Low-Paid Workers In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

In his book, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck portrays that capitalism is a good economic and political structure, yet at the same time, it has its own weaknesses. Capitalism allows the citizens under the control of the government to pursue any career they want, and it provides motivation for people to work. Steinbeck shows through his two main characters, George Milton and Lennie Small, that living under the umbrella that is a capitalist government provides motivation in that one can work as hard and as long as they can, and in return, they can earn more money, and eventually work their way up to the top of the “social ladder”. George and Lennie not only receive motivation from their paycheck that they will receive at the end of the month,

Steinbeck utilizes the novel as a form of social protest by enunciating the brutal and inhumane way the wealthier class treat the migrant workers. For instance, in order to not loose any profit from the fields, the affluent bankers decide to forcefully drive the families off the fields using tractors to “bite into the house corner, crumble the wall, wrench the little houses from its foundation”(39). However, the working class does not have the opportunity to refuse this decision because of the desperate

Discrimination have been happening everywhere in the world and as long as anyone can remember. Discrimination is still a problem today. America just had protests dealing with Black Lives Matter and African Americans feel they are still discriminated against and treated differently. The time that the novel Of Mice and Men takes place in is important because during the Great Depression it was hard to find money, so Lennie couldn’t just stay at home while George had to work. They both had to make money to support themselves. Lennie, Crooks, and Curley's wife all face discrimination which greatly impacts their lives.

Imagine a nation brimming with smiling workers and a swelling economy. Doesn’t that seem like somewhere you would want to live? Well you can; if you support me, Ty Goldin, a member of the Populist Party, we can make this idea come to life. Face it; America is declining before your eyes. The plight of America is characterized by the tough times for farmers to survive, the complete domination of the American economy by massive corporations, and the extremely poor treatment of the average worker. I will help fight these horrible circumstances and make America the ultimate ideal nation.

Steinbeck creates a scene that illustrates the miserable lifestyle of the characters, revealing the novel’s barren, empty, and gloomy tone. The passage implies that the novel is set in the Dust Bowl states and evokes emotions of sympathy from the reader by providing a short, yet powerful and depressing description of a family’s typical morning. Within the first pages of the novel, the reader becomes aware that the novel will be a description of the depressing and unfulfilling life experienced by the characters.

Through the landowner, Steinbeck reveals that the welfare and happiness of each of the Oklahoman farmers were dependent on the output of the land and its physical condition. The farmers do not ask for much from the land. The land is their way of making the world seem small in comparison to their farms, because to them, their farms are the world. Due to this, the condition of the land dictates the emotions expressed and moods displayed by the farmers. It is implied that the farmers understand that the land all that they own, and if they do not treat it as such, their only source of hope for sustaining for their families is gone. The tenant farmer goes on to explain how the land controls the fate of the family and how man must serve the

In the novel “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, people are portrayed to not work hard enough to achieve long-term goals or dreams that they have set for themselves. This idea is shown multiple times throughout the story. It starts with Lennie and George wanting to purchase their own farm, to do this they will need to make enough money to get the farm started. They show no effort to make progress on this dream of theirs, they spend all the money they make on women and beer. Lennie’s dream is to tend to and take care of the rabbits on the farm they hope to one day own, his problem is that he has a problem with animals. When Lennie pets an animal he usually ends up killing it, and he makes no effort to show a little more care for the poor

How is a woman in an era dominated by men expected to gain attention? Steinbeck wrote the novel titled Of Mice and Men emphasising the male society while displaying American dreams crushed throughout the novel. Whereas, minimal wiggle room for Curley’s wife expands upon her husband’s father’s farm because of its majority being men and her being the inferior sex. Her image demonstrates a sexual figure towards the male workers when Lennie and George saw her for the first time as stated, “She had full, rough lips and widespread eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails red and her hair hung in curls with a cotton house dress,” whereas red usually provokes people as an attention seeking color from its vividness bringing along attention to her hands

Aspirations of success often drive individuals toward success. However if one only focuses on their dreams and not on working to achieve their goals, they will not be successful. Charles Dickens and John Steinbeck in their respective novels Great Expectations and Of Mice and Men, use their main characters failures in manifesting their aspirations to warn about the dangers of aspiring about the future and not focusing on success in the present.

Stars, Money, and Rabbits Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a wonderful representation of humanity's dreams of what might have been and dreams for the future. It's a beautiful novella about George and Lennie; two men dreaming of their own land, wishing for a simple life and hoping for a future without troubles and judgment. Within the cast of side characters is a young woman with a sour attitude; full of regret for not seizing the chance to fulfill her dreams and nostalgia for a time long ago that inspired her to want to act. Dreams are important to the story; the core of the novella itself.

lead him to a life of worry and lack of security, as he is old and a

During the Great Depression, a prevalent and stiff social hierarchy existed. Factors such as race, gender, and disability predetermined the lives of people under this system. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men features the opportunities and obstacles of each character's position. Although it is evident struggles suppress all of the individuals on the ranch, the author subtly hints that "the weak ones" were Crooks, Lennie, Candy, and Curley's wife through a coincidental gathering "in the harness room" (pg.38, 33). In this scene, it indicates through their actions that they face isolating forms of discrimination, beyond the more general plight of the migrant workers.

The Bunkhouse is another main setting in the novel and is important as it is where the readers are introduced to the rest of the characters. The bunkhouse is a functional building with not a lot of potential. This setting shows a sense of reality as it provides only the bare minimum to the ranch workers as if they do not deserve anything more. There are ‘eight bunks’ in the bunkhouse, with each one having ‘two shelves for personal belongings’, showing they don’t have enough money for a lot of things for themselves. Steinbeck is showing as if the ranch workers are not as good as the rest of the people.

The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck emphasizes the division in social classes and social structure based on power. The novel and its themes are based around the characters’ interactions and decisions. Their motivations come directly from other characters, and the social construct on the ranch that controls the characters within the novel. Each character has their own journey of giving into the powers that control their society and lives which leads to each of their own inescapable demises.

“Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty,” said Mother Teresa. Humanity has struggled against being left alone and being lonely for a long time. As a result, humans formed a society where they could be together. On the other hand, there are still people who are left out of the society. In other words, there are still people out there who are marginalized, not accepted fairly to the society. John Steinbeck shows the marginalized people’s lives in his novel, Of Mice and Men. In his novel, characters such as Lennie, George, Candy, Curley’s wife, Crooks, and even the ranch workers, are marginalized from the society. Ranch workers like George, Candy, and Lennie have nowhere to go, and they do not have anybody to care for them. Especially for Lennie, he is mentally challenged, too. Crooks, being the colored man, suffers from discrimination. Curley’s wife is constantly surrounded with loneliness. In Of Mice and Men, marginalized people who are neglected from the society, create a society of their own; they share their dreams and help each other out although they are all different from each other.