Of Mice and Men Thematic Essay Example

In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck examines the treatment of minorities, people similar to Lennie, Crooks, Candy, and Curley’s wife, to expose people to the discrimination and violence so many individuals faced, ultimately revealing that in a racist, sexist, and ablest society anyone who was seen as “abnormal” would be mistreated and looked down upon.

During the 1930’s, many people of color would face dehumanization, isolation, and oppression just because of the color of their skin. The colored character Crooks in the book Of Mice and Men experiences dehumanization from the several times he was called “nigger” and from society forcefully defining his self worth. This constant reminder of how he is seen by others, “‘why it’s just a nigger sayin’ it.’” started to make him see himself in the same way others saw him (70). Crooks would also deal with unhealthy isolation that would leave him craving human interaction. Yet, he knew that he couldn’t risk getting too close to anyone who was white, “‘ I ain’t wanted in the bunk house.’” (68). Crooks would have to endure large amounts of harsh oppression from people who thought they had authority over him. He could never escape the threats that were placed over his head, in fear that they would turn into a reality, “‘I could get you strung upon a tree so easy.’” (81)

Throughout the 1930’s, women and disabled people would experience inferiority, ill treatment, and lack of respect. The disabled characters Lennie and Candy would be seen as inferior to others because they weren’t as abled as the other characters. They would be constantly reminded of the fact that they weren’t seen as “normal” based on societal standards, “‘bunch of bindle stiffs-a…dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep.’”(78). Lennie was always seen as a big guy, however his disability made it seem as if he wasn’t intelligent. In reality Lennie couldn’t control what he was doing or thinking half of the time, especially during inappropriate times, causing him to be treated poorly, “‘No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me.’”(62) Everyone in the book had no respect for Curley’s wife and knew that she was trouble from the very beginning, calling her names like “tart” and “jailbait”. Curley’s wife was very flirtatious and dressed scandalously, around all of the guys, causing disrespect and negative feelings towards her.  This ultimately was her own death sentence that she created, “‘You ain’t no good now, you lousy tart.’”(95).

Through the book Of Mice and Men we see that people who aren’t perceived as “normal” will always struggle in life because of the way others treat them. This is something that has slightly improved from the 1930’s to today, however there are still people who have similar experiences to these characters.