...Prejudice is a cruel crime against how you should treat people in society. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife and Crooks get discriminated against because of their sex and race. Prejudice never focuses on the positive effects of being different, but rather the hardships of it all. Sexism is an extreme topic in this story demonstrated through Curley’s wife and how she is treated. For example, Curley’s wife experiences sexism from the men, George says, “Ranch with a bunch of guys on it ain’t no place for a girl, ‘specially like her”(51). This quote exhibits sexism by applying that women cannot cope with the same environment as men. Equally important, the quote displays a lack of respect for women and signifies that men are the inferior sex. In addition, Curley’s wife is stereotyped as a housewife, Carlson states, “Why’n’t you tell her to stay the hell home where she belongs”(62)? This quote presents the stereotypical remark that women are housewives. Further, Carlson’s sexist comment implies that women cannot go anywhere without men and should stay home. Curley’s wife experiences sexism and stereotypes that reduces the power of her role in society....
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...not able to vote or work. They were expected to stay home all day and do chores. John Steinbeck the author of, "Of Mice and Men," uses Curley's wife as a representation of sexism. Steinbeck shows many examples of Curley's Wife being treated unfairly and the reasons the men on the farm thought about her were wrong. When George and Lennie reached the farm they were introduced to everyone but Curley, Curley's Wife and Crooks. Curley's Wife was introduced into the story while George and Lennie were settling into the bunks. When she first comes in she is looking for Curley. She has "full, heavy roughed lips. Wide spread make-up eyes. Her finger nails are painted red. Her bangs in little rolled curls like sausages. She wears a cotton house dress and red mules on the insteps of which are little bouquets of red ostrich feathers" (Steinbeck 324). The men are practically calling Curley's Wife a...
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...treat others. Curley’s Wife, Crooks, and Candy are excluded because of gender, race, age, or disability. This bias results in these people feeling lonely and inferior. In Steinbeck’s novella, multiple characters experience alienation due to discrimination by other ranchers. Throughout the novella, Curley’s Wife is isolated from the male workers several times due to her gender. This is portrayed when the men in the bunkhouse argue with Curley about his wife, when they try to avoid Curley’s Wife because they view her as a nothing more than a distraction because they think her beauty is her only valuable characteristic. Carlson says, “Why’n’t you...
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...might be because his wife is a flirt and craves attention from people as she doesn't receive it from her husband. She knows that her beauty is the only way she can get attention from other men as she is young and attractive. Therefore other men in the ranch label her as a "tart", "jailbait" and she's got "the eye", which is a stereotype that the men place on her. This also gives an impression to the reader that she is out to cause trouble and eventually she does cause trouble for the men as well as making a big mistake of her own undoing. Curley's wife is wearing a "red cotton house dress" and a pair of mules decorating with "bouquets red ostrich feathers" emphasising her sexual presence. Her clothes are also described as "red" referred to the colour of love and compassion. Also, the bouquets red ostrich feathers would have been very expensive in the times Of Mice and Men was set; and that she only wore them in the middle of the "Dust bowl" which suggests that she was desperate for attention and she was willing to ruin her best shoes in order to allure the men, despite the fact that she has a husband. Steinbeck is creating a much richer character...
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...with pleasure in his torture." (Steinbeck 71). Crooks becomes almost delirious, the mental domination over Lennie all too pleasing to him. Furthermore, in understanding human nature, one must inspect how gender and race change people's points of view of others; there are some superb examples to examine in Of Mice and Men. A big part of how people interact is the socio-economic status of a person, their race, gender, and even religion. These deductions and conclusions people form before getting to know said person can sometimes happen subconsciously due to social norms society feeds us. For example, there are stereotypes that all Jews are good with money because a thousand years ago, Jews were bankers because it was against Christianity to charge interest on money loaned. However, many of these stereotypes are not true. An example of this is where Curley's Wife is talking to Lennie, expressing what some might call depression on page 86: "'I get lonely,'" and then, "'I can't talk to nobody but Curley.'" (Steinbeck 87). This eventually leads to her death....
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...Lennie did not intend to hurt the girl by touching her dress, the citizens in Weed believed her claim that he raped her. Due to the girls fear, Lennie held on to her dress out of confusion, which escalated the situation resulting in this accusation. He really just wanted to feel the texture of the dress, but since he kept holding on to it seemed like he intended to hurt her. Therefore, because of Lennie's propensity to touch soft things, his initial innocent act was misunderstood thus resulting in George and Lennie having to escape a false accusation of being a rapist. This is a prime example of how an innocent intent can be misunderstood and blown out of proportion. Another example of how one's intentions can be misinterpreted is when Curley’s wife was trying to be friendly and let Lennie touch her hair. Overwhelmed with curiosity and unaware of his physical strength, Lennie accidentally pulled on it way too hard, so she started to scream. Since he did not want George to hear, he put his hand over her mouth which unfortunately killed her. Steinbeck describes the situation by saying; “And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck. He looked down at her, and carefully he removed his hand from over her mouth, and she lay still. “I don't want ta...
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...loneliness, of people during the Great Depression. For instance Curly’s wife seeks attention ,positive or negative, from anyone on the ranch because of her isolation being the only woman present. When confronted with her isolation she says,“Wha’s the matter with me?Ain’t I got...
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...overpower someone else, whereas a victim is a subject to someone else’s power. Lady Macbeth and Curley’s wife both manipulate men using their femininity: Curley’s wife shows this as she manipulates the men on the ranch using her appearance and Lady Macbeth uses her sexuality to persuade her husband to kill the king and by welcoming Duncan into her home, even though she was plotting to kill him. Alternatively, there are differences between the two women, as Curley’s wife is lonely and isolated on the ranch, her husband disrespects her and is disliked by all the men on the ranch and as a result, manipulates the men innocently to get some attention. Lady Macbeth desires power and fame, and acts manipulatively and selfishly to get what she wants. Lady Macbeth is upperclass, giving her more freedom to do what she wanted. She had status, wealth, glamour and equal partnership with her husband. This was very unusual for the time- Shakespeare has presented her as a very modern anti-heroine. The writers have also presented the women as victims of their gender. During the time each text was written women had restrictions placed on their gender and struggled to achieve their dreams and ambitions. This is shown in the behaviour of each character. Although, it is harder to view Lady Macbeth as a victim because of her cruel and destructive behaviour, in comparison to the lonely and naive Curley’s wife. During the Elizabethan era, women were dominated by the male members of their family. They were...
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...One character who is mentally disabled is Lennie. Although the book never specifically explains what is wrong with Lennie, there are several examples that support his disability. Lennie is extremely dependent on George. George talks for Lennie and looks out for him. When George is trying to find a job for the two of them, he explains that Lennie was kicked in the head by a horse. Lennie would not be able to function without George’s help. Lennie’s actions gave George reasons to kill him after Lennie killed Curley’s wife. Slim explains why George should shoot Lennie instead of saving him: “An’ s’pose they lock him up an’ strap him down and put him in a cage. That ain’t good, George” (Steinbeck 97). If Lennie were locked up, he would be more likely to lash out. He may even cause more harm to animals and people since George would not be there to intervene. George is always the one to step in and calm Lennie down. Lennie’s mental disability does not give him those particular capabilities. Candy is another character who has a disability. He lost one of his hands in a farm accident. He is also one of the oldest men working on the ranch. Because he is getting older and has a disability, he fears his days on the ranch are numbered. Similar to his dog, who was...
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...congestive heart failure at the age of 66. He was of German, Irish and English descent. He was a college dropout from Stanford University back in 1925 and was a manual laborer before he started to achieve his success as a writer. The story takes place in a stream near Salinas River and in the ranch it the Salinas Valley of Northern California during the Great Depression. During that time, there were massive lack of jobs and increasing number of workers. The population travelled from one place to another to seek employment. Steinbeck’s way of writing reflects his character. Steinbeck concentrates on revealing the characters and presents them directly to focus the reader’s attention of their quandary. Steinbeck is very clever on using stereotypes and has highlighted the importance of human issues, friendship, intellectual prowess, different racial background, social status and responsibility. For instance, he describes Lenny’s appearance as an animal – which Lennie really behaves and looks like. The meaning of Steinbeck’s story is about what it means to be a human being – in different aspects, how the society looks at you as an individual. Steinbeck is a master of description, and one of his many passions was the California landscape. The setting in this novel contains the "golden foothill slopes" and the "strong and rocky Gabilan Mountains." It is quiet and natural with sycamores, sand, leaves, and a gentle breeze. The rabbits, lizards, and herons are out in this peaceful setting...
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...hope high in people to stand for what they believe in whether it be the inadequacies of society or something else. Furthermore without incorporating dreams and having something to achieve in our life will result in an endless stream of days that have little connection or meaning. The representation of dreams occurs via prejudice and stereotypes- Crooks, because he is black in a racist culture- seems to be no hope for him; Curley’s wife, only woman on the farm and regarded as a tart- will never feel wanted, another hopeless situation; Candy, one-handed- can’t do the same work as the others and is old- can’t socialize with anyone, lonely and isolated. These situations give reason for dreaming as it becomes a paradise for those who wish for something more in their life and acts as a beacon of hope yet over time dreams either materialize or they question reality and in the book no one achieves or has achieved their dream- Lennie and George, Curley’s wife and Curley. Dreams will always be a source of hope but if they are not achieved you begin to realise that they are futile which is why to some extent I agree with the statement. The killing of Curley’s wife accentuates the fact that her life has been so futile she is almost being put out of her misery. Also the realisation for Candy that the dream will never materialise is present- “Ever ‘body knowed you’d mess things up. You wasn’t no good. You ain’t no good now, you lousy tart. I could of hoed in the garden and washed dishes for them...
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...promised joy.” As you can see the dream farm plays a major role in the story. In the story Of Mice and Men the dream farm is a huge symbol of the American dream during the great depression. Off of prior knowledge I know that the American dream during the great depression was to own land. George and Lennie’s American dream is to own their own ranch. The dream farm shows their American dream compared to others on the ranch. “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and the first thing you know they’re poundin their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to.” (13) George described the stereotype of men that work on a ranch like him compared to him and Lennie. “With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got to place else to go. If them other guys get in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us.”(14). Lennie and George truly believe their American dream isn’t just a dream, to them it is reality. They have every little detail thought out. “Someday - we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and - we’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we’ll just say the hell with...
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...Quotes in chronological order 1. Dearest partner in greatness 2. Human kindness 3. Unsex me here 4. Make thick my blood 5. To beguile the time 6. Face my thane is a book 7. Night’s great business into my dispatch 8. Out damned spot! William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ and John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ written in the 17th and 20th century, separated by hundreds of years of development and change within the world, both reflect the ideologies, treatment and representations of women in their respective eras. The principal feminine representatives are Lady Macbeth and Curley’s wife who throughout both texts demonstrate similarities and differences in their portrayal of their relationships with their male counterpart, the description of their tragic deaths and the conventional role of men and women and how they fit or break the stereotype. In this essay, I will refer to the aforementioned depictions, analysing the techniques the writers use to create their characters, and how a Jacobean audience, one during the Great Depression of the 1930s and a modern audience would react. Rather than supporting her husband in a subservient manner, Shakespeare makes Lady Macbeth the ruthless mastermind of a fiendish, venal and daring enterprise aimed to ensure her husband would ‘catch the nearest way’. In Act 1 Scene 5, when attempting to convince Macbeth to commit this necessary deed, she utters the heartless words ‘you shall put this night's great business...
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...fury of a beast/ Unseemly woman in a seeming man!" (803). Friar Laurence chides Romeo for crying about his banishment, which forces him to be distant from his love, Juliet. Also, he refers to Romeo's actions and sensitivity as "womanish." The fact that Romeo is strongly rebuked for acting sensitively suggests feminine qualities are frowned upon within the play. In the article "Romeo and Juliet, Media Repackaging West Side Story, and Bruce Springsteen," Stephen M. Buhler compares gender stereotypes within pop culture and the tragic play Romeo and Juliet. He claims that "Certainly critical views that stress the 'purity' and 'innocence' of Shakespeare's protagonists and their love participate in similarly morning processes" (85). This quote further proves how the parallelism between pop culture and Romeo and Juliet are evident. Standards of society, such as being beautiful or thin, put stress on young people. This is similar to how Romeo and Juliet are pressured into acknowledging their stereotypes in Verona, Italy. Young people are heavily influenced by the culture in which they are surrounded...
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...‘Romeo and Juliet/Catrin/Follower’ Controlled Assessment: Examining Shakespeare’s ideologies on parental influence and the impact on modern/Elizabethan audiences: Examine the way Shakespeare presents the relationship between Juliet and her parents. By Tiffanie Gould, 10x1 The iconic tragedy written by the world’s most honoured writer William Shakespeare, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a title the world is familiar with. Its impact on modern society is impeccable, whether related to love, tragedy or both moral and academic education, the modern media adopts its philosophy. Shakespeare is trying to educate, and the ever-pending battle is the matter of character vs. society; relationships differ even today between parent and child, and the way it may be interpreted is affected by women’s role in society in Elizabethan England and how the audience’s perspective of prejudice and patriarchy. Shakespeare explores emotions and allows adjustments in the relationship in an attempt to drop the audience’s jaws open in eras of both old and new. In this assessment, I will examine just how the way Shakespeare presents the relationship between Juliet and Lord/Lady Capulet with supported evidence. Lord Capulet: the very wealthy patriarch of the Capulet family and empire, probably just as important, the husband of Lady Capulet, the uncle of Tybalt, potential father-in-law of Count Paris, legitimate (but unknowingly) the father-in-law of Romeo Montague… and the father of Juliet Capulet-Montague....
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