such a ranch ain t no place for a girl, specially like her.
This therefore also demonstrates the prejudice against women in the book as all factors concerning Curley s wife point toward her isolation from others. We can also see the large amount of dependency that women have upon men during the book when Curley s wife tells of how she saw that the only escape from her mother was to be married. Due to some complications and disagreements with her mother over her wanting to go in the movies due to an offer she had from a man, she is forced to quickly make an escape from home and makes a quick and poor choice to marry Curley.
Discrimination against women is also demonstrated within the book when in conversation the subject of a particular whore house arises between the ranchers. This section also portrays to the reader women being treated as objects. During this section George is invited by Whit to visit a whore house in town. This also has the effect of showing us how lonely the ranchers must be. The whore house provides a un complicated sex service for the men, and in effect of this it gives the message to the reader that women were treated as sex objects. This section shows us again how inequal women were to men during the 1930 s.
Another example of inequality and prejudice within the book is the racism which is present toward Crooks the stable buck. Crooks is the victim of racial prejudice. Crooks is the only black person within the book so this makes him more vulnerable toward the racism. Crooks is discriminated against because he is black, disabled and not young. Firstly, the menial job which Steinbeck gives to the Black character, Crooks, shows the reader of the menial, low paid jobs which were commonly given to black people during the era. It becomes apparent within the story that Crooks is not treated like a person and his feelings are never taken into consideration. In fact the other ranchers treat him more like a machine whose feelings are generally non existent. The first we hear of Crooks within the book is when the reader finds out that when the Boss is angry he takes it out on Crooks because he is black.
Another example of the racial prejudice toward Crooks comes to light when the reader finds out that Crooks is not allowed within the bunk house. Even when Crooks is allowed into the bunkhouse because it is Christmas he ends up the victim of a fight. When questioned by Lennie why Crooks isn t allowed in the bunk house, Crooks answers:-
Cause I m black, They say I stink.
Due to Lennie s child like innocence he obviously cannot see the problem against Crooks (his colour).
During another scene where Curley s wife and Crooks are present she takes a disliking toward Crooks as she can see that she is the more powerful of the two:-
Listen nigger , you know what I could do if you open your trap
Yes, ma am.
Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain t even funny.
At this point this point Crooks is in no doubt that he is completely powerless and at Curley s wife s mercy. This is part of the book demonstrating that Crooks too feels inferior to the other characters due to his colour. Other parts in the book hints that Crooks feels inferior to the other characters. He answers to Slim as Mr Slim and this shows the reader that Crooks knows his inferiority.
We also know that Crooks can see the racial divisions:-
When the white kids.. (Page 74)
Also Crooks says:-
If I say something, why it s just a nigger saying it.
A key scene which demonstrates Crooks s true feelings is where he talks to Lennie in his own room (pages 69-88). This scene is set on a lonely Saturday night in Crooks s room when the others are in town. Lennie appears at the doorway of Crooks s room and at first he is not welcomed by Crooks because he is usually segregated from the whites at the ranch. But because Crooks is so desperately lonely he eventually lets Lennie into the room. This scene shows that Crooks s self confidence is minimal due to the racial discrimination in which he receives.
This is just a nigger talkin , an a busted back Nigger so it don t mean anything see?
We also find out that Crooks is hurt and feels isolated.
S pose you didn t have nobody. S pose you couldn t go into the bunk house and play rummy cause you were black
In conclusion to the racism in this book I find that Steinbeck writes a good portrayal of a life of a black person in the 1930 s.
Inequality is also present in the book due to ageism. Ageism is not a factor which only affected the 1930 s society because it still largely occurs today
Candy is discriminated against in the book due to his age. Steinbeck gives Candy a menial job in the book and this shows the reader that Candy is un equal to the other ranchers. Another factor which adds to the negative treatment toward Candy is that he is disabled due to his hand. Candy is the bunkhouse cleaner or swamper . The authorial purpose of Candy being in the book is to demonstrate what happens to ranchers when they reach an older age. Although Candy is old and therefore should be treated with respect in most situations we find that he isn t. For example the scene in which the others convince Candy to get rid of his dog demonstrates the ageism within the book. This scene takes place from pages 45-52.
God Awmighty that dog stinks. Get him outa here Candy! I don t know nothing that stinks so bad as an old dog.
Eventually Candy is convinced by the others that his dog has to be killed and one of the other ranchers takes the dog out to shoot it the back of the head. This whole scene shows how completely powerless Candy is.
Candy realises that he is isolated because of his age. Candy s wife also acknowledges this. When all four of the outsiders are present in Crooks s room. Candy s wife calls the other three of them bindle stiffs which also makes the reader realise that Candy is an outcast due to his old age and disability.
The Withered Arm by Thomas Hardy is another book which examines prejudice in the particular era in which it was wrote. The Withered Arm was wrote in the mid 1800s. Within the short story it shows the dependency on men from women. The short story also shows the importance of age. So the short story demonstrates the sexism and ageism present in the 1800s society.
The authorial purpose of Rhoda Brook and Gertrude is to show the discrimination against women in the 1800s society.
Rhoda Brook is a woman who has an illegitimate child to the farmer who owns the land in which she works on. He ignores her and her child which shows that she too is a women who has been used for an affair or sex ( alike to the women at the Whore house in Of Mice and Men ). It also shows the inferiority of women at that time. Rhoda Brook is an outsider ( alike to Curley s wife in the book Of Mice and Men ). She is an outsider because she is a fallen woman due to the illegitimate child that she bore to the Farmer (Farmer Lodge). She is shunned by others and she lives on her own (excepting her son) away from the village. Rhoda Brook is tainted by her reputation. Due to the little information which is actually known of her she is often called a witch ( this is common of this era). Rhoda Brook is poor and is therefore forced to be dependant on Farmer Lodge for her income as she still is a dairy maid who works on his land (this is similar to Curley s Wife in Of Mice and Men as she too is economically dependant on a Man.) Rhoda Brook is ageing and Farmer Lodge chooses a younger wife in favour of the ageing dairy maid ( This shows signs of ageism which links to Candy s predicament in the book Of Mice and Men .)
Gertrude is another woman in the short story which portrays the discrimination against women of that time. Gertrude is young, pretty and in love with the farmer who chooses her over the ageing dairy maid as his wife. We find later in the story that Farmer Lodge likes perfection in his women which is another key point to portraying the way that women are mistreated in the Examine The Nature of Prejudice in Of Mice and Men and The Withered Arm
John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California. Of Mice and Men is also set in Salinas, California, USA, during the depression of America. This was a time of unemployment and economic decline. During the American depression over 3 million people were unemployed. Because of this many workers migrated in order to find work, as work was rare.
During the 1930 s (the time in which this novel is set) women were also treated as second class citizens. Women were dependent upon men for economic support and in return were expected to stay within the home and watch over the children and complete the household chores. Women were only recently able to vote and they were often were uneducated. Women still operated in whore houses as a type of service toward men. Men were dependant on these women for uncomplicated sex. Considering all of these factors women had a type of object like status during the 1930 s.
Racism was also very present in the society of the 1930 s and Blacks were still seen as inferior by white people Blacks were segregated in schools, stores, transport and were unable to vote. Blacks were also given the menial jobs such as servants and stable bucks and not given a decent wages and credit they deserved.
Ageism was also present in the 1930 s society. Old people were not treated with respect and were also often given menial low pay jobs.
Steinbeck explored the social issues of the time ( such as ageism, sexism, racism and the poor) in his fictional novels. Of Mice and Men reflects these social issues.
Curley s wife is discriminated against because she is a woman. She is isolated and lonely as she is the only female on the ranch. Curley s wife represented the way that women were treated in the 1930 s. In the story Of Mice and Men Curley s wife is seen as a second class citizen.
Steinbeck never names Curley s wife throughout the story and the Authorial purpose of this is to obviously show that Curley s Wife is defined due to her relationship with Curley. The authorial purpose is also to show us that women were treated as objects during this era- thus naming her Curley s wife. Her having no name also shows the reader how insignificant she is at the ranch.
We receive a bad impression of Curley s wife even before she is introduced to the story. We receive this impression from the way that Candy describes her as a tart:-
Well, I think that Curley s married… a tart.
Steinbeck also gives a negative description of Curley s wife which helps demonstrate how little she is respected at life on the ranch:- She has full rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her nails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled cluster, like sausages. Due to her being an obvious possession of Curley s she is unable to make any friends at the ranch and George also says:-
such a ranch ain t no place for a girl, specially like her.
This therefore also demonstrates the prejudice against women in the book as all factors concerning Curley s wife point toward her isolation from others. We can also see the large amount of dependency that women have upon men during the book when Curley s wife tells of how she saw that the only escape from her mother was to be married. Due to some complications and disagreements with her mother over her wanting to go in the movies due to an offer she had from a man, she is forced to quickly make an escape from home and makes a quick and poor choice to marry Curley.
Discrimination against women is also demonstrated within the book when in conversation the subject of a particular whore house arises between the ranchers. This section also portrays to the reader women being treated as objects. During this section George is invited by Whit to visit a whore house in town. This also has the effect of showing us how lonely the ranchers must be. The whore house provides a un complicated sex service for the men, and in effect of this it gives the message to the reader that women were treated as sex objects. This section shows us again how inequal women were to men during the 1930 s.
Another example of inequality and prejudice within the book is the racism which is present toward Crooks the stable buck. Crooks is the victim of racial prejudice. Crooks is the only black person within the book so this makes him more vulnerable toward the racism. Crooks is discriminated against because he is black, disabled and not young. Firstly, the menial job which Steinbeck gives to the Black character, Crooks, shows the reader of the menial, low paid jobs which were commonly given to black people during the era. It becomes apparent within the story that Crooks is not treated like a person and his feelings are never taken into consideration. In fact the other ranchers treat him more like a machine whose feelings are generally non existent. The first we hear of Crooks within the book is when the reader finds out that when the Boss is angry he takes it out on Crooks because he is black.
Another example of the racial prejudice toward Crooks comes to light when the reader finds out that Crooks is not allowed within the bunk house. Even when Crooks is allowed into the bunkhouse because it is Christmas he ends up the victim of a fight. When questioned by Lennie why Crooks isn t allowed in the bunk house, Crooks answers:-
Cause I m black, They say I stink.
Due to Lennie s child like innocence he obviously cannot see the problem against Crooks (his colour).
During another scene where Curley s wife and Crooks are present she takes a disliking toward Crooks as she can see that she is the more powerful of the two:-
Listen nigger , you know what I could do if you open your trap
Yes, ma am.
Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain t even funny.
At this point this point Crooks is in no doubt that he is completely powerless and at Curley s wife s mercy. This is part of the book demonstrating that Crooks too feels inferior to the other characters due to his colour. Other parts in the book hints that Crooks feels inferior to the other characters. He answers to Slim as Mr Slim and this shows the reader that Crooks knows his inferiority.
We also know that Crooks can see the racial divisions:-
When the white kids.. (Page 74)
Also Crooks says:-
If I say something, why it s just a nigger saying it.
A key scene which demonstrates Crooks s true feelings is where he talks to Lennie in his own room (pages 69-88). This scene is set on a lonely Saturday night in Crooks s room when the others are in town. Lennie appears at the doorway of Crooks s room and at first he is not welcomed by Crooks because he is usually segregated from the whites at the ranch. But because Crooks is so desperately lonely he eventually lets Lennie into the room. This scene shows that Crooks s self confidence is minimal due to the racial discrimination in which he receives.
This is just a nigger talkin , an a busted back Nigger so it don t mean anything see?
We also find out that Crooks is hurt and feels isolated.
S pose you didn t have nobody. S pose you couldn t go into the bunk house and play rummy cause you were black
In conclusion to the racism in this book I find that Steinbeck writes a good portrayal of a life of a black person in the 1930 s.
Inequality is also present in the book due to ageism. Ageism is not a factor which only affected the 1930 s society because it still largely occurs today
Candy is discriminated against in the book due to his age. Steinbeck gives Candy a menial job in the book and this shows the reader that Candy is un equal to the other ranchers. Another factor which adds to the negative treatment toward Candy is that he is disabled due to his hand. Candy is the bunkhouse cleaner or swamper . The authorial purpose of Candy being in the book is to demonstrate what happens to ranchers when they reach an older age. Although Candy is old and therefore should be treated with respect in most situations we find that he isn t. For example the scene in which the others convince Candy to get rid of his dog demonstrates the ageism within the book. This scene takes place from pages 45-52.
God Awmighty that dog stinks. Get him outa here Candy! I don t know nothing that stinks so bad as an old dog.
Eventually Candy is convinced by the others that his dog has to be killed and one of the other ranchers takes the dog out to shoot it the back of the head. This whole scene shows how completely powerless Candy is.
Candy realises that he is isolated because of his age. Candy s wife also acknowledges this. When all four of the outsiders are present in Crooks s room. Candy s wife calls the other three of them bindle stiffs which also makes the reader realise that Candy is an outcast due to his old age and disability.
The Withered Arm by Thomas Hardy is another book which examines prejudice in the particular era in which it was wrote. The Withered Arm was wrote in the mid 1800s. Within the short story it shows the dependency on men from women. The short story also shows the importance of age. So the short story demonstrates the sexism and ageism present in the 1800s society.
The authorial purpose of Rhoda Brook and Gertrude is to show the discrimination against women in the 1800s society.
Rhoda Brook is a woman who has an illegitimate child to the farmer who owns the land in which she works on. He ignores her and her child which shows that she too is a women who has been used for an affair or sex ( alike to the women at the Whore house in Of Mice and Men ). It also shows the inferiority of women at that time. Rhoda Brook is an outsider ( alike to Curley s wife in the book Of Mice and Men ). She is an outsider because she is a fallen woman due to the illegitimate child that she bore to the Farmer (Farmer Lodge). She is shunned by others and she lives on her own (excepting her son) away from the village. Rhoda Brook is tainted by her reputation. Due to the little information which is actually known of her she is often called a witch ( this is common of this era). Rhoda Brook is poor and is therefore forced to be dependant on Farmer Lodge for her income as she still is a dairy maid who works on his land (this is similar to Curley s Wife in Of Mice and Men as she too is economically dependant on a Man.) Rhoda Brook is ageing and Farmer Lodge chooses a younger wife in favour of the ageing dairy maid ( This shows signs of ageism which links to Candy s predicament in the book Of Mice and Men .)