Of Mice and Men Commentary - 958 Words

Of Mice and Men is a novel written by the 1962 Nobel Prize winner, John Steinbeck. It is an emotional tale of the extraordinary friendship between George and Lennie, who are traveling workers in the harsh depression years of the 1930s. George is a caring person whose love to Lennie is just like a father-son relationship, where Lennie, a mentally challenged man whose strength lies in body rather than brain, appears to be very dependent on George. Of Mice and Men teaches a universal theme about the nature of human beings that a person whose power exists over another turns corrupt. Steinbeck exploits the theme of power and control in his novel through the extensive use of sexism, racial discrimination, and the power of the strong over the†¦show more content†¦The stronger, in this case man (Carlson), mercilessly shoots Candys dog, who knew nothing of his grief fate. Candy then sees his reflection upon the killing of his dog, that he will soon get too old and therefore useless, which will then have him left alone. This pushes him into desperately asking George to permit him to join with him and Lennie for the pursuit of their own dream ranch, Thas three hundred an fifty bucks Id put in, I aint much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some. On the contrary, Curley is a man who takes advantage of his authority and power to oppress and mock others to make himself seem stronger and even more powerful. He uses his power and gender to boss around with workers of his ranch and his wife, respectively. However, when he chose to do so towards Lennie, Lennie reacts angrily and smashes his hand. Through the intense use of sexism, racial discrimination, and the power of the strong over the weak, Steinbeck successfully exploits the theme of power and control. Whether it is mentally, physically, or money wise, power seems to be moving from one person to another depending on the situation. Perhaps it really is the roots of evil; that occurs as a result of someone realizing his power over others, and then uses it for his own personal desires, while taking advantage of others. In otherShow MoreRelatedSocial Commentary on Sexism in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbek1003 Words   |  5 PagesAdministration states that during the Great Depression era, â€Å"...the federal government did prohibit a married couple from both holding government jobs, and as late as 1939, legislatures in 26 states considered laws limiting married womens work. Both men and women believed that married women should give up their jobs if their husbands wanted them to. In the Depression decade, those wives who worked outside the home were viewed as selfish, greedy women who took jobs away from male breadwinners.† (Grice)Read MoreMice and Men Annotated Bibliography855 Words   |  4 PagesSierra Villanueva Mrs. Josà © English II PAP 4th 8 November 2011 Of Mice And Men : An Annotated Bibliography Book Review: Of Mice amp; Men. A Novel Menagerie. Novel Menagerie, 2009. Web. 7 Nov 2011. lt;http://anovelmenagerie.com/2009/02/18/book-review-of-mice-and-men/gt;. The author of this review focuses on the life of Lennie. She sympathizes with the hard times Lennie had to go through as a character. 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