The Role Of Irony In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

“Fearful and unprepared, we have assumed lordship over the life or death of the whole world” (Steinbeck Speech). This daunting task presents man with great opportunity for advancement, and often results in exposing his imperfections. Steinbeck focuses on exploring these imperfections and their impact on human society. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck relies on irony to highlight deficiencies in humankind, such as fear of others and apathy toward others and how they manifest themselves in the form of stronger, more capable characters asserting their dominance over characters weaker than themselves.
Curley and Lennie’s relationship exemplifies the tendency of humankind to take advantage of others’ shortcomings out of fear of losing …show more content…
Due to Crooks’ race, he holds a subordinate position in society. For example, he is not to enter the bunkhouse with the other ranch hands. This is a source of his bitterness, and a constant reminder of his inferiority. When Crooks realizes he is capable of controlling Lennie, he taunts Lennie in ways Lennie cannot comprehend. In Lennie’s distress, “Crooks’ face lighted with pleasure in [Lennie’s] torture…Crooks pressed forward some kind of private victory” (Steinbeck 71). One might assume Crooks would express empathy toward a character in a similar position of weakness, however, his reaction is just the opposite. Ironically, Crooks relishes the opportunity to subject another person to the exploitation of their weaknesses. This cruel joke reveals how Crooks’ inclination to impose upon others the cruelty shown to him overshadows his potential for empathy. Steinbeck utilizes the interaction between Crooks and Lennie to personify how the flaw of apathy can lead people to destroy each other, and by doing so, negate the potential of advancement in any aspect of humankind. All things considered, Crooks’ surprising display of apathy toward a weaker figure illustrates the fault in humanity’s desire to retaliate against those who have wronged us far surpasses our capacity for kindness …show more content…
In his acceptance speech, Steinbeck mentions the journey of humankind toward the “perfectibility of man”. Believing this perfection is attainable, he uses his novel to point out defects present in our humanity, in the hopes that the awareness of our faults will expedite the process of correcting them. Each imperfection in our species is an obstacle on the journey toward perfection, therefore each fault improved upon brings humanity one step closer to perfection. “Man himself has become our greatest hazard and our only hope” (Steinbeck Speech). It is up to us to choose to correct our flaws or allow them to destroy