Griffin Siroky 1
Of Mice and Me Essay
The famous singer Barbra Streisand once said, “How I wish we lived in a time when laws were not necessary to safeguard us from discrimination.” Streisand is conversing about how she longs for a society where people can feel comfortable about themselves, not being discriminated against for being seen as different. All throughout history, discrimination is everywhere. Whereas the general stereotype is that one should be treated equally, for some reason people never seem to treat each other equally. For example, slavery has been a touchy subject all throughout history. We have all heard the glorious tales of Lincoln’s “Emancipation Proclamation”; the African American population never really started being treated equally until the late 20th century. Society today is complex and discrimination is not as big of an issue as it once was but in the case of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, there are many examples of discrimination against people who are different. All throughout the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck there are multiple examples of discrimination against people who are different. Curley’s wife, a lonely girl who longs for attention, was neglected all her life First as a child, then as an adult even by her own husband. Her neglect has grown to the point where she attempts to socialize with the men of the ranch just for a pastime. Then Lennie, a happy go lucky mentally retarded man,has been neglected by those he has encountered his entire life which takes a toll on his perception of what’s right or wrong. Finally, Crooks, a black staple manager, has been criticized for being black and looked down upon by his peers solely by the fact that he is an African American, which takes a toll on his attitude towards white people. Discrimination
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against people who are different from what was considered “normal” in the early 20th century is very prominent in the heart-straining novel Of Mice and Men...