Of Mice and Men character Essays : Curleys wife, George and Candy

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linked to the 'American dream', which is the idea that anyone can achieve success and improve their lives through hard work. On this Crooks admits "I seen hunderds of men come by" "That same damn thing in their heads. Hunderds of them.". Indicating that many men have had the same dream and that George and Lennie aren't special because the actuality of it is that dreams don't come true. Crooks then adds, "Nobody gets to heaven and nobody gets no land" emphasizing how dreams never come into fruition. However, Dreams sometimes stand as a driving point for many or the characters. For example, after the death of Candy's dog, Candy was distraught until George let him in on the dream. This immediately brought hope for Candy, "you know where's a place like that?", and something to distract himself from the harsh world of the ranch. Another instance would be how the dream brought George and Lennie together," we got a future", and was a large structure to their friendship. To conclude, although dreams eased the stress of life for the characters and brought many closer together, ultimately the fantasy of these dreams was the downfall of them all as it distracted them from what was right in front of them. The fantasy of the dreams were also unrealistic and many were of 'what could have been' suggesting regret, in turn bringing more negativity than positive. Steinbeck varies these dreams to present to the reader the range or desires that people living in this kind of condition wish for. How does Steinbeck use the character of Curley's wife to highlight certain aspects of America in the 1930s? Steinbeck uses the character of Curley's wife to demonstrate the role of women in the 1930s and how Curley wife attempts to separate herself from the 'wife stereotype'. This illustrates how many women in the 1930s were confined and restricted to the role of house worker and that of the husband's property. However, when Curley's wife breaks away from the idea of domestic worker she is seen as sexually provocative, "poison" "Jailbait", making her a foreseeable problem for George. Steinbeck uses the character of Curley's wife to highlight how men are seen as superior to women. In the 1930s, women were seen as no more than the husband's property to look after the house. The fact that / Curley's wife doesn't even have a name other than the specific 'Curley's' furthers how in the 1930s, women were objectified, On meeting George, Curley's wife poses an immediate negative impression on him," So that's what Curley picks for a wife", suggesting the men on the ranch's narrow conception of women. This links with how women were seen to be subservient to men and to be controlled by them. The theme of men dominance is seen through the quote," She was suddenly apprehensive" suggesting that Curley's wife abrupt departure is somewhat fearful, implying to the reader that she is scared of him and that Curley may abuse her in some way. Steinbeck uses the character of Curley's wife to highlight the theme of loneliness through Curley's wife's burning need for attention. Her lack of recognition is seen to take an effect on her, "I never get to talk to anybody. I get awful lonely", the language used directly refers to Curley's wife's feelings towards her lifestyle and situation. The statements she uses are short and simple reflecting her limited and controlled life on the ranch. The way she speaks consists of few words illustrating how straight forward and routine her days are. The word 'awful' is used to emphasize how lonely she is but also to show how 'awful' it truly is to live a life in solidarity. Finally, Steinbeck uses the character of Curley's wife to highlight the aspect of dreams in the 1930s. Due to the great depression everyone lost something and when losing a thing, there is always another thing to be wanted and to gain. This is what the American's call 'the Dream'. However, there are many different variations of the dream. Specifically, Curley's Wifes dream consists of being someone or rather a movie star so that she can be noticed. "He says he was gonna put me in the movies", "I coulda made something o myself" demonstrating how the dream doesn't come true for everyone, showing how Curley wife is regretful of the choices she made and impulsively married Curley. This puts into perspective the time that the book was set in and how not everything ended up in a happy ending; especially not for Curleys wife a: in the end she never achieved this and died in terror by the hand of Lennie. In conclusion, Steinbeck uses the character of Curley's wife to highlight the stereotype of women in the 1930s and what role they played. He touches upon the hierarchy and male dominant system that was present within the 1930s well also illustrating the effects of loneliness for a wife who is blatantly ignored by her own husband. Steinbeck presents 'the American Dream' in many ways, but also in that of a woman's perspective to simply be noticed, showing the neglect that many women faced wellbeing labele the domestic worker. However, Steinbeck does not fail to lead the reader into believing the dream was possible, just to reveal that Curley's wife's happy ending was not possible. ✓ How does John Steinbeck use the character of Candy to highlight some aspects of American society in the 1930s? Steinbeck uses the character of Candy to present the hierarchy of a ranch in the 1930s and how a workers only true value was to be a strong, healthy, young man which is the complete opposite of Candy. With Candy being an old, disabled 'swamper' his usefulness on the ranch is limited. Steinbeck uses the character of Candy to highlight how many people during the great depression were unable to find work due to not being able to fit the status of the ideal worker, well simultaneously showing the reader the harsh reality of what happens to a person who has no family, and no guaranteed future. Immediately when meeting Candy, Steinbeck describes him as, "tall, stoop shouldered, old man". Steinbeck specifically uses the adjective 'tall' to suggest that Candy's height is the first thing a person or boss would notice about him. Steinbeck uses the character of Curley to enforce the fact that the men are living in a society that souly values physical strength. Steinbeck uses the character of Candy to highlight the aspect of power and weakness throughout the discussion of the killing of Candy's dog. Steinbeck illustrates Candy's weakness when being unable to argue why his dog shouldn't have to die, suggesting Candy's little control over his life. However, it is due to Candy's lack of power that in the end he is forced to give in "Candy looked helpless". The fact that no one tried to defend Candy depicts how disconnected the men are from each other and how in the world they live in, there isn't enough room to be sympathetic when it comes to the disruption of their own happiness. Steinbeck uses the character of Candy to highlight the aspect of dreams in the 1930s. To the men on the ranch the dream is their paradise and an escape route for them. This is shown when George is talking about the dream and Candy asks, "you know where's a place like that?". From this point Candy attains the element of companionship and a solid place, suggesting Candy's newfound control over his life. As it is because unlike the other men, Candy wants something simple and easily attained - someone to stick by his side who won't leave. Finally, Steinbeck highlights what happens to people who didn't fit the working standard during the 1930s, and how anything that is longer useful is no longer valued. This is shown many times in the novella but especially in Candy's case. For example, when Candy's dog was killed it was because it showed no working use," ain't nothing left for him". Candy's dog is used as a metaphorical image for Candy, presenting how in this world there is no room for useless things - including people. suggesting that soon after Candy is unable to work, he won't survive the harsh world for long. To conclude, Steinbeck uses the character of Candy to highlight the harsh reality that many people faced during the 1930s due to their inability to work or their social values. Steinbeck paints the picture of helplessness and little control many people had over their lives, communicating it through the character "helpless" Candy. This helps set a middle ground for the novella, on a level where the reader can relate a sense of being unable to have jurisdiction over one's life. How does John Steinbeck use the character of George to highlight certain aspects of America in the 1930s? Steinbeck uses the character of George to specifically highlight the typical ranch worker in the 1930s, and the wants and needs of any ranch worker including behavior and habits. George is a key character to the story because he represents that of 'the norm'. George has no unique skills like Slim, and no special authority like Curley. George is completely ordinary, which makes him on a relatable level for the reader but also demonstrates how George is not in any way privileged. Like many characters, George has a dream. George craves stability over his life, which many typical ranch workers didn't have in the 1930s. This was due to the great depression which directly affected the people. George wanted control, especially over his living situation. He wanted somewhere where "we'd belong" and where he could have jurisdiction over what he did and where he went instead of being forced just to survive. The way George treats Curley's wife presents how men in the 1930s had a sexist attitude towards women. George despised Curley's wife and always saw her as a problem or an inconvenience that got in the way. George would refer to her as such things as," poison" or "jailbait" displaying how men in the 1930s had a narrow conception of women. Steinbeck uses the character of George to highlight the theme of violence throughout the novella. In the 1930s many people were distrustful of each other, leading them to becoming hostile and violent. George often uses aggressive or hostile comments against Lennie to communicate his anger. "Do! have to sock you?" presents George threatening Lennie to get him to comply. This infers to the reader that it was easier for the men to be forceful rather than patient with each other. In the 1930s, racism was a very evident within the society. Even George shows a clear negative view towards black people. This is especially seen when George finds Lennie with Crooks and says," You hadn't ought to be here", suggesting a dismissive meaning behind it, linking with the prejudice of black people. This is further seen when George looked," disappointingly", displaying the embedded racism and negative stereotype towards Crooks that many people had in the 1930s. Although from this quote, George seemed almost sympathetic towards Crooks as if he felt bad for him. To conclude, Steinbeck uses the character of George to highlight the typical 1930s ranch worker. Steinbeck touches upon the way many people would act towards certain groups such as women or black people in an effort to communicate the ways in which they were segregated from the rest of society. Although George is a somewhat relatable character, he is unable to escape the attributes of a typical 1930s ranch worker, forcing him to fit into the society.