife is constantly criticized for not being the proper wife, while

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Steinbeck also creates sympathy for Crooks with him being black in a time where they were not equal to white men. In the book, the white men do not call him by his own name when they are asking for his help but address him with the term “nigger” which is incredibly racist because it shows that he is just a black man and they do not care about him because he is black. Steinbeck makes the reader feel sympathy for him because of the characters refer to him as a “nigger” and in today’s society this would be a shocking thing to say to a black person but in those times, it was the norm and this makes us have sympathy for him because of the inequality in the time that he is living in. Also there are casual racist remarks in the book that go unnoticed with them banning him from the bunkhouse and only at Christmas “they let the nigger in” which is some kind of special treat for a black person in those days to actually be allowed to be in a white man room.…

    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Of Mice and Men was written by John Steinbeck in the mid 1930’s and published in 1937 when America had started to recover from the Wall Street Crash. The 1920's were a 'boom-time' in America, there was plenty of work and money was easily made but the 1930's brought unemployment and poverty. The attitudes to women in his novel are in the main unflattering. Steinbeck depicts them as unintelligent and most of the women in the novel cause some kind of trouble or discomfort for the main characters George and Lennie.…

    • 1696 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    People tend to be biased about the color of people's skin. Today society still uses prejudice discrimination, but not as extreme within the novel towards Crooks. Inward the novel Crooks, tends to get very discriminated by the color of his skin. Even with the rights Crooks has, the discrimination between white and colored men tend to show up many times in Of Mice and Men. Lennie isn’t like the other men on the ranch, for more explanation he has no sense and doesn’t think of Crooks any different, this is supported by the quotation, “ why ain’t you wanted “(Steinback 68) when Crooks mentioned, “Well, I got a right to have a light. You go on get outta my room. I ain’t wanted in the bunk house, and you ain’t wanted in my room” (Steinback 68). While Lennie couldn’t care about the factors of prejudice, he tends to think of options that most of the men on that land wouldn’t have thought about in two years. Crooks has accepted that the racism or prejudice beliefs against colored men at this point. Crooks is often alone in the stable with nobody to associate with, because the white men on the farm never have talked to Crooks due to his skin color. The result of this lead the men to judge Crooks, to the prejudice belief of black people will end up…

    • 1246 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the 1930s in America, life for people with colour was difficult due to racism, segregation and isolation which was seen as normality back then. Black people did everything to stay out of troubled and avoid been lynched; especially by the Ku-klux-klan who still had a lot of power. Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck reflects to all these themes and other such as: The American Dream, discrimination, friendship, prejudice etc. It also reflects to the Great depression of the 1930s through Lennie and George who travelled from place to place to work (frontiersmen) and through Crooks, who reviews how Blacks were treated in the 1930s. For example, he worked as hard as or even harder than anyone in the ranch but still was unworthy because of his race and position in the society in the 1930s. The title Of Mice and men comes from Robert Burns’ poem “To a Mouse”, this is relevant to the novel as Steinbeck portrays his characters to be at the mercy of fate, almost as powerless as mice. The purpose of my essay is to show how Steinbeck portrays Crooks in the novel.…

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The first reference to Crooks, is Curley’s wife calling him in a highly derogatory manner ‘Stable Buck- ooh sta-able Buck!’ (Steinbeck, 1937, p30). This is a left over from the time when black male slaves were referred to as ‘Bucks’. As this is after the American War of Independence, it is clear that Curley’s wife views him as a slave and therefore, beneath her. The concept of equality does not exist in her treatment of Crooks. She follows this with what would be considered today as a very offensive, racist term. Steinbeck uses this deliberately to evoke sympathy for Crooks, a man so low down in the hierarchy, he does not even have his own name. He is de-personalised and is addressed in abusive terms.…

    • 1396 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The characters of Crooks and Curley’s Wife are similar in the sense that they are both outcasts on the ranch. Although they may seem like polar opposites as Crooks is a black male and Curley’s Wife is a white female, they have underlying similarities such as the discrimination they faced, not only from the men on the ranch but, from the society of the 1920’s and 30’s. They were also both portrayed as very lonely and to have had dreams that had been shattered. The other characters in the book are all white males and they are treated as superiors to these two. This is shown through the discrimination they face from the other people on the ranch and even the way Steinbeck refers to them. Firstly, Curley’s wife is not actually given a name. She is simply referred to as ‘Curley’s wife’, which suggests that she is merely a possession of Curley’s and nothing more. She is also talked about harshly by some of the men on the ranch, being labelled as a ‘rat-trap’ and being refused to be spoken to. Like Curley’s wife, Crooks is labelled by the other men of the ranch and discriminated against. They label him as a ‘nigger’ and then disregard his feelings by saying ‘he doesn’t give a damn about that’. Furthermore, his room is separate from the others because they ‘don’t want nothing to do with him’.…

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel, Of Mice and Men, the author, John Steinbeck, takes a strong stance against many social issues. Steinbeck voices his opinions on controversial rights such as women 's rights and the treatment of migrant workers. One of the main points that Steinbeck addresses is his dislike for the treatment of African-Americans. He expresses his views through the hardship and turmoil of Crooks, the only African-American character in the novel. Crooks is looked down upon by his peers and is considered inferior by most due to the color of his skin. He is constantly harassed and beaten up by his boss and those he works with. Furthermore, Crooks is not even allowed to socialize or go into the living quarters of the other men. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, Crooks is harassed and discriminated against by his peers, forced to live in a harsh environment and loses his hope and faith for he future because of his race.…

    • 782 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Of Mice and Men

    • 769 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Crook, the only black character in ‘Of Mice and Men’, is immediately put in a disadvantaged position. Steinbeck immediately makes it very clear that Crooks is black in quotations such as ‘Sure. Ya see the stable buck’s a nigger.’ This being the first time we hear about Crooks in the novel and the reference to him as ‘a nigger’ instead of ‘Crooks’ instantly puts him at a disadvantage as the only character, so far, without a name.…

    • 769 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel "Of Mice and Men" John Steinbeck, the author, uses the character of Crooks to represent racism and symbolize the marginalization of the black community occurring at the time in which the novel is set. Crooks is significant as he provides an insight into the reality of the American Dream and the feelings of all the ranchers: their loneliness and need for company and human interaction. Crooks got his name from his "crooked back," this suggests he represents something different and he is not your average ranch hand. The reader has to decide whether Crooks deserves sympathy, or if he is just a bitter, cruel and gruff stable-buck.…

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novella Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck explores discrimination in the 1930s through a range of characters. Discrimination occurs when an individual is treated less fairly than others due to something out of their control. The issues of discrimination against women, African Americans and the mentally disabled are demonstrated by the characters Crooks, Curley’s wife and Lennie. These characters are forced to experience a different lifestyle from the average American at the time.…

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Crooks Essay

    • 2184 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Steinbeck presents Crooks as a victim of racism and throughout the book, he is called by the name ‘nigger’. Being black, Crooks is hated on the ranch.“Ya see, the stable buck’s a nigger”. The use of this word dehumanises Crooks and shows how black people at the time, had no rights at all. He also says, “If I say something, why it’s just a nigger sayin’ it” and this shows his anger about being brutalised. However, another quote shows how threatened violence is used against black people and how the same term ‘nigger’ is repeated throughout the book. “Listen nigger(...), you know what I can do if you open your trap?(...)I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny”. Curley’s wife takes advantage of Crooks having a go at her and threatens Crooks into getting lynched. Lynching was very common in the 1930’s and Crooks ‘seemed to grow smaller’. The use of this oxymoron emphasises how he tries to fight back yet Curley’s wife’s social status was better than Crooks’ mainly because of his race. Furthermore, Curley’s wife uses the word ‘nigger’ and it also dehumanises Crooks and puts him ‘in his right place’. Curley’s wife is also near the bottom of the social ladder as well as Crooks worldly…

    • 2184 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Steinbeck describes Crooks as ‘a proud, aloof man’, which suggests that he keeps his distance and likes to retain some personal dignity and privacy. This is conveyed when he proclaims ‘You got no rights comin’ in a coloured man’s room.’ Lennie’s brief interaction with Crooks reveals the complexity of racial prejudice in the northern California ranch life as well. Though Crooks was born in California (not like many Southern blacks who had migrated, he implies), he is still always made to feel like an outsider, even in his home state.…

    • 721 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    1pager

    • 609 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Jennifer Finney Boylan wrote “In the Early Morning Rain” which describe the experiences where she realized who she became.As a man, Jennifer married to Deirdre “Grace” Finney and had two children,but he felt the tug of the female identy. Jennifer is a Transgender, she is easily mistaken and mistreated by others who judge others quickly. She left home in search for answers for who she is. She wants to figure herself out and where she belongs in life.…

    • 609 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Crooks is talking to Lennie about going out Crooks states, “They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black” (Steinbeck 68). Crooks is being treated poorly and unfairly just because of his race which reveals his role as a literary other. In addition, the author uses the literary device of the other to emphasize the characters and to develop the motif of dreams. Crooks dreams about being treated like a normal human being For instance, Crooks is talking to Curley’s wife when she says, “Well, you keep your place then, nigger” (Steinbeck 81). Through dialect like the word nigger, the reader can detect the discrimination between white and black characters. Crooks is treated unfavorably because of his race and he does not feel that this is fair. The behavior of the character in relation to Crooks’s race reveals that Crooks is Othered just because of the color of his…

    • 748 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Steinbeck’s novel, ‘Of Mice and Men’, was published in 1937. At this time America was still suffering the from the depression and the wandering workers who form the basis of the novel were very much within the consciousness of a nation separated by wealth yet driven by the idea of ‘the American dream’. Steinbeck’s novel is, however, essentially a tale of loneliness and of men struggling alone against a cold, uncaring and forgettable destiny.…

    • 953 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays