Social Darwinism in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men Essay Example

According to Charles Darwin, Social Darwinism is the theory that human groups and races are subject to the same laws of natural selection as perceived in plants and animals. Varieties of organisms die every day, depending on who is the strongest or most valuable. How does this theory relate to the impacts of racism and ableism, when trying to achieve the American Dream? The classic novella Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, follows the journey of two unlikely friends named Lennie and George, walking the readers through their struggles. They live on a ranch working their new job in rural California, during the era of The Great Depression. Steinbeck supports the concept of Social Darwinism, by using Crooks and Curley’s wife to highlight ideas of racism, and sexism during the Great Depression, which shows how those which society deems more valuable, are the ones who succeed in creating their American dream.

Discrimination is a huge problem, and Crooks being constantly hated against for being black, illustrates Steinbeck’s support for social Darwinism through the racism he faces. Crooks wants to play cards with the other guys on the ranch, but knows he is not allowed to because of his skin color. The text says, “They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black” (68). The word “they” that Steinbeck decided to use, refers to the white people. “They” conveys how Crooks faces racism, since he is black, and gets excluded from the other group. The assertive tone Crooks has, demonstrates Crooks’s awareness that he gets discriminated against because of his skin color. Later, Crooks talks about how he wanted to play cards when he was little, he wanted to join in with the other kids, but he could not because he has black skin. Crooks tells Lennie, “S’pose you couldn’t go in the backhouse to play rummy ‘cause you were black. How’d you like that?” (72). Devastated, Crooks not only faced discrimination when he was little, but also currently as he speaks. Crooks experiences it enough that he is desperate to show someone else how he feels, such as Lennie. The verbal irony that Steinbeck chose for Crooks when saying, “How’d you like that?” emphasises how strong Crooks’s feelings are on being oppressed, because he so badly wants someone to understand what he goes through. The angry and desperate tone, also demonstrates Crooks’s emotions in not being seen as equal by society, because he is so tired of being treated unfairly. Steinbeck’s support for social Darwinism, through Crooks being used to portray racial discrimination, illustrates how he is not seen as the same value as the others, which prevents him in succeeding his dreams for his future.

Next, Curley’s wife, continuously being belittled for being a woman, displays how Steinbeck portrays the idea of social Darwinism through the oppression she faces. Curley’s wife talks to Lennie about why she cannot talk to anybody, except Curley, because she is a woman. Curley’s wife explains, “You can talk to people, but I don’t get to talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad” (87). When Curley’s wife says “you can” and “I can’t”, she refers to the fact that Lennie is a man, she is not.  Since she is a woman, males have the ability to restrict her actions, specifically Curley in this case. These are the sexist ideologies that took place in that time period. The lonely tone Curley’s wife has, emphasizes how badly she had been impacted by all of the oppression she faces. Then, Curley's wife is unsure about whether or not she can talk to other people, because of her gender. Curley's wife questions, “What’s the matter with me? Ain't I got a right to talk to nobody?” (87). Curley’s wife asking “Ain't I got a right to talk to nobody?”, illustrates how she has been affected by sexism. This is because she has been conditioned for so long, to think that she isn’t allowed to talk to anyone else but Curley, or else he will get jealous. Curley’s wife’s frustrated tone, portrays how sick she is of facing gender discrimination, which causes her to question if anything is wrong with herself. Steinbeck’s support for social Darwinism, through Curley’s wife being used to portray ideas of gender discrimination, illustrates how she is seen as less than by society, which prevents her in accomplishing the goals that she has for herself.

Steinbeck upholds the theory of Social Darwinism through using the characters Crooks and Curley’s wife, to demonstrate ideologies of racial discrimination, and gender inequality during the Great Depression, which shows how those which society views as less worthy, are the ones who will not achieve in creating their American Dream. Racial discrimination and gender inequality are still extremely prominent problems right now, not just during the Great Depression. People experience these issues every day. The people that society views as less than, which ranges from gender, race, social class, and plenty more, are the people that will always have to work so much harder than everyone else, in order to accomplish their own American dream.