Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment different categories of people or things. Hatred: is an intense dislike or ill will towards someone or something. Alienation is the state or experience of being isolated from a group or an activity to which one should belong or in which one should be involved. All these words describe how certain people felt in America during the 1930’s if they were “different.” Day after day of these hard feelings and hurtful words takes a toll on someone. Heaviness and sets in whenever they are out in public. Those who bare a skin pigment atypical to the predominant color in the United States experience this the most. In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, he symbolizes discrimination, hatred, and alienation of race through a character whose name is Crooks.…
People have been discriminating each other since the beginning of humanity, and the twentieth century is no exception. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck does a magnificent job at showcasing the kinds of discrimination that people had gone through. Of Mice and Men is a book based in the early 1900s that follows the story of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, who are working towards their dream of sharing a small plot of land and finally living the life of stability and happiness that they have always wanted. While George and Lennie are working towards their dreams, the readers get a front row seat to many different types of discrimination including racism, sexism, ableism, ageism, and sizeism. Curley’s…
From the early 1900’s, society has strictly judged people by the way they look or where they come from. We still see this act of judgement re-occur in this day and age, unfortunately. In the novella Of Mice and Men, we clearly see the cruel conditions and situations that occurred during the Great Depression. This fantastic novel showcases the lives of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, who struggle to find a job and the stereotypical judgements of Lennie who is mentally disabled. In their journey, this novella introduces many other archetypes for the minorities of that time period, including women, colored people, and the elderly. John Steinbeck shows his expertise of crucial literary devices like allusion, archetype, and foreshadowing to show how humans will treat specific categories of people that have disabilities that in the end affect their hopes and dreams in life.…
First of all, the character Lennie had to live with discrimination up until the day he died, for he had mental disabilities. However,…
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.…
'Of Mice and Men', Steinbeck portrays a world dominated by powerful white able-bodied males. It is the views and opinions of this social type that permeate ranch society and those who come from outside these boundaries are ostracized and persecuted. Thus we have a world where Steinbeck describes the plight of women, black people, disabled people and those with mental disabilities showing the persecution and suffering they have to endure.…
In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men characters in the novel are segregated by sex, race, age, physical and mental disabilities. John Steinbeck portrays the intolerance and bigotry of 1930’s America through the separation of his characters based on their handicaps. Lennie, Candy, Candy’s dog, Curley’s wife and Crooks all face social pressure from the other characters on the ranch based on their intelligence, physical disability, age, sex and color. Stereotyping based on ethnic or physical characteristics is typical to the 1930’s depression where civil rights for minority groups had not yet been addressed. Almost all of the characters who, in the 1930’s, classify as a minority in Of Mice and Men face social persecution and feel the force of society’s preconceived notions about the color of their racial and physical features. Because of this social persecution Lennie and George find that it is truly impossible to achieve the American Dream because of the segregation. This segregation causes conflict between the characters in the novel and causes those who hold the majority to not only maintain the majority but also to suppress those who comprise the minority.…
'"Why ain't you wanted?" Lennie asked. "'Cause I'm black. They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black. They say I stink.' (p.68) Discrimination is the treatment of a person based on the group, class, or category to which that person belongs. Discrimination is demonstrated in Of Mice and Men many times throughout the book with Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Crooks. Each one of these characters experience discrimination in the book and it can be related to our lives today.…
1930’s America saw many different groups within society be prejudiced against. At the time minority groups had no standing within society. Steinbeck; in his book Of Mice and Men, presents the common minority groups within society in 1930’s America and how they were forced to live their lives. The book references four characters that all represent different groups seen as minorities at the time that the book is set. This essay will follow the characters in the book and explore how and why they found themselves as minorities and how this ultimately changed the characters lives.…
Discrimination if often based on many qualities and abilities. Some of the most clearly shown examples in John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men are gender, age and racial discrimination. The victims of these types of discrimination are Curley’s wife, who is unhappy and bitter about her life, Candy, the old, disabled swamper and Crooks, the black stable buck. Throughout the novel, these three characters face many hardships because they are harshly judged and often misunderstood.…
Lennie’s stupidity gets him in a lot of trouble and George always has to fix it.…
Throughout the novel, this fact never changes. Lennie's disability never alters, and he only cares for George.…
Discrimination and prejudice references in the book, Of Mice and Men, reflect on the several characters lives. The biggest impacts of discrimination take its rest on Candy, Crooks, Lennie, and Curley’s wife. All of them are discriminated for different reasons. People are treated worse by the ranch simply because they are different.…
Lennie is abused due to his lack of intelligence according to society’s structure. Lennie and George have an incredible bond,…
Discrimination has always been an ongoing issue for our country, especially back when white men were considered superior. Times have changed, yet there is still discrimination causing disputes to this day. There’s a variety of forms of discrimination, including racial, age, disabilities, gender, size, and more. Discrimination in the novelette, Of Mice and Men, was displayed through those with disabilities, gender discrimination, and racial discrimination.…