Taylor Pedro Destacamento

Humanities-
10 March 2014
Inequality

And each of us can practice rights ourselves, treating each other without discrimination,
respecting each others dignity and rights. When Carol Bellamy says this, she was implying that
if people practice treating each other with equality we can learn to stop discrimination against
one another. This quote relates to Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck because three of his
characters face discrimination throughout the novella. Through three certain characters we learn
about their challenge in life that are cultivated by discrimination. Steinbeck uses the characters
Lennie, Crooks and Curleys wife to reveal the theme of discrimination against people with
mental disabilities, race and gender. Through these characters, Steinbeck shows the different
forms of discrimination and the repercussions that characters are faced with.
Because Curleys wife is a woman she is constantly being discriminated against, judged
and misunderstood simply for just wanting someone to talk to. An example of Curley's wife
being discriminated against can be seen when she states, You can talk to people, but I cant talk
to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. Howd you like not to talk to anybody? (Steinbeck 87).
Because she is married to Curley, she is expected to stay in the house all day and not socialize
with anyone except her husband. As a result she grows incredibly lonely and tries to talk to the
men on the ranch. Unfortunately they judge her attempts at conversations to be extremely
inappropriate, and troublesome.All Curleys wife wants to do is to talk to someone because she
gets lonely, but her gender severely limits her ability to freely talk and do what must people are
naturally inclined to do. In addition, there are other ways Curleys wife is treated as property
when she states, Well, I wasnt gonna stay no place where I couldnt get nowhere or make
something of myself, an where they stole your letters. I ast her if she stole it too, an she says
no, so I married Curley (Steinbeck 88). Because her ideal dream is crushed, she marries Curley
as an escape method because she felt she had no other choice. During that period of time, woman
did not have very many opportunities. She married Curley to get away from her mother and in
the hopes that through Curley she could make something of herself. Unfortunately, her marriage
results in her inferienty and isolation. Curleys wife is discriminated against because of her
gender. Furthermore there is other ways discrimination happens.
Since Crooks is black, he is discriminated against because of the color of his skin. Cause
Im black. They play cards in there, but I cant play because Im black. They say I stink well, I
tell you, you all of you stink to me (Steinbeck 68). Crooks is discriminated against that he feels
almost completely excluded from the white men on the ranch. Crooks has not been mean to them
and has also spent his time on the ranch working very hard. Still, they judge Crooks by the color
of his skin and the young men make faulty assumptions and jokes at his own expense. However,
there are other ways Crooks is discriminated against. Crooks sat on his bunk and looked at the
door for a moment, and then he reached for the liniment bottle. He pulled out his shirt in back,
poured a little liniment in his pink palm, and reaching around, he fell slowly to rubbing his back
(Steinbeck 83). When Steinbeck wrote this he wanted readers to realize that the chapter ends the
same way it started. This illustrates that nothing has changed for Crooks even though he thought
he could live with Lennie and Candy on the ranch. This quote symbolizes Crooks loneliness and
isolation from the men. He realizes that George is part of that dream and he knows George will
not let Crooks come live with them because of the racial barrier. Because of the color of Crooks
skin the men discriminate against him.
People did not understand mental disabilities during the Great Depression. The character
Lennie is constantly being discriminated against because of this misconception. In one example
Steinbeck writes, Georges hand remained imperiously. Slowly, like a terrier who doesnt want
to bring a ball to its master, Lennie approached, drew back, approached again (Steinbeck 9).
Steinbeck is trying to show readers that people with mental disabilities were seen and treated like
pets instead of people. In this quote, it seems that George is the owner of Lennie suggesting that
Lennie as inferior because of his mental disability. George is waiting for Lennie to give him the
rat because George believes Lennie is not responsible enough. Steinbeck depicts Lennie as if he
is a pet, who can not really think for himself. When Lennies gets himself into trouble George
disciplines him or he calls him names just as people do to a dog or an animal. Incidentally there
are other ways Lennie is discriminated against. Steinbeck also writes, George broke in loudly,
Oh! I aint saying hes bright. He aint. But I say hes a God damn worker (Steinbeck 22).
When he writes this, Steinbeck is implying that Lennie is not smart enough to hold
conversations. George believes that because Lennie is mentally disabled he should not be able to
talk to other because the disability could cause them not to get jobs. This restriction is
discriminatory towards Lenny because he has no control over his disability. The boss even
suspects that George is taking away Lennies pay because Lennie is so rarely allowed to simply
speak freely. Constantly silencing Lennie and treating him like a pet represents misunderstanding
of discrimination against mental disability.
Through the characters of Lennie, Crooks, and Curleys wife, Steinbeck is able to help
readers understand the different types of discrimination that were present during the Great
Depression. Curleys wife is dealing with gender inequality, Crooks is constantly dealing with
the racial barrier, and Lennie suffers from discrimination against mental disability. During The
Great Depression women did not have the same rights as men. Curleys wife suffers from the
inequality because of her gender. Since she is married to Curley, Curley and the men on the
ranch believe she should stay at home. It is not fair to Curleys wife to be excluded from the
men, just like how Crooks is. Crooks is black and is constantly being ridiculed by the men on the
ranch. Lennie is mentally disabled and the men on the ranch do not fully understand that. People
should read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck because it reminds readers of the discrimination
that has occurred during the Great Depression and warns them to not fellow in similar social
patterns today.























Work Cited
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin Books, 1993.