Discrimination In Of Mice And Men

In John Steinbeck’s story Of Mice and Men the idea of prejudice, and discrimination is present from start to finish. Steinbeck puts great emphasis on how one's intellectual, financial and social standing affects power. Upon first being introduced to the characters in the book, they all seem the same. "They were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons. All wore black, shapeless hats and carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders". They are all itinerant farm workers, looking for work wherever they can. However, as the story unfolds, one’s understanding of each character deepens which is when the reader realizes how their intellectual, financial and social statuses impact them.

It doesn’t take long for the reader to notice Lennie’s mental disability. Lennie can’t remember anything; he fixates on things like owning rabbits; he mournfully wishes for ketchup

It tells the story of a southern society girl, Skeeter, who, upon returning from college with dreams of becoming a writer, turns her small Mississippi town on its ear by choosing to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent white families. The women’s stories are similar to Crook’s story in Of Mice and Men as they are all powerless because of their poverty, and skin color. In both stories they are constantly reminded of the discrimination, and racism in their everyday lives. In Of Mice and Men Crooks almost gets into an argument with Curley’s wife when she scorns "Listen, Nigger, you know what I can do to you if you open your trap?" Crooks knows that the only thing worse than being a woman on a ranch is being a black man. But, instead of feeling any solidarity with Crooks, Curley’s wife treats him as the only guy she can pick on instead of trying to pick up. This whole notion of racial discrimination is present throughout both books and still in the world