Abuse of Power in Of Mice and Men
Power is a tool, leverage and potentially a quality. Power can supply the owner with a sense of status, of being better than others. Power can be used to do many things, but it can also be used negatively. In the wrong hands, power can corrupt, destroy and abuse others, and from this abuse of power is born. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, many of the characters can be observed abusing power, to their advantage or to put others down. The characters in Of Mice and Men have been corrupted by power, and are shown frequently abusing it.
Throughout the book, Curley’s wife abuses the power established by her race to silence others and keep herself from being trapped. While in Crooks’ residence, Curley’s Wife …show more content…
During the fight scene in Of Mice and Men, Curley obviously realized he had the upper hand, and used it to his advantage: “Curley was balanced and poised. He slashed at Lennie with his left…” (Steinbeck 63). In a fair fight, Curley would have no chance against Lennie. However, because Lennie was still getting up, he was off balance and in a weak position. Curley saw in the moment that he had the upper hand, more power, and used it. This was an unfair advantage, and everybody watching it knew that. Curley had power over Lennie, at that instant, and abused it to harm Lennie. Some abuse of power can take place over long periods of time, but some can be instantaneous, such as the example …show more content…
Whether racial, long term or short term, whatever form power can take, it can and probably will always be abused. It is important to identify abuse of power in literature, and the many forms and ways it can be concealed because after all, the same thing happens in the world today. Educated learners can identify it, and resolve it before it becomes something much more
Power is a tool, leverage and potentially a quality. Power can supply the owner with a sense of status, of being better than others. Power can be used to do many things, but it can also be used negatively. In the wrong hands, power can corrupt, destroy and abuse others, and from this abuse of power is born. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, many of the characters can be observed abusing power, to their advantage or to put others down. The characters in Of Mice and Men have been corrupted by power, and are shown frequently abusing it.
Throughout the book, Curley’s wife abuses the power established by her race to silence others and keep herself from being trapped. While in Crooks’ residence, Curley’s Wife …show more content…
During the fight scene in Of Mice and Men, Curley obviously realized he had the upper hand, and used it to his advantage: “Curley was balanced and poised. He slashed at Lennie with his left…” (Steinbeck 63). In a fair fight, Curley would have no chance against Lennie. However, because Lennie was still getting up, he was off balance and in a weak position. Curley saw in the moment that he had the upper hand, more power, and used it. This was an unfair advantage, and everybody watching it knew that. Curley had power over Lennie, at that instant, and abused it to harm Lennie. Some abuse of power can take place over long periods of time, but some can be instantaneous, such as the example …show more content…
Whether racial, long term or short term, whatever form power can take, it can and probably will always be abused. It is important to identify abuse of power in literature, and the many forms and ways it can be concealed because after all, the same thing happens in the world today. Educated learners can identify it, and resolve it before it becomes something much more