Social Problems In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

John Steinbeck, a popular writer of short stories and novels, started off his career by attending Stanford University. When he realized that he could not continue his studies, he attempted free-lance writing, but he was not successful, so he returned to the area where he has been-California. Steinbeck’s novel often focused on social “economic problems of rural labors” (John Steinbeck Biographical, par.1). He was inspired to write Of Mice and Men because of his childhood observations of the poor migrant workers. Of Mice and Men tells the story of George and Lennie, two ranch workers who moved places searching for the job. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows many social problems which happened on the ranch where George and Lennie worked. Of Mice and Men is about far more than economic struggle. Steinbeck outlines the worries of social equality in terms of race, gender, and economic status in America during the 1930s. Steinbeck seems to make his characters seem low and poor. Steinbeck portrays this mainly through the characters Crooks and Curley's wife.
Steinbeck paints a portrait of crooks which situates him a specific time and place. The attitudes of the people of the time have shaped Crook’s character: he is clearly bitter because of the racism he has been subjected to. John Steinbeck, the …show more content…
Curley’s wife was referred to Curley’s wife and did not even warrant a name throughout the novel. Steinbeck never mentioned her real name throughout the novel prevents her from the powers of the ranch, which stresses the fact that women were powerless during this time period. The author shows her loneliness Curley's wife is the only female in the ranch and she often flirts with the ranch hands to get attention. Also, the ranch hands avoided her because of her sexuality and the restrictions. However, Steinbeck softens the reader’s reaction Curley’s wife by exploring her dreams. But her dream, due to poverty, was