Graeme Turner
Mr. Douglass
English Coming of Age Literature, Period 3
October 3rd, 2016
Title
Marginalization in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men sets apart all the characters, creating life-like and leveled characters. Lennie is pushed aside for his mental inability and incompetence. Sexism is highly prevalent against Curley’s wife, being abused because of her gender. Crooks is discriminated against due to him being African American. Candy’s age puts him at a disadvantage to all of the other workers, being unable to perform as well as the rest of the men, and therefore being regarded as a lesser being. Marginalization is important in the novella because it sets the tone for the entire book, and puts current society in a spotlight. All of …show more content…
Just after George and Lennie meet Curley’s wife for the first time, Candy comments on Curley’s Vaseline in his glove, “’Vaseline? What the hell for?’ ‘Well I tell ya what – Curley says he’s keepin’ that hand soft for his wife.’ George studied the cards absorbedly. ‘That’s a dirty thing to tell around,’” (Steinbeck, 30). The Vaseline in Curley’s glove refers to the fact that Curley demands sex from his wife on his whim, and George reacts as though it were perfectly acceptable. The fact that her name is never revealed, and she is merely referred to as Curley’s wife, shows how abusive the men on the ranch were, deeming her unworthy of a name. Sexism is not quite as extreme today, but Curley’s wife is still and excellent …show more content…
When Lennie and Crooks speak to each other for the first time, Crooks asks why Lennie visited him; “’Ever’body went into town… George says I gotta stay here an’ not get in no trouble’” (Steinbeck, 68). The marginalized characters in the story are deliberately put aside from the people who consider themselves superior from the men, the white, and the intelligent. They are excluded from nearly everything; from relevance, to even entertainment, such as going out into town like the rest of the people on the farm. This exclusion is still a sizeable problem today, as many discriminated people lose opportunities they otherwise would have
Mr. Douglass
English Coming of Age Literature, Period 3
October 3rd, 2016
Title
Marginalization in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men sets apart all the characters, creating life-like and leveled characters. Lennie is pushed aside for his mental inability and incompetence. Sexism is highly prevalent against Curley’s wife, being abused because of her gender. Crooks is discriminated against due to him being African American. Candy’s age puts him at a disadvantage to all of the other workers, being unable to perform as well as the rest of the men, and therefore being regarded as a lesser being. Marginalization is important in the novella because it sets the tone for the entire book, and puts current society in a spotlight. All of …show more content…
Just after George and Lennie meet Curley’s wife for the first time, Candy comments on Curley’s Vaseline in his glove, “’Vaseline? What the hell for?’ ‘Well I tell ya what – Curley says he’s keepin’ that hand soft for his wife.’ George studied the cards absorbedly. ‘That’s a dirty thing to tell around,’” (Steinbeck, 30). The Vaseline in Curley’s glove refers to the fact that Curley demands sex from his wife on his whim, and George reacts as though it were perfectly acceptable. The fact that her name is never revealed, and she is merely referred to as Curley’s wife, shows how abusive the men on the ranch were, deeming her unworthy of a name. Sexism is not quite as extreme today, but Curley’s wife is still and excellent …show more content…
When Lennie and Crooks speak to each other for the first time, Crooks asks why Lennie visited him; “’Ever’body went into town… George says I gotta stay here an’ not get in no trouble’” (Steinbeck, 68). The marginalized characters in the story are deliberately put aside from the people who consider themselves superior from the men, the white, and the intelligent. They are excluded from nearly everything; from relevance, to even entertainment, such as going out into town like the rest of the people on the farm. This exclusion is still a sizeable problem today, as many discriminated people lose opportunities they otherwise would have