How Does Steinbeck Use Discrimination In Of Mice And Men
John Steinbeck shows that discrimination can lead to aggression in the novel, Of Mice and Men, through the character Lennie. Lennie tries to explain to George that he doesn’t try to kill the mice, but he ends up killing them anyway; “I’d pet ‘em and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead-because they was so little” (Steinbeck 10). Lennie wants the comfort of having something to take care of even if it is just a mouse. George doesn’t understand why Lennie wants to pet the mouse and discriminates him for it, making Lennie act aggressively. Lennie says they died “because they was so little” and that he didn’t mean to act aggressively, but since he was discriminated, he killed the mouse. When Lennie
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Curley’s wife says “-Sat’day night. Ever’body out doin’ som’pin. Ever’body! An’ what am I doin’? Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs- a nigger an’a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep-an likin’ it because they ain’t nobody else” (Steinbeck 78). Steinbeck shows discrimination against Curley’s wife because she has to waste away on the ranch without anybody to talk to except a bunch of outcasts. She could have been out with the guys, but nobody wanted to talk to her because they thought she was a tramp so they discriminated her. Now she’s lonely and can’t talk to anyone except for a few “bindle stiffs.” When she was killed, Steinbeck describes as “the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her face” (Steinbeck 92-93). Steinbeck makes her seem like a tramp at first from what the ranch hands say about her, but all she wants to do is talk to someone. Since she is the only girl on the rancg and she is very pretty, the guys think that she is a tramp so they discriminate her. Curley’s wife becomes an outcast and it makes her lonely. All she wants to do is talk and interact with
Curley’s wife says “-Sat’day night. Ever’body out doin’ som’pin. Ever’body! An’ what am I doin’? Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs- a nigger an’a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep-an likin’ it because they ain’t nobody else” (Steinbeck 78). Steinbeck shows discrimination against Curley’s wife because she has to waste away on the ranch without anybody to talk to except a bunch of outcasts. She could have been out with the guys, but nobody wanted to talk to her because they thought she was a tramp so they discriminated her. Now she’s lonely and can’t talk to anyone except for a few “bindle stiffs.” When she was killed, Steinbeck describes as “the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her face” (Steinbeck 92-93). Steinbeck makes her seem like a tramp at first from what the ranch hands say about her, but all she wants to do is talk to someone. Since she is the only girl on the rancg and she is very pretty, the guys think that she is a tramp so they discriminate her. Curley’s wife becomes an outcast and it makes her lonely. All she wants to do is talk and interact with