The Reality of Discrimination

In the novel of mice and men, john steinbeck tells the story of two men who travels together during the great depression. Steinbeck explores the major theme of the feeling of failure that is created when a person’s American dream dies. Steinbeck uses the characters Curley’s wife and George to show that The American dream ultimately fails. Curley’s wife is barely introduced in the novel, although she never really interacted with people as much because of how everyone pretty much tried to avoid her and her supposed tramp ways, she was always discriminated and being accused of trying to flirt or set up one of the workers but really she was just lonely.

Since fifteen she has often hoped she could be a famous actor but then her dreams were later crushed when her letters mysteriously started to disappear. “I lived right in salina’s… come there when i was a kid, well a show came through and i met one of the actors, i could’ve went with that show, but my old lady didn’t let me, she says because i was only fifteen {88}”. This quote shows how sometimes it can be others who ruins the american dream,  this quote also proves how much of discrimination is a reality and how that can relate to many problems in the real world. This also proves how easily The American dream can get shattered. Another part of discrimination is also used in the scene where curley’s wife enters crooks room and was unwanted and then later discriminated crooks using racial slurs. “You know what i could do to you… I could get you strung on a tree so fast it ain’t even funny”{81}. This quote shows how people who have advantage over others use discrimination two lower others confidence. In some scenes curley’s wife were discriminating others and was mostly hated throughout the novel, often times she also was discriminated and often accused of being a tramp which some of the times she wasn’t and was often just lonely.

George, the main character in the novel went through so many adventures with Lennie and than later had to make the difficult decision of murdering his best friend. As george and lennie were rehearsing of what they were gonna do he then told lennie not to speak and let him do all the talking, later after they arrived the boss and curley have been suspicious about george and how he spoke for lennie. “Say-what you sellin…you taking his pay away from him?{22)”. This quote shows how some people can be also mistaken for discrimination and also discriminated for it. There is also another part of discrimination when george is accused of taking away lennies money and then leaving town. “S’pose George don’t come back no more, suppose he took a powder and just ain’t coming back{71}.” This quote shows how some people try to get in others heads or make them feel uncomfortable by using discrimination. Crooks was always discriminated his whole life and now that he sees someone that he knows he can discriminate and actually win the argument he went for george. Crooks knew that lennie depended on george and also didn’t know where he’ll go without him so he thought he can get into his head easily by trying to convince Lennie that george might not come back. In conclusion discrimination is everywhere in our society and it can be topped by everyone keeping harsh things to themself, and speaking up for others and themself{etc).

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