Discrimination In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Improved Essays
Discrimination is a plague that can completely change how people may act. This action is tossed around at many of the characters in John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men. Curley’s Wife, ignored by everyone around her just wants a friend to talk to, instead the workers and her husband tell her to go where she belongs. Crooks, the old stable buck is left out of anything he may want to do solely because he is African American. Troubled, Candis is left out of work, and told unfriendly things because of his age, and disability. Through Curley’s Wife, Crooks, and Candy, Steinbeck shows that if people are discriminated against they are more likely to lead a miserable and lonely life. Unlike when they are accepted they lead a happier, and more fulfilling life.
The discrimination against Crooks disallows him from joining activities done outside of work. In the middle of the novel, Lennie goes and sits with Crooks, Crooks figured that all the workers had gone to play games, and that because he was african american he was unable to join the games. “But I can’t play with them cause I’m black, they all say I stink” (68). Crooks is always left out of events and games that the regular workers would play, this in the future would make him lonely because he is always by himself and has nobody to talk to or play with. This shows us that because Crooks is discriminated against he is by himself and becomes lonely. Through the acceptance of Candy and Lennie, Crooks was a lot happier and forgot why people would discriminate against him. Candy and Lennie had gone and talked to Crooks because all the other workers were gone. however not to long after Curley’s wife walks in and wants to talk to them. however Crooks asks her to leave, and tells her that she has no right to be in his room. this causes a lot of tension. “‘it wasn’t nothing,’ Crooks said dully ‘you guys comin’ in an’ settin’ made me forget. What she says is true.’” (82) Crooks really enjoyed talking with both Lennie and Candy, this made him forget about all the discrimination that was against him. however after Curley’s Wife yelled at him he felt he had talked out of turn because he is always discriminated against, and always left out. This explains that through the acceptance of Candy and Lennie, Crooks felt a lot happier, and felt he could fit in with everyone else. Curley’s wife is always left out, and nobody ever talks to her, this causes her to be very lonely and depressed.
…show more content…
near the end of the novel Curley’s wife wants to talk to Lennie, however Lennie, like all the other workers ignore her, and try to stay away from her. “ Well i ain’t givin you no trouble. Think I don't like to talk to somebody every’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?” (77) Curley always tries to keep his wife at home so that she doesn't cause trouble, however whenever she is out all the workers discriminate against her, and attempt to exclude her from everything. all the workers think that she is trouble. With all the workers ignoring him and discriminating against Curley’s Wife, she leads a sad, and lonely life.

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Loneliness And Isolation

    • 1353 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Curley’s wife is full of frustration and annoyance due to the fact that she is never able to talk to anyone on the ranch because they are scared of getting in trouble, she is always open about her loneliness in hopes that someone…

    • 1353 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    As a result, her actions are given explanations. This lost woman trying to find her place is avoided by the ranch workers, in addition to being unvalued by her own husband. Loneliness is prominent in the novella, and Curley’s wife helps develop that theme. She is isolated from everyone except Curley, and she makes it clear to Lennie that she does not like Curley and feels like she has no one to talk to. “You can talk to people, but I can’t to nobody but Curley.…

    • 1121 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Discrimination has been an issue for a very long time. People today still discriminate against people based on their gender, age, race, and abilities. In 1937, when John Steinbeck wrote Of MIce and Men, discrimination was very real. The story takes place during the Great Depression, which many people were poor and had to look for work. A lot of the workers were often discriminated against.…

    • 929 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “I won't have no place to go, and I could get no more jobs (Steinbeck 60).” Candy feels that just because of his age, that he will get canned and have to go somewhere else. He won't be able to find another place to work at and that people wouldn't accept him because he is too old. Characters in Of Mice and Men that are discriminated on a larger scale represent the classes in society. The victims discriminated, such as the mentally slower, different races, and elderly, against is because the higher class is usually looking for power over the lower class.…

    • 850 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Jeanne Elliott English 11 Lutrell February 5th, 2018 Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men, chronicles the life of the main characters George and Lennie. George is a poor man who jumps from job to job alongside Lennie, a mentally handicapped character. Travelling with just one another they arrive to a new job on a farm in Soledad, California. Through their storyline they establish the theme of the American Dream during the Great Depression (1930’s). However, secondary characters are carefully threaded into the storyline to heighten the particular theme.…

    • 1340 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In life, people may appear different than they really are. They may be looking for something, but feel unable to reach it. In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men Curley’s wife is a vital character to the story’s plot. She is treated as if she is unimportant by everyone; they don’t even give her a name. She is seen as just a woman who is making trouble.…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the time this book took place many people were not fond of women. Curley’s wife explains how she feels when she starts talking to the boys while she is looking for Curley in the barn. “Well, I ain’t giving you no trouble. Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in awhile? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?”…

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Of Mice and Men, a book written by John Steinbeck published in 1937, tells the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place searching for new job opportunities. Throughout the book prejudice is displayed. Many of us think that prejudice is a human fault and the manner in which Curley’s Wife, Crooks, Candy and Lennie are treated by others is to be expected. This essay will therefore discuss the levels of discriminatory behaviour and language displayed in the novel Of Mice and Men with analysing characters that experience this kind of behaviour, Curley’s Wife, Crooks, Candy and Lennie. Of Mice and Men is not kind in its portrayal of women.…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    (78) as a retaliation to their scorn. She flaunts that she is above their station; she does not belong in the treacherous conditions of a country ranch --- she is more than just Curley’s wife, a trophy doll caged by a jealous man. Fueled by a sense of defensiveness, she is desperate for a chance to prove herself to those who have depreciated her; yet, this very act of trying to lift herself up in others’ eyes reveals her inner vulnerability. Facing rejection again, in Chapter 5, she bitterly mourns her lost opportunity of glory and “look[s] closely at Lennie to see whether she [is] impressing him,” (88) to appease her tumultuous emotions. As a woman in the 1930s, Curley’s wife has little opportunity to escape from the inevitable domestic life; ironically, she confines herself into the very life that she despises as an act of revenge on her mother, who she blames for hindering her path to distinction.…

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The men in that ranch do not treat her like a regular human being either. They do not treat her with respect and, the worst part, is that they do not know a single thing about her. Although readers blame her for many of the novel’s tragedies, Curley’s wife is clearly defensible based upon her innocence in Lennie’s death and her mistreatment on the ranch. To start…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Graeme Turner Mr. Douglass English Coming of Age Literature, Period 3 October 3rd, 2016 Title Marginalization in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men sets apart all the characters, creating life-like and leveled characters. Lennie is pushed aside for his mental inability and incompetence. Sexism is highly prevalent against Curley’s wife, being abused because of her gender. Crooks is discriminated against due to him being African American. Candy’s age puts him at a disadvantage to all of the other workers, being unable to perform as well as the rest of the men, and therefore being regarded as a lesser being.…

    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Diverse Society in the Novella “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck The 1930s was the era where in most parts of the world the society was a host of inequality, the novella “Of Mice and Men” takes place in the 1930s as well. The author John Steinbeck has written this novella legitimately based on diversity in the society of 1930s. There are three main aspects of discrimination in the story that are being applied to certain characters in the story. The three aspects of discrimination are Racism, Sexism, and the smart people picking on the less smart people.…

    • 1031 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    At this part of the story, all the workers finish there day with a game of cards. But they exclude Crooks from the game because of the colour of his skin. Nobody talks to him (and if he try to talk to somebody he is ignored or threatened), he is not aloud to sleep in the same building as them and lastly…

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Steinbeck uses many characters in the book “Of Mice and Men” to express certain discriminations. Some examples are discrimination of other races besides whites, people with disabilities, and many other ones. One of the characters he uses for the discriminations is Curley’s wife. Steinbeck uses Curley’s wife to show us how gender discrimination effects women. One of the most famous quotes that Curley’s wife says is, “I tell you I ain’t used to livin’ like this I coulda made Somethin’ of myself” (Steinbeck 88).…

    • 939 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck is set in Northern California during the Great Depression, around 1930’s. The main characters, George and Lennie, illustrate the American struggles throughout the great Depression, financially, socially but mostly discrimination. While focusing on the struggles of these times, the theme of this book consists from an exaggeration of total inequality of power between race, with Crooks being segregated and being treated differently because of his skin color, age, with Candy living in fear of getting kicked out due to his increasing age, and gender, with Curley's wife representing the female presence in an atrocious way, serving as morals to the plot. Clearly stating to us that the purpose of this book consist…

    • 1018 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays