preview

Inequality In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Good Essays

Inequality is an important issue in today's society. Many people discriminate others of different cultures, gender, sex, race, etc. The problem now is less present but in the 20th century, it was prevalent. Inequality and discrimination is a big part in John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men. In the novel, there are a few considerable concepts explored but the main one I will be talking about is inequality. The three main examples of inequality that are present and that I will be talking about is sexism, racism, discrimination against people with disabilities. This concept is present throughout the whole novel.

One example of inequality is sexism. The main victim of sexism in this story is Curley's wife. First of all, in the story she is …show more content…

The main victim of racism in Of Mice and Men, is Crooks. Crooks is a black man and he does not live in the bunkhouse like all the other white ranch workers. This kind of behaviour was very present in the 1930’s. In the Jim Crow law, it shows that white and coloured people should not live in the same area. John Steinbeck portrayed this law very well because in a few quotes, it should how Crooks lives in a separate area. ““I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain’t wanted in my room”” and ““Why you ain’t wanted?” Lennie asked. “Cause i’m black”” From these examples, it is clear that Crooks lives separately from the white workers. He is forced to live in the stable with the horses instead of with the others in the bunkhouse. The second example of racism is the fact that the other workers always called him names and made him feel worthless. This is how most black men were treated in the 1930’s. “Sure. Ya see the stable buck’s a nigger” In this quote, it is shown how the other workers call him derogatory names used to describe coloured people. “If I say something, why it’s just a nigger sayin’ it” This quote demonstrates how Crooks is aware that his opinions do not matter to the others because he has a different skin colour. Also, he is referred to as “Crooks” because his back is crooked from being kicked by a horse. The third example of racism is about how Crooks had a negative mindset about his goals and dreams. This

Get Access