Preview

Of Mice And Men Discrimination Analysis

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1267 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Of Mice And Men Discrimination Analysis
Discrimination in Of Mice and Men 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 …show more content…
Curley goes out to whorehouses with the rest of the men without fear of judgement or questions because he is a man and this is just what men do. Although Curley’s wife does not care for Curley, she is still furious at the fact that he is permitted to do as he pleases while she herself is stuck on the ranch, being judged with every step she takes. The sexism and double standard that Curley’s wife faces is standard for this time-- and in many ways still is. Women had little rights and were (are) constantly judged for actions that would have been excused if they had been male. Later in the book, Lennie is in the barn after killing his puppy accidentally and Curley’s wife joins him. Curley’s wife tries to strike up a conversation, but is repeatedly shot down by Lennie who keeps stating that he is not supposed to talk to her because she will cause trouble for him. This then angers Curley’s wife, causing her to explode and ask Lennie, “‘Wha’s the matter with me? Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am, anyways? You’re a nice guy. I don’t know why I can’t talk to you. I ain’t doin no harm to you” (Steinbeck 96). Curley’s wife is avoided because she is Curley’s

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In some ways, Curley’s wife is not all that different to the other Ranch workers, by the way in which she has a dream. “I coulda made somethin’ of myself...Maybe I will yet”, in this quotation she talks about her dream, a dream that she still deems as realistic. I believe that Steinbeck is trying to portray her as quite similar to the Ranch guys in some ways, by the way she also has a dream to get off the Ranch and do something that she loves. Whilst saying this, Steinbeck could also be trying to portray her as quite a gullible and ignorant person, in a way. This is by the way that she has completely fallen head over heals for two men, not just one, who tell her she could run off with them and be in the movies with them. Not only this, but she also managed to turn the blame on to her mother by saying, “I always thought my ol’ lady stole it”. Curley’s wife is talking about when she was expecting to receive letters from one of her ‘lovers’, but is gullible enough and ignorant enough to end up taking it out on her mother and marrying Curley in spite of that incident.…

    • 555 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Section 5- with Lennie

    • 337 Words
    • 2 Pages

    We begin to see Curley’s wife’s motherly nature when Steinbeck writes ‘She moved closer to him and she spoke soothingly’. Although this expresses her motherly tendencies it also outlines her first mistake. Curley’s wife misplaces her trust in people. She believes people that she hardly knows and hurts herself in the process. Also, although she is consoling Lennie, she is presented as a victim of what Lennie might…

    • 337 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Steinbeck uses Curley’s wife to represent how many women in the 1930s were classed below men, and how this prejudice allowed their lives to be defined by the men around them. In this passage, Steinbeck has manipulated Curley’s wife’s appearance in order to reinforce our pre judged feelings towards her, based on gossip and rumours told by Candy.…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Curley's Wife Analysis

    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Married to Curley, she lives on a ranch with only men with whom to talk. However the men degrade and insult her, and Curley makes sure no one thinks of talking to his wife on fear of losing their jobs. Curley is very possessive of his wife, and wants the men on the ranch to know that he has something valuable that they are not allowed to have. Her gender secludes her on the ranch, and her attempts to get the other men to talk to her only pushes them further away. Her extravagant appearance illustrates her desperate need for attention. “I get lonely. You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?” (Steinbeck 87). She seeks out the men on the ranch for company, however this is seen as a promiscuous act in their eyes. She settled for Curley after being unable to pursue her own dreams, but she now lives on a ranch with men who avoid her because they are too afraid of her…

    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Outline For Curley's Wife

    • 1267 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck creates characters that play important roles throughout the story that contribute to themes and connect readers to an overall focus. Curley’s wife, a minor, but significant character in the story, contributes to the theme and is partly responsible for Lennie’s death. Her sinful actions and petty personality make her a character that isn’t respected by others and is known for being trouble around the ranch. Disregarding her flirtations ways and overall self-absorbance, her dreams of a promising future are destroyed. Her gaudy appearance and constant search for Curley makes the men on the ranch view her as a cheater and inappropriate woman. However, after hearing her story, some of…

    • 1267 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Curley's Wife

    • 402 Words
    • 2 Pages

    When Curley’s wife enters the room she victimises Lennie, Crooks and Candy straight away. “They left all the weak ones here”. She knows that she has more power on the ranch then these three men so she rapidly makes herself feel better by trying to show them that she’s not to be messed with. Curley’s wife is lonely “think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever once in a while”. However, she says this after just calling them “the weak ones”. This is not good for Curley’s wife, as if she always feels lonely and has no one to talk to, but who would want to talk to here if she’s just going to mock all of them.…

    • 402 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In current times and in the past people have divided for many different reasons. This prejudice can be the result of many things, some of which include race and gender. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, set on a Californian ranch during the great depression, two individuals are targeted by prejudice. One of them, a worker by the named Crooks, is experiencing discrimination because he is an African American on a ranch filled with whites. The other, Curley’s wife, is disregarded and avoided by ranch hands because they perceive her as jail bait because of her overprotective…

    • 102 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is an intriguing and captivating piece that captures America’s history. Throughout the text, Steinbeck demonstrates how multiple prejudices can affect contrasting characters in the 1930’s. Lennie Small and George Milton, a pair of bindlestiffs, witness the discrimination throughout the course of the novel. George cares for Lennie, who is mentally challenged, and once Lennie’s onerous actions increase, George makes the formidable decision to abruptly end his life. The characters in the story are faced with internal and external conflicts. These are shown for the duration of the text, supporting the theme: prejudice and discrimination can cause isolation. Steinbeck develops this theme through the literary elements, characterization, conflict and imagery.…

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Curley's Wifes Loneliness

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Throughout this novel Curley’s wife seems to always be looking for her husband, Curley. Having to always search for Curley is not a good relationship, as Curley’s wife steps into the doorway of the bunkhouse she says to George and Lennie, “I’m lookin’ for Curley Oh… Sometimes Curley’s in here” (Steinbeck 31). In this quote not only is Curley’s wife looking for Curley but she’s trying to carry on the conversation. All Curley’s wife wants to do most of the time is talk to people, but she’s not always allowed to. As a matter of fact Curley gets very upset when his wife talks to others, Curley's wife states to Crooks, Candy, and Lennie, “Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?... I’m glad you bust up Curley… I’d like to… myself” (Steinbeck 77, 81). This passage shows that Curley’s wife will talk to another person if she wants to and doesn’t care what her husband thinks. Finally, Curley’s wife enjoys a lot of attention in general. Therefore, Curley’s wife is kind of throwing herself at the men, dressing up and leaning on the door frame Steinbeck adds a very detailed description of her, “Full rouged lips…eyes, heavily made up…wore a cotton house dress and red mules” (Steinbeck 31). This information from the novel shows that Curley’s wife dresses to impress. Curley’s wife is essentially acting out in these situations…

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Curley’s wife always hoped to be an actress and even after she was married and settled down on the ranch, she still had those hopes of being famous in the back of her head. For example, when she gets annoyed with Lennie and Crooks she begins bragging about almost being in shows when she was younger, “ ‘...Whatta I care? You bindle bums think you're so damn good. Whatta ya think I am, a kid? I tell ya I could of went with shows. Not jus' one, neither. An' a guy tol' me he could put me in pitchers…’ She was breathless with indignation. ‘—Sat'iday 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). However, as seen above, that bragging soon turns into resentment toward her younger self for never following her dreams. Through this we can see that even though she is stuck in a lousy marriage on a random ranch and treated as less than everybody else simply because she is a woman, she still hopes to make it out and get to perform and be in…

    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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…

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Curley's Power

    • 947 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Curley has the tendency to pick fights especially with people who are much more powerful then he is. He tries to oppress them by his masculinity. Curley is married to a very attractive woman, she is his possession rather then his partner. Steinbeck also adds to his demeaning attitude by not giving her a proper name. Curley has power over her and oppresses her by not letting her socialise with the others on the ranch. Although it seems he does love her “well i’ll tell ya what - Curley says he's keeping that hand soft for his wife” this shows he does make sacrifices but he quickly forgets his love when he attendees the local “whore house” every weekend. Although he oppresses her it does give her power or seeks satisfaction through other…

    • 947 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Not just Curley’s wife but all women during this time period in general were treated as second class citizens and objects. No one paid attention to them all men cared about was work and making money. They didn’t have time to pay any mind to them. Curley and the rest of the guys on the ranch treat Curley’s wife like she is invisible. George tells Lennie, “Don’t you ever look at that bitch. I don’t care what she says and what she does. I seen em poison before, but i never seen no piece of jailbait worse than her. You leave her be,” (Chapter 2). Lennie finds his wife very pretty and the last girl he encountered at Weed she accused him of raping her and they had to flee. George doesn't want Lennie screwing anything up for them to not work anymore. “Curley’s wife wanders around the ranch searching for human contact. She is stereotyped by the men as a tart,” (Source Card #2). The way Curley’s wife acts around the guys is very flirty and like an airhead. She wants to draw attention and wants everyone to looks at her and admire her, but no one will. “Indeed she plays a vamp, which enrages her jealous husband. George tells Lennie to avoid her, calling her poison and jailbait,” (Source Card #2). George does not want Lennie going after Curley’s wife because she shows off and flaunts her body for…

    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Curley and his wife had first met each other after her mom upset her and she decided to leave. Her mom had upset her by saying she could not become an actor because she was too young. This broke her heart, this was her dream. She tried to become an actress again but she never received the letter she was supposed to get. She had assumed that her mom stole it. To get away from her mom Curley and his wife wife had gotten married that day. Little did she know that her new husband was a terrible man.When she left her mom she left everything else behind. When she came to town and moved in with her husband the only people she knew of were the ones on the ranch. She tries to talk to them but it usually doesn't turn out so well. They are very rude to her, they usually ignore her and accuse her of having other motives other than just trying to make friends. They usually refer to her as a “tart”. The real problem is her husband though ""I get lonely," she said."You can talk to people, but I can't talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How'd you like not to talk to anybody""(Steinbeck 87). If Curley allowed his wife to have friends she would have been more…

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Discrimination happens to be exhibited in many different ways and can be portrayed in all sorts of settings. Some of the reasons people discriminate are because the other person has mental or physical disabilities, women, the elderly, and people of different ethnicities. This is unfair to the people who are being discriminated, for the fact that they often did nothing to provoke this negative feedback. Living with disabilities would be rough because you have to cope with your disability and then deal with your peers making fun of you. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses the theme of discrimination throughout the book to illustrate the injustices inflicted upon three specific characters.…

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays