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Stephen Hymer
Humanities-3/4
Ms.Chiodini
24 Feb. 2014

In the Shadows of Reality

In the fabric of todays society, everybody tends to live without much conflict. Men, and
women generally have the same rights and are shown respect. The elderly are provided more
opportunities for care and are respected. And all races and colors of skin have pretty equal
opportunities and are treated the same a good amount of the time. However, theses levels of
equality were not a reality during The Great Depression. Ninety years ago women were
considered possessions of their husbands, the elderly were considered worthless, and people of
different races were seen as filth. These are some of the themes that John Steinbeck tries to make
people of aware of in his book, Of Mice and Men. The book takes place during The Great
Depression and focuses on two men, George and Lennie, who travel together to a ranch where
they interact with people who come from different origins that are considered subordinate in
society. To bring awareness about discrimination against race, gender and age, Steinbeck
includes the characters of Crooks, Curleys wife, and Candy. Through the appearance of these
characters in the story, Steinbeck shows his distaste for stereotypical discrimination and attempts
to get his readers to think about their actions and how they treat others.
One story example of discrimination is when Steinbeck shows how poorly Curleys wife
is treated in the novella simply because of her gender. For example, I get lonely, she said. You
can talk to people but I cant talk to nobody but Curley (Steinbeck 87). In this quote, Steinbeck
is showing how Curleys wife is isolated from talking to anybody but her husband, Curley. He is
trying to show that when women marry, their husbands force them into isolation by making them



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stay in the house and forbidding them to socialize with other males . However, this is not the
only way Steinbeck uses Curleys wife to show how men perceived young women during The
Great Depression. For instance, Shes lookin for Curley or she thought she left somethin
layin around and shes lookin for it. Seems she cant keep away from guys (Steinbeck 51). In
this quote, the other men on the ranch are expressing what they think of Curleys wife and her
occasional wandering into the bunk house. They think because she talks to them so often that she
is flirting, and does not know her place in society as a married woman. Steinbeck is trying to
show that her flirting, simply stems from loneliness because of her forced isolation. She is
looking for someone to talk to. She does not like Curley, and she does not like to be bound to
talking to only him. Steinbeck is clearly trying to make his readers aware of discrimination
against women through Curleys wife. However, this is not the only character that is
discriminated in the novella.
Another character Steinbeck uses is an older man known on the ranch as Candy. Candy is
an older man and has the most experience out of all the men on the ranch, but this does not mean
that they respect him as a knowledgeable elder. For example, I wisht somebodyd shoot me if I
got old and crippled (Steinbeck 45). Steinbeck shows how Candy is discriminated against by
showing what the other men think of his age, his health, and his dog. In this situation, Slim
alludes to how the men treat the elderly in a social manner. The other men are comparing Candy
to his dog who is also old, and is considered a nuisance to everyone because he smells causing
the men to have a hard time sleeping. Therefore, they are saying that Candy is everything his dog
is. However, Candy is not only discriminated because of his appearance, but emotionally as well.
For example, Hes all stiff with rheumatism. Hes not good to you Candy. Aint no good to
himself. Whynt you just shoot him Candy? (Steinbeck 44). In this quote, another ranch hand;



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Carlson, is talking about killing Candys dog. Carlson and the other men do not consider
Candys emotional bond with his dog when they suggest that he should shoot him. Candy clearly
does not want to lose his companion, but the me do not pay any value to his opinion, wants and
needs. Steinbeck is showing that even though that Candy is white, he is discriminated against
because of his age and health. However, Candy is not the final character Steinbeck uses to
convey his distaste with stereotypical discrimination.
Another character Steinbeck uses to convey his distaste for discrimination is Crooks, the
only African American on the ranch Crooks does an excellent job of tending to the animals on
the ranch, but he is still heavily discriminated against by the other white men who work on the
ranch. For example, They play cards in there, but I cant play because Im black. They say I
stink (Steinbeck 68). In this quote, Crooks is explaining that because he is black the white men
wont let him come into the bunk house. This is discrimination because they are excluding him
from socializing for a characteristic he has no control over. Sadly, this is not the only way
Steinbeck uses Crooks to represent racial discrimination. Well, you keep your place then
nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it aint even funny (Steinbeck 81). In this
quote, Curley's wife is suppressing Crooks by reminding him of the power she has over him, and
how easily she can get him in trouble for acting against societys unjust opinions. Steinbeck uses
the interactions between Crooks and Curleys wife to show how easily black people were
controlled, suppressed and discriminated against, as well as their lack of power to do anything
about it.
It is quite obvious that Steinbeck is trying to send a message about discrimination to
people by using specific characters in his novella, Of Mice and Men. Through Curleys wife,
Steinbeck makes people aware of how women are objectified, isolated and judged. Through



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Candy, Steinbeck shows how the elderly are disrespected and thought of as worn old low lifes,
and through Crooks, Steinbeck lets people know how they discriminated against African
Americans and people of other races were treated as if they were inferior beings. His message is
that we need to become more aware about what, and how we say things to people and think
about how they feel about people who are different than us. What people can learn from reading
Of Mice and Men is that we should be more aware about what we say and what we think of
people. Hopefully, if people read Steinbeck's book, they will most likely, and hopefully, change
the way they see others and how they respond to their differences.














Work Cited
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin Books, 1993.



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