Prejudice

• Overview

  Prejudice is a central theme in Of Mice and Men, reflecting societal attitudes during the Great Depression. Steinbeck explores how discrimination based on race, gender, age, and disability isolates characters and reinforces the novel's themes of loneliness and despair
• Context


  • Set in 1930s America, prejudice was deeply entrenched in society
  • The Great Depression exacerbated inequalities and social divisions
• Crooks


  As a black stable hand, Crooks faces systemic racism and is segregated from others
• Key quotes (Crooks)


  • 'They play cards in there, but I can't okay because I'm black. They say I stink' - reflects Crooks' exclusion and the dehumanising impact of racism
  • 'You got no rights comin' in a coloured man's room' - highlights how Crooks internalises societal prejudice
  • 'I could get you strung up on a tree so easily it ain't even funny' - Curley's Wife underscores the extreme vulnerability of black men in 1930s America
• Analysis (Crooks)Crook' isolation is both physical and emotional, symbolising the broader racial segregation of the time
• Analysis (Crooks)


  Crooks' isolation is both physical and emotional, symbolising the broader racial segregation of the time
• Curley's Wife


  As the only female character, she is objectified and dismissed by the men
• Key quotes (Curley's Wife)

  • 'She's a jail bait all set on the trigger' - demonstrates how the men reduce her to a stereotype, ignoring her individuality
  • 'I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely' - reflects her isolation due to societal and gender based expectations
  • 'Think I don't like to talk to somebody ever' once in a while?' - shows her frustration at being dismissed and ignored
• Analysis (Curley's Wife)


  Curley's Wife's treatment highlights the sexism of the time, where women were viewed as temptresses or possesions
• Lennie and Candy (disability)

  Lennie's intellectual disability and Candy's physical disability make them targets of discrimination
• Key quotes (Lennie and Candy - disability)

  Lennie

  • 'He's jes' like a kid' - reflects how others patronise and underestimate Lennie
  • 'If I was alone I could live so easy' - George's frustration reveals how Lennie's disability complicates their lives

  Candy

  • 'They'll can me purty soon. Jus' as soon as I can't swamp out no bunkhouses' - shows Candy's fear of being discarded due to his age and disability
  • 'I ought to have shot that dog myself' - Candy's regret mirrors his fear of losing agency over his own life
• Analysis (Lennie and Candy - disability)


  Both characters are marginalised due to their perceived weaknesses, emphasising the lack of empathy in society
• Candy (ageism)


  As an older worker with a physical disability, Candy faces exclusion and fears being deemed useless
• Key quotes (Candy - ageism)

  • 'When they can me here I wisht somebody'd shoot me' - reflects Candy's despair and fear of loneliness
  • 'I'm so used to him. I had him since he was a pup' - Candy's attachment to his dog symbolises his own vulnerability and fear of abandonment
• Analysis (Candy - ageism)


  Candy's treatment reveals how society values individuals soley based on their ability to work
• Curley's Wife (symbolism of prejudice)

  Meaning:

  • A symbol of unfulfilled potential and the limitations placed on women
  • Her namelessness reflects her lack of individuality in the men's eyes
• Crooks' room (symbolism of prejudice)

  Meaning:

  • Represents segregation and the isolation caused by racial prejudice
  • Crooks is physically separated from the others, mirroring his social exclusion
• Candy's dog (symbolism of prejudice)

  Meaning:

  • Symbolises society's treatment of those deemed useless or weak
  • Foreshadows Candy's fear of being discarded
• Crooks confronted by Curley's Wife

  Event:

  • Curley's Wife threatens Crooks, asserting her racial superiority

  Significance:

  • Highlights the intersection of race and gender power dynamics
• Candy's dog shot


  Event:

  • Carlson shoots Candy's dog, claiming it is useless

  Significance:

  • Symbolises how society discards those who are old or weak
• Curley's Wife's death

  Event:

  • The men blame her for Lennie's actions, reinforcing their prejudice against her

  Significance:

  • Demonstrates how prejudice blinds individuals to others' humanity
• Steinbeck's message

  • Prejudice isolates individuals, exacerbating loneliness and despair
  • The novel critiques societal attitudes that marginalise people based on race, gender, age, or disability
• Connection to context

  Reflects the entrenched inequalities of 1930s America, emphasising the need for empathy and understanding