Banned In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a novella revolving around the lives of two migrant workers named George Milton and Lennie Small. George is a small but intelligent and determined individual, while Lennie being the opposite is gigantic and mentally challenged. The unlikely pair attempt to make a living by traveling from ranch to ranch facing new problems regularly. The problems end up getting so bizarre that in the end, George ends up in a difficult situation where he must decide to shoot Lennie out of mercy and love. George killing Lennie was a good decision because he had good intentions unlike Curley.

The principal claim in “The American Negro in the World War” 1919, is that a colored woman that worked during war time had a lower wage than a man doing the same work and considerable fraction below that of a white woman in the same service, also, they were forced to work in the most unsafe posts but also in the most delicate jobs as well (Doc 4). The author’s purpose was to express to the government how the citizens of the United States are being deprived of their rights, especially the colored men and women during time of war. In 1920 a union called, The American Civil Liberties Union was formed to change the unfairness and to better the American society by protecting the independent rights and liberties that the laws and Constitution of the United States promises everyone. In the photograph “An Appliance Showroom in Louisville, Kentucky” in 1920, it shows woman working in an appliance showroom (Doc 5). The purpose of this photograph was to show how women got the opportunity to work in stores and almost anywhere they desired and it began to change the American society and the social norm of woman just saying at home and only being good to make babies.

Of Mice & Men John Steinbeck’s Of Mice & Men is a novel packed with racial and gender inequalities. The way it portrayed the character of Curley’s wife is particularly interesting and spoken about, and for good reason. Throughout the novel, Curley’s wife – who, accordingly, was never called anything else – was consistently dehumanized, and forced to fit into certain stereotypes. It’s also worth noting that Curley is an abusive husband towards her. Curley’s wife is a victim of sexism, correctly depicted by Steinbeck’s illustration of how society used to be.

Of Mice and Men tells a story based in California during the 1930s; of two men who have very different characteristics, but share the same goal. The men, George and Lennie, are migrant workers. At their new job, they meet many individuals: Candy, who is very old and cleans the bunkhouse; Curley, who is the boss’s son; Curley's wife, Crooks, the stable hand; and Slim, who is known as the “prince of the ranch.” Though they recently started, their new job quickly goes downhill. John Steinbeck’s book is carefully written and often uses hints to foretell what will happen next.

People do not value the rights of writers and readers, they do not appreciate the meaning, or even art, of these books, showing their ignorance and lack of openness. Of Mice and Men is labeled as racist and violent because some readers do not get the fact that the author wanted to be realistic about the time of the book, which is around the years of the Great Depression, when men used an unacceptable language. Another aspect that is not accepted is the treatment of women, who were mistreated or disrespected by men during those times, Lennie and George were not the exception. The behavior of the characters and racial slurs are not right, but they should be considered normal around those times and keeping in mind that the Steinbeck is following the rules of modernism. Readers have they right to complain, but one question has to be answered before banning these kind of works, why did the author decide to write the book like that?

In the same chapter, Crooks shows that he is segregated among the workers when he is talking to Lennie about why he can't be in the main bunkhouse. He says, "Cause I'm black. They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, all of you stink to me."(68)

This explains how she really does want to be able to go out and talk to people on the ranch, but because she is a woman, she cannot. Curley’s wife accepts discrimination because she is living the life that a woman was “supposed to” at the time, with a husband. She cannot change the way she is treated, because anywhere Curley’s wife goes, she will be discriminated against for her

It’s hard to look back and see that many people were looked down upon and treated as if they weren’t human. The horrific incident that took place in Money, Mississippi where a young fourteen year old African American boy was brutally killed is just a taste of the things that happened during this time period, it talks about this in chapter three rocking the cradle. This is also just one of the many events that sparked a fire in the hearts of African Americans. Besides the deaths of many African Americans this was part of the reason for the march. Many African Americans were working for little of nothing for their labor, if they could even get a job.

What could be so terrible about a book, that it has become one of the most frequently banned/challenged books? Of Mice and Men is a fictional book written by John Steinbeck in 1937. The book has been banned in many schools due to racism, profanity, foul language, violence, treatment of women, and for seemingly promoting euthanasia. This book is usually read by high school students around the age fourteen or fifteen, however many parents have gotten upset when hearing about what their kid was reading. Many parents have stated that this book is not age-appropriate and should not be read in school.

Evidence of inequality in the text is Curley’s wife threating Crooks life because she is of a high class, she forces to submit to her in fear of his life.

Crooks experiences discrimination because he is black, and Lennie is discriminated against because of his mental disability. Curley’s wife, Crooks, and Lennie all have learned to live with discrimination, but they still long to someday be accepted. Curley’s wife experiences a lot of discrimination in the novel Of Mice and Men for being a woman. In the time setting of this novel, women did not have many options or much control over their lives.

He feels brought down and dehumanized. After Curley’s wife left, Candy tells Crooks that she shouldn’t have said those things. Crooks says, “it wasn’t nothing…you guys comin’ in an’ settin made me forget. What she says is true” (82). This shows that Crooks knows that even though he thought he could get a place with the other guys, he knows is would never happen, because he is black and he will always be treated

In the novel “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck portrays the theme of social injustice throughout the story in the lives of several characters that include Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and the stable buck, Crooks. All of these characters are mistreated in some way, shape or form. The hardships that these characters faced help guide us to see the social injustice that is prevalent in the story. Lennie is a victim of social injustice due to the fact that he is mentally disabled. He is not treated fairly when he was accused of rape.

The book Of Mice and Men is full of puzzling examples of the human condition, from Lennie and his mental disability to Curley only caring about his social appearance. With characters like these two, the book exploits the human condition that concerns circumstances life has given you. John Steinbeck brings to life what being a laborer in the American depression meant to the men and one woman who had enough personality to stand out. Steinbeck shows the human condition of men while they survive in the American depression.

Because she is female and wants someone there for her, she is viewed as troublesome and a whore. “Don’t you ever take a look at that bitch. I don’t care what she says and what she does. I seen ‘em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her.” (Steinbeck 32).