Of Mice and Men
The forefathers of the United States came to this country with the desire for freedom. Although the United States often associates itself with notion of freedom, the United States has not always lived up to this image. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, many people of other skin colors and races were segregated. People treated them unfairly. In his book, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck realistically portrays the hardships of life and how people unnecessarily suffered during those years because of that cruel and unjust treatment. Of Mice and Men goes even deeper into the issue and illustrates prejudice in more ways than just skin color. In the novel, characters such as Crooks, Candy, and Lennie are the victims who undergo this prejudice. It is disturbing that people are segregated by race as well as social class because our country was established on the principles of equality. During the Great Depression, people were all treated differently based on their race. The white people in society compared with the black people in that same society lived completely different lives. Most people in American society showed no respect or decency towards black people simply because of their color. Steinbeck provides an example of this pre
judice in his book with his black character Crooks. Almost everyone on the ranch treats Crooks as if he isn’t a human being. Crooks feels this prejudice, and confides to Lennie that he feels judged by people, “’Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t because I’m black. They say I stink…” (Steinbeck, 68) This was a common treatment for many black people at that time. Because he is seen as an outcast, Crooks experiences loneliness. “…A guy needs somebody to be near him.”(Steinbeck, 72) Crooks feels lonely because he does not have a friend to laugh with, talk with, or to share his emotions with. “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody…” (Steinbeck, 72) Unfortunately, Crooks portrays a weak, defenseless character. The symbols of insignificance and weakness represent Crooks. These qualities are displayed in his confrontation with Curley’s wife in his own room. She humiliates and threatens him, and “Crooks had reduced himself to nothing. There was no personality, no ego – nothing to arouse either like or dislike.”(Steinbeck, 81) Crooks has a great deal of intelligence, but his color ‘reminds’ him of his place in society. He has no control over the way he wants to live. He also cannot change the perception of how people view him as a human being. Crooks loses his self-esteem and only sees himself as worthless. Racism and segregation made many blacks feel terrible and worthless in similar ways that Crooks does. In a
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Approximate Word count = 994
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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