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Francisco Amador
Humanities-1/2
18 Feb. 2014

The Bad Side of Americas History
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up
and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, That all men
are created equal. Martin Luther King Jr. fought against the discrimination the characters in Of
Mice and Men went through. The book, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, is about two men
named Lennie and George who travel through California during the Great Depression looking
for work as farm hands. They find jobs at a ranch in Salinas. At this ranch, discrimination
happens to everyone. The discrimination affects Lennie, Curleys wife, and Crooks the most
because they must endure it every day. Through the three characters Lennie, Curleys wife, and
Crooks, Steinbeck beautifully illustrates the terrifying truth of America's problem with
discrimination.
Lennie suffers from discrimination because of his mental disabilities. One example of
this discrimination is shown by Lennies friend, George. George tells Lennie, God, you're a lot
of trouble, said George. I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn't have you on my tail. I
could live so easy and maybe have a girl (Steinbeck 7). In this part of the book, George
explodes because Lennie is becoming very irritating and is constantly holding him back from
having a better life without stress. We can see the discrimination towards Lennie because George
is giving up on Lennie because he is too much work and George can't stand the the extra care
Lennie needs.. Although this is not the only time Lennie is discriminated against. After Lennie
tells Crooks about his dream, Crooks responds by saying, Jus nuts, said Crooks. I don't
blame the guy you travel with for keepin you outa sight (Steinbeck 69). Crooks, although he is
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also discriminated against, discriminates against Lennie because Crooks knows he holds
intellectual superiority over Lennie. He assumes that he is
nuts or crazy because Lennie will not stop talking about taking care of rabbits. Crooks does
not, however, know of the plan Lennie has with George and Candy. Crooks just assumes that
Lennie is crazy because of Lennies mental disability. This is obvious discrimination because
Crooks is labeling Lennie without fully understanding Lennies mental condition. Many people
discriminate against Lennie because of his mental disability.
Curleys wife is discriminated against because of her gender. For example, George tells
Lennie, I seen em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jailbait worse than her. You leave
her be (Steinbeck 32). George says this to Lennie because Curleys wife talks to other men on
the ranch even though she is married. Married women, at this time, were expected to stay inside
their house all day and to never talk to single men. However, Curleys wife gets extremely lonely
because her husband ignores her and goes around talking to other men since there are no other
women on the farm. Since she is very attractive, the men feel threatened by her because they see
the trouble she can bring upon them. Steinbeck includes Curleys wife to show that women
during this time period were treated as property instead of people which is blatant discrimination.
Sadly, this is not the only example of discrimination against Curleys wife. After she is killed by
Lennie, Candy tells the lifeless body of Curleys wife, You god damn tramp, he said
viciously.You done it dint you? I spose youre glad. Everbody knowed youd messed things
up. You wasnt no good. You ain't no good now, you lousy tart (Steinbeck 95). After all the
other men leave to hunt Lennie, Candy is left to stay and watch the body. He is bitter with hatred
for Curleys wife because he blames her for ruining the dream ranch that he had the ability to
share with George and Lennie. Instead of showing sympathy for the accidental death of Curleys
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wife, Candy blames her for ruining his ability to fulfill his dream. This is gender discrimination
dies to show that nobody really cares if she dies because she is looked at as property. Because
Curleys wife is married she is discriminated by the men she talks to on the ranch.
Racism is inescapable for Crooks. An example of this racism is the way Candy talks
about Crooks. Candy say, Yes sir, we had fun. They let the nigger come in that night. Little
skinner name of Smitty took after the nigger. Done pretty good, too. The guys wouldn't let him
use his feet, so the nigger got him. If he coulda used his feet, Smitty says he woulda killed the
nigger. The guys said on account of the niggers got a crooked back, Smitty couldn't use his feet
(Steinbeck 20).Candys way of communication with and about Crooks shows discrimination..
Through the use of the word nigger we can see that Candy himself is racist against Crooks.
Also Candy says that Crooks was allowed in the bunkhouse that one night showing that all the
white men do not typically let Crooks in that bunkhouse unless it is beneficial to them.
Steinbecks reason for adding Crooks as a character is to show the constant discrimination
against colored people even after a war that was fought and won for them. However, this
example is only one of many racist events happening to Crooks. Another example of racism
again comes from Candy. Candy stood in the doorway scratching his bald wrist and looking
blindly into the lighter room. He made no attempt to enter.Tell you what, Lennie. I been
figuring out about them rabbits. Crooks said irritably,You can come in if you want (Steinbeck
74). Candy stands in front of the doorway to Crooks room, which is also the barn. He does not
try to enter because white men who befriend black men are looked down upon by other white
men. Crooks sees this and is irritated by it so he lets Candy in. Steinbeck includes Crooks and his
solitary room to show how people avoid colored people and their things simply because of their
skin color. Racism is happening to Crooks just because he is black.
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Steinbeck illustrates beautifully the discrimination of Americas past through the
characters Lennie, Curleys wife, and Crooks from the book Of Mice and Men. All these
characters are being discriminated against because they are not mentally healthy white men.
Lennie had his mental disability so he was not fully capable to think for himself so others
thought of him as a burden. Curleys wife did not stay inside their house where women were
thought to stay all day. She instead wandered outside talking to men and is discriminated against
solely because she wants to have a life and not be lonely anymore. Even though Crooks can do
as much work as any other white man, he is still discriminated against because of his skin color.
Steinbeck has a reason for putting all these characters in the book and that is because he wants to
show what these people had to go through. To make the story a statement to people that everyone
is equal and can do as they please. They should not be discriminated against for characteristics
they can not control. People can take from Steinbeck's message that we need to treat everyone as
equals and looking not at the outside of a person but at what really matters at the moment.







Work Cited
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. Penguin Books, New York: 1993.