Theme Of Oppression In Of Mice And Men

Dominance and Oppression The struggle for dominance has always existed: race over race, business over business, age over age. These forms of oppression, as well as many others, are common themes in numerous pieces of literature. For example, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens exemplifies the rich thinking themselves superior to the poor. John Steinbeck uses gender dominance in some of his many novels. The world of Of Mice and Men is a patriarchal one brimming with male dominance and womanly oppression. Men are considered to be much more paramount than women. They are useful in multiple ways; they can run ranches and work hard. Women are good to look at and are completely worthless otherwise. Steinbeck does not incorporate much pro-femininity into his novel. Curley’s wife is the only woman who actually plays …show more content…
They are mistrusted and hated by the men on the ranch. George “displays mistrust, disgust, and barely disguised rage” when he talks about anything even remotely dealing with women. He sees them as “liars and manipulators.” His hatred is red hot and runs deep inside of him. He constantly comments on the trouble Curley’s wife will surely cause because she is “jail bait set on the trigger.” He wants absolutely nothing to do with her. Curley’s wife is considered “Curley’s property” by all the men, nothing more. She is only an object to be owned, not a person with feelings and opinions. Whenever she tries to talk to the men she gets a “hostile reception” from them because they do not want her around. They try to force her to go away by being blunt and coarse with their responses to her never ending advances. Women are welcome only as sensual objects but, even then, only when and where the men want them. The women in Of Mice and Men are objects of entertainment and living artwork. They are people that are not permitted to have the respect and dignity they long to