Of Mice And Men And Curley's Wife

Set at the height of the Great Depression, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men accurately captures the values and ideas that the time period represents. As the 1930s were a time where women’s rights were significantly limited, women were often objectified and treated poorly. Whether it be the girl who screams due to Lennie touching her dress or any other female, Steinbeck generally depicts women as troublemakers who bring nothing but inconvenience to men, and when it comes to this label, Curley’s Wife is no exception. As the anomaly of the ranch, Curley’s wife continuously draws attention to herself - whether she is meaning to or not. More than being the sole female living on the premises, it is also a well-known fact that she is universally disliked …show more content…
Another character who is seen as a misfit on the ranch is Crooks. To many, he is seen to be just a “nigger” and should not be regarded as having the same worth as a farm worker of Caucasian descent (80). After Lennie’s fight with Curley, he seeks out Crooks. While Lennie and Crooks are talking, Crooks brings up the possibility of George not coming back. Lennie is quick to defend, but Crooks brings up a valid point about his own life. Crooks vents to Lennie about how in his predicament of being African American, he doesn’t “have nobody” (72) to talk to and how “a guy needs somebody - to be near him” (72). It is easy to see that the isolation forced upon him has messed with his mentality. His position, not only leads others to view him as lesser than themselves, but also to treat him as lesser. While the reasons of other’s aversion to them are different, being an African American has put Crooks into the same unwanted position as Curley’s wife had been pushed into for being the only female. If this book had been set in more modern times, perhaps both individuals would not have been as actively avoided, nor scorned, as they were on the