Kings Queens Men
In Steinbeck’s writing women are diminished, shunned, ignored and made to be less important than men. In the two novelas the women were always beneath the men; Juana had to listen and follow Kino even if she thought differently, and Curley’s wife was always thought to be trouble even though she never actually did anything wrong. In Of Mice and Men the women are portrayed as not important--they aren’t given a name--and in The Pearl the women are to listen and follow the men. Today women have more rights and aren’t always put below men.
Steinbeck isn’t just one thing; he is neither just a misogynist or just a feminist. He writes with the tone of both, mostly with the tone of a misogynist, but adds subtle strengths to the women in his novels. He may diminish the women and make them less important than the men, but he doesn’t make them completely submissive to the men. In both of the novels he portrays the women as people who have their own kind of mindset. In The Pearl, even though Juana is to follow Kino, Steinbeck gives her …show more content…
He writes her as a stubborn person, who just wants some company. He also portrays her as someone who is complete trouble, “She’s gonna make a mess. They’s gonna be bad mess about her. She’s jail bait all set on the trigger” (pg. 51 Of Mice and Men). The way he portrays her makes all the readers assume that she is up to no good when she just wanted company. He uses derogatory language to describe Curley’s wife, such as “Tramp,” “Bet she’d clear out for twenty bucks,” “She’s a rat-trap” (all pg. 32 OMAM). Eventually we get to see the real reason why she is always showing up where the guys are; it’s not to cause trouble but just to talk “Well, I ain’t giving you no trouble. Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in awhile? Think I like to stick in that house all the time?” (pg. 77
In Steinbeck’s writing women are diminished, shunned, ignored and made to be less important than men. In the two novelas the women were always beneath the men; Juana had to listen and follow Kino even if she thought differently, and Curley’s wife was always thought to be trouble even though she never actually did anything wrong. In Of Mice and Men the women are portrayed as not important--they aren’t given a name--and in The Pearl the women are to listen and follow the men. Today women have more rights and aren’t always put below men.
Steinbeck isn’t just one thing; he is neither just a misogynist or just a feminist. He writes with the tone of both, mostly with the tone of a misogynist, but adds subtle strengths to the women in his novels. He may diminish the women and make them less important than the men, but he doesn’t make them completely submissive to the men. In both of the novels he portrays the women as people who have their own kind of mindset. In The Pearl, even though Juana is to follow Kino, Steinbeck gives her …show more content…
He writes her as a stubborn person, who just wants some company. He also portrays her as someone who is complete trouble, “She’s gonna make a mess. They’s gonna be bad mess about her. She’s jail bait all set on the trigger” (pg. 51 Of Mice and Men). The way he portrays her makes all the readers assume that she is up to no good when she just wanted company. He uses derogatory language to describe Curley’s wife, such as “Tramp,” “Bet she’d clear out for twenty bucks,” “She’s a rat-trap” (all pg. 32 OMAM). Eventually we get to see the real reason why she is always showing up where the guys are; it’s not to cause trouble but just to talk “Well, I ain’t giving you no trouble. Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in awhile? Think I like to stick in that house all the time?” (pg. 77